under another sun

Recording this morning with Robin, then a bit of editing, and a walk down by the sea. To London this evening, met Robin at Lewes station and we made off to The Artworker's Guild Hall in Queen's Square, in London. Very grand room, and full of folks to hear the winners of the Poetry Society's  National Poetry Competition. Robin is on the committee and she got me in for nowt. People floating around with trays with microdotted with canapés, and free wine or champers. I stuck to red. The walls of the room covered in famous Artworkers of the past. A poetry reading of the top ten entrants. Good poems. The winner was Fiona Larkin, who Robin knew a bit, with a very neat poem called  Absence has a grammar about both the Finnish language, and missing her son who was travelling in Australia. Mingled a bit. One of the younger poets, Sorrel Briggs, had covid, but her twin sister read her poem instead and rather well too so spoke to her and her family.  I chatted to Chris Beckett, one ...

I got up fairly early and sent off another manuscript off, more out habit than anything. Had planned a bit of a saunter in the woods with Brian, but it was a miserable morning. Off this evening to the Royal Festival Hall. Met Robin on the train to Lewes we changed at Clapham for Waterloo. A wincingly pricey sharpener downstairs first, and then up to the fifth floor and the Poetry Society event, presenting the National Poetry Competition prizewinners. Brilliant to go with Robin as a tag team. It would have been a bit toe curling going alone. Thanks to Robin I was on the guest list. I naturally availed ourselves of the free wine and beer and canapés with alacrity (as did Robin) and wandered about separately, and together, chatting to folks.   Enjoyed the readings from shortlisted poets, and then the winners. Can't say I was astonished by anything I heard, but the woman who was the runner up, Tifo Kusoro, read her poem very well. Nevertheless cheery to be rubbing shoulders with like m...