If I reported back on most of my weeks, you wouldn’t believe just how boring they are. Boring on the outside anyway. A woman sitting staring …
… and sometimes lifting up a pen and writing …
… before putting it down and getting back to staring …
On the inside though …
… whole worlds are being created.
Well, OK. Sometimes.
This week however has been one of things happening on both the inside and outside. Let me share some of the highlights with you…
After last week’s WISE WORDS launch, we had a briefing with the student facilitators. They remain lovely, we remain enthusiastic. We are just now waiting for the groups to be finalised. I for one can’t wait much longer. It was interesting to talk about our worries about running groups because I think they’re shared by everyone who facilitates any writing group… (I’ve put two here with very shortened versions of our advice in italics but I’ll be interested to hear of anyone else’s experience and solutions)
* What happens if someone reads out something inappropriate? Make sure you have good guidelines agreed by the whole group right at the start/trust in the group dynamics/don’t react too wildly because this is what may be what is wanted, instead stay calm and move on as quickly as possible…
* What do you do if someone doesn’t participate? There are a number of possible reasons why this could be. Encourage the rest of the group to continue and have a quiet word with that person to find out why. Have alternative exercises to hand, but keep it open that they will write later. Maybe they will just prefer to listen until they feel ready to join in.
Another highlight was hearing Anne Berkeley read at the Kent and Sussex Poetry Society. There’s something special about these evenings that goes beyond just hearing top quality poets read in an intimate setting of a small room of other poetry lovers. I think it’s the seriousness and respect with which the work is treated. It reinforces my desire to write, and that can’t be bad.
Then Catherine Smith and I rowed round a lake as part of a forthcoming exhibition of photographs of writers by Ellen Montelius. I almost look as if I know what I’m doing but have been told off by my rower-daughter for not keeping my eyes on the boat.
And lastly, another day another boat. Yesterday was spent with the Re-authoring team dreaming up new performances on deck at the fabulous LV21 floating-arts-centre-to-be in Gillingham.
Magic.
And as things simmer, they also end. Tomorrow (Monday) sees my last day as the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the London School of Economics. It’s been a great three years, and I’ve been grateful for the chance to read so many different essays, meet so many fantastic students and lecturers, and to learn so much myself. I’ll be sad to go.
But … before I go anywhere, let me invite all those near Tunbridge Wells, to join poets from the Kent and Sussex Poetry Society to a poetry evening at the Oxfam Book shop in Chapel Place. It’s on Tuesday 22nd May, from 7 to 9 and there will be wine, poems and lots of special poetry books to buy. Please come and join us.
(ps the photo of the bookshop is by Anke, who has one of the best blogs on Tunbridge Wells here. Well worth a look.)
