Golden Hour

John Hegley brought his laconic wit to Oxford this afternoon. As if in honour, the sun vanished and it rather satisfyingly lashed with rain while we were enclosed in a dark space on what ought to have been a summer afternoon. He was the opener for Oxford's first post-Covid poetry slam - on the theme of 'heartbreak' and run in collaboration with Sally Holloway, a historian of 'gender, emotions, and visual and material culture' who is researching a book on the history of heartbreak. Her earlier books include The Game of Love in Georgian England: Courtship, Emotions and Material Culture and A Cultural History of Love in the Age of Enlightenment. She is also researching the role of food in navigating intimate relationships. History wasn't like this when I studied it.

Even those of us not competing in the slam were invited to write a short experience of being heartbroken or being a heartbreaker on a post-it note and place it in a small box. These were opened and read out between slam performances, with the writers able to remain anonymous or say more. Meanwhile the very talented poet, Owen Collins, was writing a poem on the hoof turning all these anecdotes into rhyme and rhythm. He had about 30 seconds between the last one being read out and having to stand up and read his poem (extra). I don't think I was the only one to think that his outshone all the slam performances.

The golden hour turned up after the rain at almost 9 this evening.