The accidental finding

By woodpeckers

Long black coat

There’s always someone in a long black coat at a poetry festival! Probably even if the festival is being held in the desert. This striking woman is a director or another high-up. I’ve forgotten her name. Another trend is hats/caps. I did see one today, and I confess that I have been known to wear a peaked cap.

Friend K and I were at the Ledbury poetry festival. It really is superb. We started off at a reading by Ellen Cranitch and Isabelle Bari. I bought Ellen’s book Crystal, as it deals with her husband’s addiction to crystal meth (he recovered, is a member of NA, and their marriage survived). We couldn’t really hear Isabelle because the church bells were ringing a celebratory peal and she was quietly spoken. Then K wanted to buy shoes and I wanted a coffee, and we managed both, plus a posh charity shop. Made it back to the Burgage Hall for the live recording of The Verb for BBC radio 4. The featured poets were Jackie Kay, Michael Pedersen and Hollie McNish. All superb. Jackie mentioned that her son is 37, and I realised that the first time I saw her read was 38 years ago, in Silver Moon bookshop in London’s Charing Cross Road.

More food/drinks/shopping followed , and then back to the hall for the new poets showcase: Tom Bailey, Freya Bantiff, and Maureen Onwunali. (The back of the head in my blip shot belongs to Freya). Of these three, all were good, but my favourite was Maureen. She was born and brought up in Dublin, and her family is of Nigerian origin. She performed the most fantastic poem entitled (I think) When I die. Unfortunately her pamphlet was sold out, so I couldn’t buy one, but she gave me a link to where I can buy one.

K also chatted to Simon Armitage on a bench and asked him to come to Stroud. I’m so bad at faces, I would recognise Simon Armitage from a cup of tea (and yes, I have seen the film version of The Salt Path).

After that we left Ledbury and headed back to Stroud, as Steve had got me on the guest list for the Stroud Sacred Music Festival (by dint of being a volunteer photographer). I saw Alice Boyd’s second half, including some soundscape recordings from nature, and then an extraordinary version of Aarvo Part’s version of The Beatitudes.

Annie and Russell and Camilla were at the venue, St Laurence’s church, settling in for the evening, but I decided to go home as I thought that five seated events was enough, plus all the walking around in between. I walked home, though, as it was a sunny evening. Steve drove and arrived about two minutes behind me, after he’d said his goodbyes to the team.

It’s been a great day. I must go back to Ledbury poetry festival next year for a couple of days, staying over. Tomorrow morning I’m going for a walk with Russell.

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