Poetry by Maurice Spillane: Looking forward to the festival

Poetry Swindon Festival: 

3-8 October 2018

Do you know that this festival is considered to be the “friendliest poetry festival” in the UK? 

We’ve had visitors from the UK, USA and the Continent over the years and they have written enthusiastically about Swindon on social media.

It’s a great festival for Swindon folk to enjoy as well. If it’s your first visit, make sure you search me out and in return I’ll make sure you’re well looked after. How’s that?

You can see the full Programme at www.poetryswindon.org/poetry-festival-2018 

Booking is advisable. All events are held in a magnificent tent palace that we erect in the grounds of the Richard Jefferies Museum. The museum is beside the Sun Inn on the Marlborough Road near Coate Water. The post code is SN3 6AA.

I hope this helps you to pick one event at least that will appeal to you.

Easy Listening 

Poetry can be a bit daunting if the last time you heard a reading was in school, or at a wedding or a funeral and that was it. Poetry doesn’t have to be serious and remote. It can be a lot of fun and here’s a few tasters that I recommend:

Wednesday 3 October at 7:30 What if you woke up one morning and realised that your life was actually a computer game? Your Dad just died, your Uncle's married your Mum and is hell-bent on world domination. Our own Edward Daly takes Hamlet to a new level with retro imagination, spoken word and comic songs. We even have a trailer on the website. It’s an absolute hoot!

Friday 5 October at 3.30pm, two really amusing poets, Susan Taylor and Simon Williams, celebrate English weather and romantic love. I know, it’s ridiculous, but it works!

Open Mic

This is for everyone: first-time readers, budding poets, published poets. Bring along a poem and read it yourself. Or, just settle back with a drink and enjoy the fun.

Thursday 4 October at 1.30pm, Sam Loveless is the poet’s DJ and he’s great at it.

Monday 7 October at 10am A final wrap of poems with coffee and croissants. 

Really Good Poets

I know and like these poets so I can recommend their readings without any preamble. But here’s a preamble anyway!

Thursday 4 October at 8.30pm three of Swindon’s favourite poets make the big time with recent publications: Josephine Corcoran, Stephen Payne and Louisa Campbell.

Friday 5 October at 7.30pm I could sit and listen to Kim Moore in total rapture for hours. I love her poetry. Her accent, her lilting voice, the quality of her poetry – you just get sucked in. And she’s joined by Wayne Holloway-Smith from Wiltshire and the wonderful Clare Shaw.

Saturday 6 October at 5pm Carrie Etter is an American poet, a great friend to Swindon, and slowly becoming Saxonised. She teaches Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Carrie has a new collection and will be reading with Sandeep Parmar who is an up and coming poet. I’m looking forward to this and I expect great work.

Workshops

We have two-hour workshops every morning for poets, and it doesn’t matter what stage you are at in your development. If you want to be a poet, or want to improve your poetry you should attend at least one, and you’ll come away kicking your heels. They book out quickly.

Sunday 7 October at 3.30pm Poetry Primers is a series for emerging poets run by The Poetry School and Nine Arches Press. It’s now on Volume 3. Three new poets will showcase their work. It could be you next year! 

Other events

This is a taster to get you engaged but do have a look at the programme and book at least one event. Poetry Swindon needs you!