28 | November | 2013 | awritersfountain

Poetry Reading: Maurice Riordan, Angela France at Waterstone’s, on 28 Nov 2013

This Book Launch Event was in partnership with University College Birmingham, Writing West Midlands and Nine Arches Press.

It was a fantastic inspiring evening.

After reading Flashes last night – tonight I became one! I had to zoom from work to another booking and then from there was attempting a homeward bound journey of about 15 minutes to do a Wonder Woman style change and pick up my writing notepad! Alas, traffic was so congested just after 5pm that I performed a spectacular U turn and headed back to the station.

The same station I missed my train into the city from last time *(Nemesis -every writer needs one!) Ironically this time I was at the station and had a 20 minute wait – and no phone battery! (We all know how time flies on updates.) Instead I bought a much needed sandwich and waited it out on the platform.

This did give me a lovely window of free time in the city before the event – and the German Market has arrived and paved the streets with light for Christmas!

(Christmas is something I have been trying not to even think about yet as it is still November… it is now however, nearly December and the sooner I buy the gifts and wrap them the sooner I can think about planning the first Christmas in my own home! And also stop worrying about the budget – more on this in December though.)

I did a small bit of shopping and arrived at Waterstone’s Bookshop in time to collect my ticket and glass of wine.

It is a gorgeous building and sadly as my phone battery was all but dead I didn’t snap any pictures for the blog. I will try to find some online and add them to this post.

We were on the balcony upstairs – a wonderful use of space. I saw a few poet friends, Cathy, Charlie Jordan and Jo Bell (who I did know would be there because it was on her sharing of the advert that I was reminded of this event – which had been advertised in mailing lists from WWM) however, I was still miffed when she mentioned stalking! 😉 It was a lovely event to talk to other readers and poets and chat I did!

Both Maurice Riordan and Angela France

are well known, published poets. Tonight was my first discovery of both of them. I had already come across Buzzwords a poetry event Angela runs and one for my 2014 list! Tonight I heard her read and my mind sparked off in a million different directions… and I was without my notebook. I vowed then I would need to buy her book, Hide- her 3rd Poetry Collection.

Maurice opened my mind further and much as I liked what he read from his new book, I ended up buying The Holy Land from 2007 instead. Slightly embarrassed when I asked him to sign it. Reading it on the way home on the train I am certainly not disappointed in my choice. If only I could have bought all 3 books this evening – but my impoverish poet’s purse wouldn’t allow it. (I blew my budget before the summer, I’ve neglected doing any accounts since October because I know what I need to try to make back now is already going to take a book deal.)

I enjoyed every minute and was filled with a calm core by the end of the evening. I didn’t even mind waiting half an hour for a train as I had poetry to read (one of the things I hoped to grab from home earlier was a book) – I didn’t realise that the train on the platform was mine – presumed it was London bound, so did sit on a cold metal chair for the first 4 poems!

(I wonder how I have made it this far through life sometimes 😉 )

Brilliant night –

I love bookshops

I love books

I love reading

I love listening

I love being my mind

I always have

and always will

it is about time

I realised it

My soul has been

begging me to take

a look in the

mirror my whole life

I grapple with conviction

at first

for years

I try it on for size

it fits

Then I gain weight

Life takes over

Peter Pan grows up

I leave behind a

memory

A yearning

a hole

Even still pictures

show life

now I know

now I am

Now I will be.

It was my 2nd time to the 42 event and my 1st time reading Flash Fiction, I found it far harder than performing poetry – every line seemed to last forever and the relief of a full stop was short lived! I have admired the storytellers and those brave enough to share short stories at Spoken Word events over the past few months, having given it a go I think it is an occasional thing for me. I will still write prose, flashes and shorts, but you won’t find me sharing them at an open mic until 2014!

I learnt a lot from listening to other writers, some of the stories were incredible. It was a fun night.

Andrew Owens was aiming to compare us through 42 Flashes and I think we managed 47! WOW! It was a great night enjoyed by all and Polly Robinson is doing a review of the event online – which I will look out for and post links soon.