Poetry Upstairs at the Melville reading 25th June 2024 (set list)

(Set list) I opened by saying something like this: 'About two weeks ago I was putting this set together - and I thought to read from the first two books out of three of (mainly) transpositions of traditional sonnets - Wyatt to Drayton, Charlotte Smith to Mary Robinson. They take for theme the caperings of a character called Bo, and deal with the hubris of brexit colliding with the mismangement of Covid. I've copies for sale. [I was referring to the 'English Strain' project, specifically to the two books currently in print: see  Pages: Poetic Evidence for the COVID Inquiry from British Standards (temporary post, with videos) (robertsheppard.blogspot.com) ; this is, with its videos, an alternative 'reading'.] BUT I realised that a) most people by this date would be exhausted with UK politics, and b) I don't want the poems to be thought electioneering.

SO I'm only going to read just one sonnet, not a transposition at all, but an elegy for Lee Harwood, who I know was a favourite poet of Ric's, and read in this series, several times, I think.'

I read 'The Evening Star', from The English Strain (see Pages: My THE ENGLISH STRAIN is published today by Shearsman (robertsheppard.blogspot.com).

I then read two long poems that I deliberately wrote (partly) to get sonnets out of my system. Composed in very different means at the same time, they are probably both 'about' cognition and recognition. 

The first was 'The Area', which has appeared in The Long Poem Magazine (which I write about here, 'Pages: My poem THE AREA is published in The Long Poem Magazine number 30 (background and links) (robertsheppard.blogspot.com) ).

The second was 'As a Rule', as yet unpublished. 

I sampled a short poem from Doubly Stolen Fire, my most recent self-penned book. This was 'The Lowry Lounge'. A surprisingly large number of the attentive audience (I asked them!) had read Under the Volcano. (See Pages: Doubly Stolen Fire (a new book of hybrid texts) is now OUT (robertsheppard.blogspot.com). The book was published locally, and the publisher, Lyndon Davies, was present. 

(Video of 'The Lowry Lounge')

I finished with a new(ish) poem called 'Radio Therapy', half a poem about radiotherapy and half a poem about Jimi Hendrix' 'Voodoo Child' (as it is now spelt), heard on the radio during radiotherapy (hence the title). 

It was a wonderful atmosphere, it was good to see old friends, and read to unknown people. It's a great series, too, if you are local. (Phone number above.)

My fellow readers were:

Abigail Parry spent seven years as a toymaker before completing her doctoral thesis on wordplay. Her poems have been set to music, translated into Spanish and Japanese, broadcast on BBC and RTÉ Radio, and widely published in journals and anthologies. Her first collection, Jinx, published by Bloodaxe Books in 2018. Her second collection, I Think We're Alone Now, is published by Bloodaxe Books in 2023. She is currently a lecturer in creative writing at Cardiff University. And: Gareth Writer-Davies is from Brecon, Wales. Publications include: Bodies, Cry Baby (2017) Indigo Dreams, The Lover's Pinch (2018) The End (2019) Wysg (2022) Arenig Press.