From Matlock to Mamelodi

Ann's tenure as Derbyshire Poet Laureate has just finished and I can't believe another two years of the laureateship has gone so quickly. Last week we launched From Matlock to Mamelodi: 5000 miles of poetry with the Derbyshire Poet Laureate Ann Atkinson, a collection which brings together poems written by Ann during her time as laureate. It also features a selection of poems written by young people and adults who took part in poetry workshops led by Ann. Many thanks to everyone who came along to the launch it was a wonderful evening which reflected Ann's warmth, enthusiasm and love of poetry.

Over the last 2 years Ann has taken part in over 50 events, written 28 new poems inspired by Derbyshire and engaged with over 1300 audience members and participants. She has taken part in a cultural exchange to Mamelodi in South Africa; written poems about cricket legends, young Derbyshire sports people, the Enlightenment and Derbyshire's industrial heritage; and she has encouraged people to write their own poetry be it inspired by where they live or the paintings of Joseph Wright.

Ann has been fantastic to work with and a huge thank you to her for everything she has done to promote poetry over the last 2 years.

Ali Betteridge
Literature Development Officer

Happy New Year!

Since October I have met so many people – librarians, local government officers, museum curators, and lots of other enthusiastic poets too. Here are a couple of pictures from the workshop in Queen's Park.
My first task as laureate, was to spend hours interrupting people over their lunch in the cafeteria in County Hall, Smedley Street. I’m pleased to say that nobody minded, and they were very happy to answer questions about their work, their personal heroines and heroes. Based on their responses, I wrote this poem John Smedley visits County Hall.

October 8th 2009
John Smedley Visits County Hall

and he is pleased to find his Hydro stands,
though changed - there’s much to recognise.
You tell him it’s a power-house, a castle,
fortress, maze, and then (becoming lyrical)
set in Elysium’s Fields, majestic still.

He nods, looks out across a busy town,
the hills beyond, the same bright wash of light
through stained glass windows in the drawing room.
Listen - staircase, washrooms, greenhouse, lawns
and halls – the swish of long silk skirts, murmur
of water-flow, the crack of mallet on croquet balls.

He asks what happens here these days,
what work you do. You say you are a cog
that turns the bigger wheel, without you there’d be
no bus stops, social care, no books, chaos on the roads;
that you’re a bridge between the action and its need,
you speak for those who otherwise would not be heard.

And if you had a super-power you’d see
into the future, work with super-speed, and fly,
be good as Ghandi and Mandela - you’d be a Beckham
or Joanna Lumley - be Wonder-Woman, possess
a micro-chip that stores all passwords, the latest
smart technology........but here John Smedley
starts to lose your drift, is fading back into his history,
his faith in water cures, his old philanthropy.

And now that grim snow-bound January is over, planning for this year’s projects is well under way. I look forward to meeting some of Derbyshire’s elite young sportspeople: River Wolton and I will be working with them and groups of children to write poems about sport which will be printed onto postcards in time for Derbyshire's Literature Festival in the summer.

But before then I'm off to Mamelodi, Pretoria with a team of other artists, to do some work with students and schools there for the Mamelodi Trust. I'm looking forward to this immensely, and will report back in May.

I'll be reading in Belper Library on February 17th.

Poetry and Paninis in the Park

Join me for an afternoon of poetry and writing in Chesterfield's lovely Victorian Queen's Park.

Tuesday 20th October, 12.00 - 3.00pm
cost: £7 / £5 conc. - includes panini, sandwich or salad + coffee, tea or soft drink

To book: phone Alison Betteridge - 01773 831359

Meet at Queen's Park Pizzaria & Gelateria, North Lodge (beside the footbridge), Queen's Park, Chesterfield S40 2LD

And the new Derbyshire Poet Laureate is ...

Ann Atkinson! I'm delighted to be handing the helm of the Laureate Ship over to her and wish her a happy two years filled with poetic delights of every kind ... Here's Ann

“I have lived in Derbyshire in the Peak District for over thirty years. I grew up on Teesside in the fumes of the chemical industries, and went to school on Hartlepool’s Headland, and if now and then I admit to missing the sea, when I drive up over open moorland, the clear air, the familiar skyline of the Peaks never fails to lift my heart and call me home. In the same way, though I can trace my love of poetry to my childhood and a particular teacher, it is my home and family, the beautiful landscape and the people who live in it, that provide a constant source of inspiration.

Writing poetry, working with students and fellow writers, has been central to my life for many years. Recently, in my role as Poet Laureate of the Peak, I spent several days meeting people at Bakewell Show; this proved to be a rich source of material for a set of poems.
So I look forward to meeting more people, in more and more places in Derbyshire, people who have stories to tell and poems to write....and I hope I’ll be writing some too.”

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ...

The Some Girls' Mothers crew (of which River - now ex-Derbyshire Poet Laureate - is proud to be a member) are running a writing workshop and performing on 18th October as part of Off The Shelf Festival. Tickets are booking fast so here are the links:

Writing workshop with Anne Caldwell & River Wolton

Performance with Anne Caldwell, Nell Farrell, Clare Shaw & River Wolton

We sold out Chesterfield Library Theatre in March, so hoping for a great turn-out in Sheff.

Though the authors are primarily poets, SGM is a collection of prose stories about mothers & daughters. Check out our Facebook page.

You Are Here

... is here! Thanks to everyone who came to Alfreton last week for the grand launch of the book, and celebration of the Laureate Ship and all who have sailed in her for the last two years. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to celebrate with everyone who's contributed. You Are Here will soon be available to borrow through Derbyshire libraries or you can find out how to buy a copy here.

National Poetry Day is on the horizon. This years theme is Heroes and Heroines. I'll be reading at Hear Women Poets, Here alongside 7 other poets - a poetry relay!

If you're a knitter or crochet-er you can join (this weekend) in creating the world's biggest knitted poem!

'The whole thing starts with a single knot
and needles. A word and pen.'
(from 'How to Knit a Poem' by Gwyneth Lewis)

Poetry Season is Here

As the damp squib of a summer fades it's time to gladden the heart with poems. There's plenty to choose from in the upcoming Manchester Literature Festival (15 - 25 Oct) and Sheffield's Off The Shelf Festival (10 - 31 Oct).

Closer to home, the Melbourne Arts Festival is underway (4th - 20th Sept) with a huge variety of live performances, as well as the Art and Architecture Trail. Wirksworth Festival (11th - 26th Sept) promises a wealth of contemporary visual art and performance.

If you're putting pen to paper, why not send an entry to the Big Issue in the North Poetry Competition, closing date 8th Oct, with the theme of Heroes & Heroines.

The National Poetry Competition (closing date 31 Oct) is particularly short on entries from Derbyshire and the East Midlands this year... so get writing!