Aston Cockaine, Derbyshire's Austin Powers: and other stuff

DERBYSHIRE BALLADS
    I've been doing bits of research into ballads, which have taken me to the wonderful 19th century collection of Derbyshire ballads  http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24174602M/The_ballads_songs_of_Derbyshire. This includes a ballad about  Henry V, to whom the King of France sent, not the tribute that was due to him in gold, but 10 tons of tennis balls instead. Likewise references to the wonderfully named poet from Ashbourne, Aston Cockaine (yes, surely he is the seventeenth century Austin Powers), an aristocrat with a fondness for gambling, connections to Izaak Walton, and writers such as Massinger, Lovelace, and John Donne. In these days of poetry collections with a fondness for themes, or themed sections, here's a glass to celebrate his "Small Poems of Divers Sorts" - as someone who loves variety, and surprises, a collection that has divers sorts of poems is still, to me, the kind I am readiest to jump into. Or maybe it's just the  pleasure of random dipping that is so fresh and freedom-flying.

READING AT SCARTHIN'S NEXT SUNDAY    
    I'm going to be reading next Sunday at Scarthin's bookshop in Cromford - a very informal sort of reading - stay and listen - or drop in while you're shopping. Starting at about 1.00pm, and for just 20 minutes or maybe half an hour at the most. Free, and all are welcome, and the soups, cakes and other cafe treats are of course delicious.  This is to "launch" (hmmm, much more informal actually) a new poem for the bookshop that I've written. Do hope you can come along.
    To just get a flavour of the wonder that is Scarthin's, if you don't know it, start by visiting http://www.scarthinbooks.com/  It calls itself the most enjoyable bookshop in England, and it's not wrong!

What's that Laureate been doing then? a month later...

A good month, days out, balmy late summer drives to West Hallam, Buxton, Alfreton, Wirksworth, Chesterfield, planning meetings, exciting projects getting ready for the New Year, and writing time too. Quite a lot of time spent on limericks - my tribute to Edward Lear, whose bicentenary it is next year, is a book of nonsense verse and prose called The Nonsense Olympics -  time that was often joyous, with laughter ringing the rafters, and other moments of scansion madness - does it scan? does it? does it? Hopefully it's to print in the next few days, and I'll post more about it soon, doubtless.

                 from Animal Olympics no. 3 - "dodo pogo"        
On which theme, 2 things that may be of interest - firstly, the Derbyshire Lit Festival is running a nonsense poetry and flash fiction competition, and if you're interested just go to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/festival. And for a great site on Lear in general, there's the very dedicated and wonderful Blog of Bosh nonsenselit.org.wordpress. He called himself Lord High Bosh and nonsense producer, though he also called himself "Mr Abebika kratoponoko Prizzikalo Kattefello Ablegorabalus Ableborinto phashyph" and sometimes "Chakonoton the Cozovex Dossi Fossi Sini Tomentilla Coronilla Polentilla Battledore & Shuttlecock Derry down Derry Dumps".
         Other good news for me was having a poem published in this month's The Rialto (therialto.co.uk). I've been much better at sending poems out this year - I forget about it sometimes for a year or two, when I just get too busy with other stuff.
        Going to finish for now with a five-minute haiku -

6 music playing
friday night be bop hip hop -
frog music leaping

ciao for now,  Matt (woops, seem to have lost photo of self on homepage, should remedy or maybe write photo in words...)

Being Launched as Laureate

Hello there. This is my first blog entry as Laureate, and follows being launched last Thursday, on National Poetry Day, and I just wanted to say big thanks to everyone who came and welcomed me into this Laureateship-sailing-ahead, and I hope you enjoyed the launching, which I thought had a lovely and warm feel. Friends, writers, councillors, library staff, previous laureates (even m' Da showed up in his best jeans!) - so, many thanks for braving a dreek and stormy night in Alfreton to listen to some poems and say hello to each other.
How does it feel? Exciting, very much like the start of a journey, with a magical ticket to wander and explore, as well as some clear places to go to, and I have lots of ideas that I'd like to see happen over the next 2 years. I hope to do plenty of readings, in all sorts of places (invitations welcome!) and commissions, and have various other strange and wonderful ideas which I'm just beginning to develop, and shall keep this blog posted with. For now, I'm going to have to go - as I'm about to run a Dead Poets Slam, and have 16 dead (and dead-famous) poets turning up in a couple of hours to compete in a poetry Slam - and I've just worked out what the winner is going to get - which will be a copy of what I think is definitely one of the best contemporary poetry anthologies of recent years - "Staying Alive" from Bloodaxe. And such a good title for the winner of a Dead Poets Slam too! More soon, I'm sure.... Matt (Black)

Handing over the laureate baton ...

Ann has handed over the laureate baton to Matt Black who officially takes over as the new Derbyshire Poet Laureate on National Poetry Day, Thursday 6th October 2011.

We're delighted to welcome Matt to the role and look forward to working with him over the next 2 years.

Matt's launch event is on Thursday 6th October 2011, 7.30-8.45pm at Alfreton Library.
He'll be reading a selection of poems, including poems inspired by Games, which is the theme for this year’s National Poetry Day. Matt will also be launching the Derbyshire Literature Festival 2012 Nonsense Poetry and Prose writing competition.
The event is free and if you'd like to come along and meet Matt please book tickets with the Arts Team on 01773 831385 or email arts.team@derbyshire.gov.uk

Unofficially Matt has already started as laureate and will be popping in to various events during the Chatsworth Road Festival in Chesterfield which takes place 1st to 8th October. So if you're out shopping on Chatsworth Road over the next week you may bump into him.


Ali Betteridge
Literature Development Officer

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