Getting to Wirk (sorry)

Driving the leaf-rich lanes that lead from South Derbyshire to Hathersage this morning, I thought back to last night's inaugural Derbyshire Laureate event in Wirksworth library and realised I still didn't know the answers to some of the questions that came up in the Q & A:

How do you select poems for a collection?

What's a typical writing day like for you? 

How do you know when a poem's finished?

The best questions are the ones you ponder for days and never quite get to the bottom of.

In fact, poems can make you feel like that too. For me, a good poem is often both question and answer at once. Lines that make all explanation seem unnecessary but, at the same time, subtly answer the reader. Perhaps that's why poets can seem so inarticulate in face-to-face settings: we're used to working things out on the page.

Thought-provoking questions and all, it was great to read some of my poems to a full house at Wirksworth library, including many members of the Wirksworth Word Miners. With the thriving arts festival and art trail, Wirksworth was an exciting place to start the laureateship. It had been years since I walked the calf-punishing back streets up to the quarry, or had a pint in The Hope and Anchor. This morning, I woke up to sunshine and dramatic pewter skies in Kirk Ireton, where I'd stayed with brilliant artist Heather Duncan and her family. As part of the laureateship, I'm looking forward to collaborating with artists who work in different mediums and it was inspiring to look at the ways Heather portrays landscape and perspective, a theme I talked about in the reading last night too.

Now, it's back to the desk where I'm working on my first commission - a poem to mark the twinning of Derby with Toyota City. Autumn's in full swing, there's a freshness in the air and, in the parks, whippets get leaves stuck on their heads....

T'ta from Matt, Ay up from me

I'm sitting down to write this behind a small window in Hathersage, with a whippet snoring loudly in the corner and a fire-coloured garden on the other side of the glass: my neighbour's rowan tree all off-gold leaves and red berries. Somewhere behind this immediate view, another one unfolds to north and south: Stanage Edge, where my hands remember gritstone holds; the road snaking out to Bamford and Castleton; the woods that flank the river, dark at this time of year; the other road, the one that stretches to Calver and then, eventually, to Chesterfield, my hometown, where the houses crowd closer together and the shop windows are lit till late. All these markers make the landscape I adore.

My name's Helen, I'm the new Derbyshire Poet Laureate and, as you can probably tell, I'm just a little bit excited about exploring the county through words. For the next two years, it's going to be my honour and privilege to work with libraries, schools, community groups and other organisations around Derbyshire to share my love of poetry and place. Following in the footsteps of previous laureates Cathy Grindrod, River Wolton, Ann Atkinson and Matt Black is going to be a daunting challenge.

I was born in Sheffield and grew up in Chesterfield, a town I'm proud to call home (even if it sometimes gets called other names as well). Ever since I was a kid, I've loved hill walking and fell running and used to go out to the Peak District regularly with my dad. As I got older, I learned to rock climb as well and that became my obsession - most weekends, I can be found at a local crag, hanging on for dear life (or suggesting we pack up early and go to the pub). I've lived in other places around the country (in Cambridge for a few years and then in Grasmere, where I was Poet in Residence at The Wordsworth Trust) but a few years ago something carried me back to Chesterfield, and ever since then I've been glad to be home. I now live a stone's throw from Stanage Edge (please don't chuck rocks off the top at me) and spend a lot of time in Sheffield, where I'm in the final year of studying for a PhD.

I mainly write poetry - my first collection 'Division Street' was published by Chatto & Windus this year - but I'm interested in literature of all kinds both on and off the page: I run a regular open mike night in Chesterfield, 'Spire Writes', which takes place on the first Wednesday of every month at The White Swan.

What does the laureateship have in store....? It's too early to tell, but amongst other things, you can expect football poems, projects involving maps, performances in unusual venues, poems that climb...and a lot of surprises. In fact, I hope most of it is going to be a surprise to me. I'll share some of my experiences as a laureate diary here on the blog and I hope to be in touch with as many of you as possible along the way!

My first event as laureate is on October 28th in Wirksworth Library as part of Derwent Discovery Days 2013.

I've got a lot to learn about Derbyshire. And I can't wait.

Last post, t'ta for now (but see you again soon), and big thanks from Matt

Hello there, this is Matt saying fare thee well from Laureate blogging. It's been a fantastic 2 years, and all thanks to everyone I've worked with, all the writers, readers, groups, schools, festivals, all the organisers, to Ali, Cathy, River, and the Arts Team, and to everyone else.

I've learnt so much, working with different groups, writing for different audiences, the joys of Derbyshire hospitality everywhere, fuddles indeed, and lots of good times. Delighted to say that I shall still be working in the County, so do hope to see you somewhere at some point soon. 

Meanwhiles, the fabulous Helen Mort, who is a wonderful poet, is starting her Laureate journey, which I'm quite sure is going to be brill - try and get her to your group or event soon! 

Of course, a major source of delight and inner-glow satisfaction is my end of Laureateering book - as above - which is now available!! Poems on all subjects - the essential nature of libraries, Belper Joe, the Peak District, Chesterfield taxi-drivers, the A6, Swizzels Love-Heart factory, speed awareness classes, and lots more.  Copies are available to borrow in Derbyshire Libraries or if you would like to buy a copy, please contact Ali Betteridge, Literature Development Officer on 01773 831359 or email alison.betteridge@derbyshire.gov.uk

So, that's all for now folks, t'ta for now, and big thanks, Matt

LOOSE NEWS *****

Hi, and welcome to brief and Loose News, of poetry readings coming up in the next two weeks, and one or two other bits and bats.
One or two readings in the next couple of weeks, where I’ll endeavour to entertain and tickle earlobes with word-music, slices of life and gentle provocation. It’s a year since I started laureateering, and to celebrate I’m going to try out a number of new poems. Ten Top Tips for Incoming Southerners: a guide to Derbyshire, that’s a new one, plus a fresh take on Chesterfield Taxi-Drivers, plus other poems about other folks near you. So, do come along if you fancy some poetry entertainment -

OCTOBER 4TH NATIONAL POETRY DAY
I’ll be at Ripley Library from 3.00pm till 4.00pm, and then at Belper Library from 7.00 – 8.45. Both are FREE events, but please book tickets from Ripley Library Tel: 01773 743321, or from Belper Library Tel: 01773 824333.

OCTOBER 9TH SPIRE WRITES
Come along to Havana Whites bar, more or less opposite Pomegranate Theatre, in Chesterfield, for a night where Spoken Word and page poetry rub shoulders in a very friendly manner. I’m hoping to get along there this time, the two headliners are great, have a look at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/268421253224932
all set up by the wondrous poet Helen Mort, famously of the greyhounds (or are they whippets, Helen?) by her side.

RECENT STUFF
Via links, if you fancy, are the 11 milestones round the County, with poems on, which I am right proud of. http://www.artsderbyshire.org.uk/projects/cultural_olympiad/olympic_milestones
And likewise, there’s a flavour of John Scargill’s Nightcap, a sort of poem/street-theatre/musical piece, on youtube, as performed with West Hallam Emergency Goodwill Choir, specially created for the occasion (you didn’t guess, honest).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlVp7f1vqqw&feature=youtube

I’ll be blogging some other stuff soon, that’s all for now. Ciao.

Erewash Sound and Beyond

Photo at the top: Dan Martin and Tris Walker hold up the Erewash Sound mascot in the recording studio
Photo below: Laura Kate Smith and Tris Walker discuss sound levels in the studio

     So, yes, first bit of news is that I've been to Erewash Sound studios for a very enjoyable (and sometimes hilarious) evening, recording poems and chatting with the wonderful, funny and enthusiastic Spoken Word spread-the-word'ers Tris and Laura - who have already done excellent interviews with Cathy Grindrod, Jeremy Duffield and others. Tris and Laura's Spoken Word interviews are woven effortlessly into their regular Saturday broadcasts and can be found on erewashsound.com/beyond and facebook.com/erewashbeyond. My interviews with them are going to be this Saturday and next Saturday, part of their 1pm to 2pm broadcast. I'm not very good at hearing myself on radio so probably shan't be listening!! However, many thanks to Tris and Laura for such good company and for flying the Spoken Word light aeroplane so tirelessly and joyfully.
     As spring approaches, so poetry sap rises and readings and events unfold again. Roger McGough next Monday at Chesterfield Library is very exciting, I was - as a youf - inspired by Penguin Poets 10 which was the Mersey Sound edition, those early very accessible and enjoyable Scouse transformations of ordinary and everyday experience into poetry. And then arguably even more exciting (!), 4 Laureates in the Library on next Wednesday, 14th, that's mysen' and the 3 previous laureateers, River, Cathy, Ann.
     Other news is that Chesterfield now has its own regular Open Mic night, hosted by the excellent poet Helen Mort - to find out details go to the Facebook group Spire Writes. And if you're up for a writing challenge, for charity, you are warmly invited by River (Wolton) to a sponsored Writing Marathon - fun, friendly, and the first ever for South Yorkshire. You will also be raising money for SAGE Greenfingers, a vital community project. Saturday 24th March 10am - 5.30pm. Welcome Centre, Nottingham St, Sheffield S3 9AQ. Registration fee £2. To register & start getting sponsored go to: www.writingmarathon.org.uk
       Finally, my friend Michael has just put up one of our collaborative pieces on soundcloud, my poem with Michael's soundscape to commemorate the demolition of the cooling towers near Meadowhall in Sheffield.  http://soundcloud.com/musicforwords/the-cooling-towers-farewell.
     So, tomorrow off to have lunch at the Afro-Caribbean Centre in Chesterfield, share a few poems and have a chat, and then to Quad's Open Mic night in the evening, which I've never been to before.
Spring is in the air, and the poetry sap is rising.

Stanza Writing Group visit and Ashbourne Festival Poetry Competition

       Just to say a big thanks to  the Derbyshire Stanza group (from left, Tim, Nick, Carol, Shirley, Jeremy, Alison, Lesley and Margaret), for a lovely welcome and a very enjoyable session last Saturday. Lots of excellent writing, and a lovely mix of interests in serious/comic/ free verse and rhymed. We had plenty of laughter too, which was perhaps not that surprising, given that one of our writing tasks was to write some nonsense poems for the Literature Festival's Nonsense Writing Competition www.derbyshire.gov.uk/festival), starting with various models and inspirations including nonsense alphabets, Carroll's Jabberwocky and Milligan's Ning Nang Nong.                     

        Derbyshire Stanza group works in what I think is a really excellent way - it meets up in different venues around the county, with some members always attending, and then writers local to the particular venue coming along too, so lots of new writer-friends and contacts can be made. So, here's the details of their next meeting - it's on Sunday 11th March, 12noon-3pm, at The Brunswick Inn (real ale pub, no car park), 1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU. It is a couple of minutes walk from Derby railway station. The meeting will include a writing exercise, poetry reading and a critiquing session of poems-in-progress inspired by the month of March (bring 10 copies of poem). All poets welcome. More information from alisonriley777@btinternet.com.

      Also delighted to say that there are now details of how to enter Ashbourne Festival's poetry competition, which is running for the 2nd year, and which now has a Young Poets category for the competition - so if you fancy a go at this one, then look at http://www.ashbournefestival.org.poetrycomp.html/
     Be in touch soon with  more - all best, Matt

At the still centre

So, these 2 trees stand, more or less, at the geographical centre of Derbyshire. Take a map, find the northernmost and southernmost point, measure with ruler, divide by half; easternmost and westernmost, ditto; and here you are. All in the name of following an idea to find the centre of Derbyshire, and go there and write. I found the mixture of rationale and randomness, of known and unknown, really exhilarating, committing myself to the chance of the process. The poem is still at a draft stage, but I think it will turn into a poem that I want to keep, but the journey was exciting - having found this slightly random reason for finding a location on a  map, then deciding to follow the adventure, however odd or unusual the final actual place might turn out to be. As it is, it turned out, by luck, to be a gorgeous natural spot (it could have been carpark/ tesco's/ unreachable/ or anything else) with lots of Derbyshire features, one-man barns, old drystone walls, a boggy half-wild field at the top of a hill, and although of course my map didn't really specify it quite this closely, I decided that these 2 magnificent trees, about 50 yards apart from each other, must surely be the king and queen at the centre.