So what was the rest of the Poetry Now festival like and who won the prize, and what did the volunteering involve anyway, I hear the voices in my head ask.
Well - I only saw the award giving for the Poetry Now award, and had to head off soon after, so I can't say much more about that. I can reveal that Sinéad Morrissey won the prize, and graced us with the start and end poem from her collection, both of which were very beautiful.
The volunteering involved asking people some slightly personal questions - like how much they were spending at the festival, and then some more social/ cultural ones - like whether they thought the festival would improve their own creativity, whether it attracted people from different social backgrounds etc. It seemed not to be the most diverse of audiences to be fair, but hopefully the survey results will help towards fixing that in future years.
It was for the most part very enjoyable chatting to people, got some extreme reactions though - people not wanting to talk about money, (one drunk lady at 6.30 on Friday evening claiming irritably that you can't put a price tag on art - then saying her hotel cost 700 euro) - some people calling the survey classist.
On the flip side some nice friendly famous poets did the survey with me, without any airs or graces, one nudging Paul M as he passed saying to me "Well there's been some very rough characters" - yes I was part of a joke with PM.
And then we got to be very friendly all of a sudden, me and Paulie standing around chatting and laughing and patting each other on our backs, reciting our poems to each other, him saying:
"No you're a better poet Niamh"
Me saying "No, you're better"
Him saying "Stoppit!!!" and blushing
Seamus interrupting us and saying "Lookit ye're both great, now break it up and have a guddle"
No, actually that last bit didn't happen at all in actual real life...
But this did:
which is almost as good - let's face it...
ps - one of the aforementioned nice famous poets told me of his gentle joking with PM - where he pointed out one of the references missed in his poetical dissection of last Thursday.
"You missed the one about the word car park"
"What?"
"Well it was an obvious play on the words carp and ark" etc etc
"Yerrah feck off"
8 comments:
Tell us some more...sounds brilliant. Am v jealous
Well, then she rolled the ball down the garden again, and then up over the flower beds... oh... you mean with the Poetry Now?
I've given you most of the juicy details there, apart from Sinéad acknowledging this blog as her main inspiration, JFD crediting me with reinventing poetry in the 21st century, and Seamus admitting he wished I was his daughter... oh hang on - mixing up reality and dreams again there...
'Licketty splicketty and a rumble rush, take it slake it,like a dead wee thrush.'
That's your Pal Paul saying he liked the video of the dog.
Funny you mention the dead thrush, we're finding she absolutely adores rubbing herself all over with dead things when she finds them, it's like a macho - aura of danger thing she's trying to build up or something... curiouser and curiouser
No, dogs just like being smelly.
Great post! I particularly liked the fantasy conversation (shame!)
Don't they just tho Titus? I'm glad it's not just her, I was beginning to think maybe she was an axe murderess in a past life.
Thanks!!
I'm styruggling with darn google servature!... so hope this comment gets to you!....
Sounds like an interesting night was had.
Oh the heady life of a poetess!
:-D
like the fish tale ending, lol!
Got it ok, tis non stop glamour and partying this poetry business I tells ya.
re the fish tale - wish I'd made that up - twas a funny funny guy I was chattin to, might have him on the show sometime
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