Am ak o ee ok u mrse


y Wc f Srn Bos sm ai s


Sadly, Amy lost the notes she’d made on the day, but here was what she could recall: Dannie Abse


Roger McGough Andrew Motion John Agard


Gillian Clarke Imtiaz Dharker


Grace Nichols Elaine Feinstein Daljit Nagra Ian Duhig


Owen Sheers Glyn Maxwell Jo Shapcott


Robin Robertson Colette Bryce Maura Dooley


Robert Minhinnick lively as always in box-bright trainers and a light-blue jumper. who has the maddening knack of making his personal poems sound political


the most memorable performance - a real show-stopper with his cup of tea call and response poem from a mock-colonial perspective.


a warm presence - who actually read a poem about the earthquake disaster, written almost disturbingly quickly after the fact. who merited audience approval buzz. like Agard, also from Guyana.


pleasingly ironic, had never seen her read before. a confident and entertaining performance.


was always cryptic, but modest on his showbiz limitations.


from Wales, so we adore him of course, also got away with a poem about his mum, like Andrew Motion (note, Amy is one of the people who swoons at Owen Sheers’ feet, ed).


heard him read about a week later in the On the Border series in Chepstow, a WONDERFUL poem about earthquake that will probably be in Poetry Review any day now.


enjoyed her contribution - a rebellious/feminist Piss-flowers. sonorous but incomprehensible. wry but lost impact in huge hall.


name-checked Mumbles in Swansea - she lived there a few years ago.


injected welcome note of cynicism about our behavior in other small countries, like Iraq, before everyone could get all London lovey-dovey and self- congratulatory.


“Also reads” – Brian Patten and Lachlan Mackinnon – Amy did not have notes for these! And with contributions from musicians John Sampson and Andy Roberts.


Summed up by organizer, the current Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy who, with astonishing modesty, did not even read one of her own poems, and who acknowledged our stamina at hearing four hours of poetry, proclaimed that she “needed a drink” - and didn't we all?!


13


read his great poem Lament of Heledd with its deep and eerie refrain Cynddyllan's Hall is dark tonight perfect scene-setting for the big, echoing Methodist church hall.


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