done and probably ever will do, only there was the best part of nobody there to see it. It was also during this set I learned that red wine is a great accompaniment to everything except pot noodles. Poets do create their best work when in some sort of pain or anguish and I think it may have been this feeling of near spontaneous human combustion that drove me to deliver my best reading.


Anyhow, after emptying my arse, the gallery was then filled with Square Magazine poets, Jam Bones poets and a few odds and ends poets. This was where it got very interesting. Everyone who took to the stage on that Saturday afternoon gave the most professional and entertaining of readings I’ve ever seen. The bar was raised and raised and raised again. Memorable moments were Mab Jones’ (who??! – Ed) Ely dialect poems, Nick Fisk’s (never heard of him!! – Ed) Attila the Stockbrokeresque surrealist poetry and hopefully my own reading of Yevtushenko’s poetic attack on weak writers, in English and Russian.


Even though this was a 24 hour poetry marathon, and you’d imagine it to be quite a laborious event, the time escaped very quickly and we soon found ourselves all wrapped up, sat over pints in some random Swansea pub, mostly sitting in silence as we were totally exhausted. It was only at this point that it really hit me what I’d just put myself through and how much of a magical event it had been, though it reminded me very much of an old article I’d once read. Apparently in 1969 David Bowie set up one gig in his own art space, hoping that this was the gig that would launch his career. He is reported to having played the best set of his life according to the 5 people who showed up. There was no media, no write up, no launch of career and the man himself is said to have been devastated afterwards. The poetry marathon was something like this. Joe public was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the media. However, like that fateful Bowie gig back along, I’m quite sure the 2010 Welsh poetry marathon will be spoken of in bars all over the world one day as the stuff of Legend.


PLUGS David R Morgan has 2 poetry collections available, Walrus On A Rocking Chair,


illustrated by John Welding, published by Claire Publications and his adult poetry Ticket For The Peepshow is published by art’icle.


Michael Pedersen’s chapbook Part-Truths is available via Koo Press


(www.koopress.co.uk). Go to his website - www.michaelpedersen.co.uk for live reading dates and forthcoming publications.


John Younger’s debut collection Viewing Point, available from jay.tealby@tiscali.co.uk


Nick Fisk finally releases his book, “Departure Lounge 58” (right) on August 5th! West Wales Launch: August 5th, Cardiff Launch: August 11th More info, and available to buy from www.squarepublishing.co.uk


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“Enjopyable, engaging, entertaining poems from this off-the-wall,out-of- the-box, outside-the-lines poet.” Mab Jones


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