Although it's pouring with rain here today, it's definitely a bit warmer than it has been, and daffodils and primroses are springing up in my garden. Poetry on Loan seems to be feeling the sap rising, too, with lots of events on the horizon. We're running lots of petry workshops for reading groups, but there are events open to anyone:
18th March Sandwell, West Bromwich library, 7:30 - Pass the Parcel poets - a fast-moving poetry event from Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists
March, Birmingham, various dates - Birmingham Poet Laureate Richard O'Brien will read some of his poetry and give a talk, at Boldmere, Northfield, Shard End and Stirchfield libraries
6th April, Albrighton library, Shropshire - Poetry on Demand with Steve Pottinger
25th April Stoke, City Central library Hanley, 11 am - Postcard poets - Jeff Phelps, Sarah James, Emma Purshouse and Brenda Read-Brown with a very wide range of styles and themes
And further into the year, we've got Imtiaz Dharker at Nuneaton Library on 18th May - and look out for a very special event in June, in Worcester!
Meanwhile, I've been starting on the spring cleaning by tidying my books, and reading old copies of the Poetry Review that I hadn't got round to before. It's reminded me of something I often say to people who tell me that they've read a book of poems and didn't like all of them. I tell them that it's like a music album; you will really, really like one or two tracks; almost certainly you will dislike one or two tracks; and the others are ok. If you approach poetry books like this, with the hope of finding a couple of poems that will live with you for ever, then you won't be disappointed. Certainly in the Poetry Reviews there are many poems that leave me completely cold - but I'm sure somebody out there loves those, and shrugs at the ones that speak to me.
Happy reading, listening, writing...