Carol Ann Duffy @ Grasmere

Yes this is me with my poetry notebook signed by Carol Ann Duffy. I managed to stagger some sycophantic words out to the new poet laureate despite being completely in awe! I told her the usual about thinking her poems are wonderful and how she reads so well, then I asked her for advice as I have my first reading coming up. She said, and I quote;

"Just focus on the words"

I was hoping for some secret Duffy magic but this was her gem, and treasure it I will. I then told her that my first three poems are being published on June 17th and she told me what an auspicious date that is as it's her daughter's birthday. I left notebook in hand, having a hot flush and totally blown away.

She read so beautifully and with so much humour. The first half of the evening was given over to poems from The World's Wife and a new poem about girls giggling at school, parts of which interspersed the longer poems. She then had a break and after returned to read from Rapture as well as new poems about her Mother and daughter, and finished the first part of the giggling girls poem. There is apparently a lot more to follow. I was amazed at how she paced every poem just right as she read, she had the comedy timing of a practiced comedian yet her love poems made me want to cry. Wonderful. She really brought the poems to life and hearing them out loud helped me better recognise her amazing use of language. What I liked about Rapture was the wonderful metaphors and the narrative through the book. The ebb and flow of a love affair. I connected with it immediately and found the meanings easy to grasp. But hearing the other poems I was more enchanted by the variety of words and subtle rhymes that really come through when she reads.

There was also another bonus to the evening. When I arrived I only required one seat so was ushered to the front row. Not only was this a perfect vantage point but I also met two women from Cumbria who took a very keen interest in my writing progress and invited me to their writing group in Ulverston, gave me their email addresses and promised to look out for Flax. They then introduced me to the lady behind. Jenny Copley who will also be in Flax 018. Outside we giggled about being tongue tied and having nothing novel to say. It was very silly, but a brilliantly fortuitous meeting on an unforgettable evening and six quid for two new friends and the wisdom of the laureate is not a bad deal at all!