Stanza News: London (north of the river)

Choose from:
Forest Gate
North London
W3/W4
Waltham Forest

Forest Gate
Contact: Jenny Shepherd (jennylshepherd at gmail.com or 020 8519 4827)

Forest Gate StanzaForest Gate Stanza meeting in July 2010. Jenny Shepherd 1st left.

* Our next meeting will be Tues 14 September, after our summer break in August.

* We are also considering creating an anthology of our work, as we have been going for over two years now. One of our members, Derek Smith, recently self-published an excellent anthology, and he suggested it. We obviously have several decisions to make, as to what goes in it, but watch this space!

North London
Contact: Katherine Gallagher (020 8881 1418 or mail AT katherine-gallagher.com) 

* Katherine Gallagher is on the programme in the Melbourne Writers Festival in October with two other poets, and doing a few other events, including at the Australia Poetry Festival in Sydney.

* We had a marvellously summery July evening of wine and poems at Maggie Butt's in Southgate.

* We are continuing with our poem-exchanges in Hornsey Library. And on December 5, our Stanza is reading at Torriano, 99 Torriano Ave., London. NW5. Come along and hear: Liz Berry, Maggie Butt, Kaye Lee, Cheryl Markowitz, Joan Michelson and Lynda How. And there are readers from the floor.

West London (W3 & W4)
Contact: Robbie Pearson (ahjay at hotmail.co.uk or 020 8993 3237 or 0750 637 2983) 

The West London Stanza is taking a break for August and meets again on Monday September 13th at 8:00pm when we will be looking at work aound themes of summer and holidays.

Waltham Forest 
Contact: Paul McGrane (020 7420 9881 or membership at poetrysociety.org.uk) 

Waltham Forest Poetry Society Stanza Waltham Forest Stanza, September 2009. L to R (seated) Derrick Porter, Jane Colman, Julia Clarke, Nancy Campbell, Roger Huddle. L to R (standing) Tiffany Tondut, Paul McGrane, Mike Sims, Leo Ezeogu, Karen Lomas, Norman Andrews, Jem Brookes.

Waltham Forest Stanza Facebook page

We are a friendly bunch and our Stanza is open to everyone - please contact Paul to ensure there is enough space available.  We started in June 2009 and run monthly meetings, focusing on giving feedback to each other's 'poems in progress'. (Each person reads their poem, with no introduction, and then remains quiet while the rest of the group give an appraisal). We open up each meeting with either a poem by someone else, or a quick writing exercise. We also have a poetry 'book swap' where you can bring in a poetry book for someone else in the group to borrow, or borrow one yourself.

Meetings take place in the Red Room, Ye Olde Rose and Crown, Walthamstow - 5 mins from the Walthamstow Central tube. www.roseandcrowntheatrepub.webeden.co.uk/, 53 Hoe St, London E17 4SA (pub contact is 0208 509 3880).

* Next meeting is Tuesday 21 September, 7-9.30pm, Red Room.

* Our last session was 24 August. Once again, a great night - we only got through 3 poems (!) plus one from Poetry Review, but, as Norman said once, 'quality is better than quantity'. We DID have a chat at the end about how we can ensure we can get through more but when do we EVER get a chance to talk about poetry for a solid 2 and a 1/2 hours at any other time of our lives? We'll aim to get at least 5 poems done each session though.

Present were: me, Mike Sims, Michael Shann, Nigel, Anna, Ruth, Norman, Derrick, Kate, Olivia, Tiffany, and new member Gerda Mayer www.secondlightlive.co.uk/members/gerdamayer.shtml

One of the reasons we didn't get through as many poems as usual (but a very nice reason) was a chat at the beginning from Matt Cook who is setting up a new Walthamstow based magazine - arteast17 www.arteast17.co.uk - he's looking forward to some of our poems, pics etc in future issues. The first one comes out in October. Matt also stayed for the first part of the session and joined in - reports art that he was scribbling notes furiously so there may be an article in the offing? Matt can be contacted on 07853 776 735 or editor at arteast17.co.uk

Anna kicked us off with poem from the current Poetry Review - 'White Lines' by Gary Allen. Derrick, Nigel and Anna then read their own poems. The 'sea' theme in Derrick and Anna's poems reminded me of Derek Walcott's 'The Schooner Flight'. Walcott's poem is long, long, long, but gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Warning: you have to read aloud to yourself, so find a quiet spot. Preferably on a beach.

* Paul McGrane will be reading at the Poetry Cafe on Thursday, 2 September - tall-lighthouse evening: First Thursday event at the Poetry Cafe with: Paul Birtill, Liz Berry & Annie Freud. With mc John Citizen. plus Open Mic. £5/£4 ** COME AND HECKLE!

* Group member Olivia Sprinkel is one of the organisers of 26 Treasures - a collaboration between the writers' collective 26 and the V&A museum. 26 writers, including Andrew Motion and Maura Dooley, have written 62 words about an object in the V&A's British Galleries. The words will be exhibited in the galleries from 18-26 September, as part of the London Design Festival. As part of V&A Lates on 24 September,  some of the writers will be conducting informal tours and talk about their work. The pieces will be on the website from 18 September. In the run-up, they are publishing each day other 62 word pieces inspired by V&A treasures, as well as the 'creation stories' about their writing journeys. www.26treasures.com

* On 10 August Paul, Ruth, Anna Johnson, Norman and Nigel all read at the Poetry Unplugged night at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden. Great to go as a group and the first, we hope, of many such ventures.

* 2 September: Paul McGrane will be reading at the tall-lighthouse evening at the Poetry Cafe with Paul Birtill, Annie Freud and Liz Berry. MC'd by John Citizen. £5 / £4. Open Mic spots available.

* 15 September, Walthamstow Library, 1st floor Reference Room - Pascale Petit, Jacqueline Gabbitas, Meryl Pugh. The first of a series of events organised by Waltham Forest Stanza celebrating local poets. These aren't just poets, these are WALTHAM FOREST poets! Find out more on our Facebook event page.

Pascale will be giving an illustrated reading from her new collection What the Water Gave Me (Seren) - based on the paintings of Frida Kahlo.

Watch Pascale Petit read from What the Water Gave Me.

Tickets: £3 - buy on the door - includes a glass of wine. 7.30 start, doors open 7. With support from poets from the Waltham Forest Poetry Society Stanza. Wheelchair access.

GETTING THERE: Walthamstow Library is situated in the main square, a few yards from the Bus, Rail and Tube Stations. MAP
TUBE: get the Victoria Line to Walthamstow
RAIL: Liverpool Street to Chingford line goes to Walthamstow Central. Gospel Oak to Barking line goes to Walthamstow Queens Road (15 mins walk).
Bus information: Walthamstow is a major bus terminal
Details of parking spaces 

 * 8 December: Waltham Forest Stanza presents music from Darren Hayman, and poetry from Joelle Taylor, Rob Auton and Aisling Fahey at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street, Walthamstow. £5, pay on the door - includes raffle for Darren's latest album 'Essex Arms'. 7.30 (doors open 7pm). www.roseandcrowntheatrepub.webeden.co.uk/