DIARY: Talking Very Loudly in Big, Hot Rooms

THE PLAN … was to put up a ‘diary’ post on here every few weeks, in between poems, resources and short essays. That way I could log the various poetry/lit events I keep setting up or getting involved with at an even pace.

Turns out an even pace is beyond me, so before I get to the stage where there’s far too much to sensibly recount, here’s a round-up of what’s happened event-wise since October, as well as a little of what’s round the corner.

Actually, let’s start at the end of September, just before the start of the teaching term, when I co-ran the last of three summer writing workshops for Cambridge Libraries. These were free, and all fully booked — different people at a different library each time. The last was themed around ‘Conjuring Place and Home’. A few simple exercises over an hour, aimed at beginners — one of the ways the university tries to serve the local community. (I mention it now partly to remind myself to set up something similar this year.)

On to October, and back to my favourite venue — ARU’s Recital Hall — for guest poets and the first Future Karaoke of the academic year. The theme for FK this time was The Major Arcana — inadvertently (my co-organiser Freya chose the theme) a repeat of a Roddy Lumsden poetry night from, oh, a billion or so years ago. Perhaps I should be borrowing from Roddy more liberally? I honestly can’t remember many of this themes at this stage: the Vulgar Tongue, food … wonders of the world?

Anyway, here are the posters to FK: The Major Arcana and the other early autumn event, Silence Speaks: Christian Thatcher and Alice Willitts.

Above: Tristram Fane Saunders reading on the theme of The World.

Alice and Christina, meanwhile, came up with a great format: rather than just performing a run of poems each, they sat and conversed as friends, one occasionally prompting the other to read something from a recent book which related to the topic of conversation. It made for a very natural, unhurried flow — the audience were sometimes included in the conversation, and a few students read at a mini open mic at the start of the evening, for which Alice and Christina made generous allowance.

That wasn’t it for October — I also ended up compering at one of Love Mill Road’s Poetry Showcase events at Thrive café (sadly, recently closed). The theme for my night was Transformation, so of course I dug out a handful of transforming robot figures from various eras to demonstrate to the audience — by way of a transition from one poet to the next, you understand. The last one I had in the bag was Solitaire, a 1987 Rock Lord made of translucent blue plastic, with moulded angular breasts and nipples (!! yeah). She transforms into a diamond that looks awfully like a human figure squatting and clasping their arms to their head.

(Extra info-nugget: in the 1986 animated film GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords, Solitaire was voiced by Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the original run of Superman films).

Just a few days before the Transformation Poetry Showcase, I also ran — at the request of several students — my first online Twine workshop, focussed on building a simple ‘start the car’ puzzle out of words and code. Poster below, with the Showcase one (not designed by me) on the right:

November was less busy. I was invited to talk on a panel about ‘The Future of the Book’ at the Poetry in Aldeburgh festival, which was fun — even though it’s too huge a topic to cover in an hour and I felt like I was racing through my answer to every question far too frantically. Aldeburgh is a seaside town, and I arrived too late to see the earlier tranche of acts, so I warmed up by ordering a plate of bangers and mash and then exploring the beach:

I didn’t get much of a chance to take photos of the event itself, as we were very quickly shepherded onto the stage, then all asked to clear the hall at the end, but here’s the chair of the panel, Rishi Dastidar, who has a new book of poems out next month. I’m not sure who he’s talking to!

I also read some new material of my own at Ely’s Fenspeak night on the 19th — two sets of poems from two so-far unpublished books. A warm, long-running event series with a number of veteran performers as regulars.

Two December events, back at ARU: the Cambridge launch of Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Search of Plunder and Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire’s Castle, and then, for our Christmas party, the 14th Future Karaoke, themed around retro toys (no transformers this time).

We also incorporated another launch event into the evening: Ragged Band of Travellers: Writing from the Threshold of Dungeons and Dragons, which had started life as the 5th FK event two years ago. First non-Sidekick title I’ve edited, and the second book I’ve published with Calque Press after Poems Are Toys (And Toys Are Good For You).

Below I’ve substituted in the poster for the upcoming, London-based launch of the two 10 Poets books because frankly, it’s a lot better than the one I threw together last year:

Above: Candie Smellie reading ‘Dust Slayer 2: Carmella’s Lighthouse’ from Vampires, and Adam Crothers reading a piece inspired by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

2026 has been quieter so far, but with my Cambridge Poetry Festival hat on, I co-ran an ekphrastic poetry workshop at the Fitzwilliam Museum on the 11th of this month. Once again fully booked, and tremendous fun.

Even more Future Karaokes are happening in March. This is the first time I’ve scheduled two at the same time: Ancient Weapons is part of Cambridge Festival, and being held at the Fitzwilliam Museum in the afternoon. I’m not sure what that time slot means for our usual crowd, so with that in mind (and because Jan/Feb have been a mad scramble to stay on top of things) we’re also doing In the Pink a couple of weeks earlier, in the evening.

As per the above poster, Kirsty and I are doing the London launch for Plunder and Vampires this coming Friday, with a slightly different selection of readers. Final two posters for you to take in:

Join me next time as I sleep for an eternity.