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22 November 2008 Entry: "Poetry Heaven"

I’m recovering from a Poetry Festival- I was greeted off the train by St Michael Laskey and transported to heaven, aka the dinky coastal town Aldeburgh.
I had a sea view between houses and diagonally looked at the Aldeburgh bookshop where my poems were posted in the window. In fact, everywhere I went my poems (along with others) were displayed, even in the loos. It was a bit like being in a benign version of The Prisoner. Round and round the venues, no contact with the outside world, (my mobile had no connection) fed by two lovely women in The Poet’s House, with a fridge full of wine.
And eager audiences day and night, plus I got to go to lots of events. I discovered poets: young and British Tiffany Atkinson, and wonderful international poets like Antjie Krog (a South African Sharon Olds) and the American poets David Kirby and Barbara Hamby - who happened to be married to each other. I went to lots of events and readings and bought loads of poetry books. On the last night, after the Poet’s Supper, I ended up playing the spoons, with David Kirby on Trash Can, and Gerry Cambridge on the harmonica: the perfect finish to a great weekend. Plus I shared it all with Anna Woodford - it’s great to have a friendly face to know and go around with.
It was hard coming back to reality: recalcitrant teenagers and an untidy house. Plus a new kitten (I must be stupid). A female version of Vince in looks except her half-white nose and chin are a mirror image of his. Hopefully she’ll be more of a homebody. She’s not as intense as Vince, though she still has that druggy, wild eyed stare that kittens have, in their dangerous world of feet.
My eldest son wants to call her Barry.
We got her on Hallow’een so I suggested Eve. But I just call her ‘puss’ at the moment.

I’ve been updating my computer to a more 21st Century system, so I can open images on the internet! I’ve tentatively set up a Facebook page to create a fan’s group for The Ropes. Which is selling very nicely, with three great reviews to help it on its way.

When the Ropes website is up and running it will offer all kinds of stuff, and the Facebook site could be quite interactive. However, the first thing that happened when I opened up my Facebook profile ( a bit like online dating but much more public) was that a woman from the coast googled my name, discovered my Facebook and sent me an email saying she’d found a passport on Tynemouth Beach. It turned out to be my son’s, pinched from work two months ago. Facebook has some unexpected uses.

My son thinks Facebook is uncool. However, he’s on Youtube, and we celebrated the launch of his album with the band 27 Club last night - so it’s horse for courses.

Also, out of the blue I was contacted by an old university friend from my Lancaster days. Though she found me through Diamond Twig and an interest in creative writing. I love these encounters with past history.

I am now about to graduate from my Creative Writing MA at Newcastle university - a thing I eschewed in my youth as pointless. Now I feel I have a lot to celebrate. I feel happy and positive. Life does go on.