Andrea Wren: Journalist

Next East Manchester & Tameside poetry Stanza meeting 29th March

Getting back on track, I'm happy to announce the next East Manchester and Tameside Stanza poetry group is going meet on 29th March 2011 at the usual venue of the Joshua Bradley in Gee Cross, Hyde.

It's the first one of 2011, and after a few people asking me when it was going to start up again, I finally got my act together to set the date (it's encouraging to know that people wanted the group still!).

Anyhow, the time is as usual, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and the poem we'll be reading and discussing is a Sylvia Plath favourite of mine, Moonrise. There is a web copy of it here: http://www.angelfire.com/tn/plath/moonrise.html

As always, we'll have the opportunity to each share a poem (we'll keep this to one poem each to allow time for everyone to have feedback) so bring a copy of a poem you would like to share. Time-permitting, we will do a creative writing exercise too, so pen and paper will be handy.

Stanzas are not just for Poetry Society members, so everyone with an interest in poetry is welcome.

For newcomers - the general format of the group is:

Discussion of a poem by of a published poet

Everyone taking a turn to read a poem they have brought, with members offering constructive feedback

If time allows, a creative writing exercise

The Stanza meeting will take place in the Bamford Room upstairs at the Joshua Bradley, Address: The Joshua Bradley, Hyde Road, Gee Cross, Hyde, Greater Manchester SK14 5EG (http://www.hydesbrewery.co.uk/joshuabradley/index.html)

Please do join the Facebook group to stay updated!

'Soul Feathers' anthology in support of Macmillan is available for pre-order!

Fancy reading the work of some excellent poets AND giving money to a good cause? In the Soul Feathers anthology, you'll find the work of Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Bob Dylan, Seamus Heaney, Maya Angelou, Benjamin Zephaniah, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Olds and many more - including ME!

This wonderful new book is 280 pages of poetry featuring the cream of international poets writing today, classic poets from the past, together with experienced and new poets who wish to support this cause.

Soul Feathers is now available to pre-order from Central Books. Please go to the Soul Feathers pages at either www.indigodreams.co.uk or www.indigodreamsbookshop.com to reserve your copies. No money will be taken until the books are despatched

What's £11 when you know it's going to a charity that really do great work with the cash? Not a lot, so prise open your wallet and pre-order your copy of Soul Feathers now.

About me and poetry

I've been involved with writing and performing poetry for around one and a half years, and I spend a lot of time at various events and 'open mic' performance poetry nights around Manchester.

I now run a 'Stanza' poetry writing and reading group close to where I live. Stanzas are run by Poetry Society members, but you don't have to be a member to come along.

I contribute to a website called Write Out Loud and read my poetry at performance nights such as Manchester's Freed Up Poets.

Poetry Society 'Stanza' launched in East Manchester & Tameside

As a Poetry Society member, I decided to set up a Poetry Society 'Stanza' group in my locality since the nearest group to me is Preston - a good 50 miles away.

The Stanza will include discussion of the work of a published poet, an opportunity to share your own work (if you want to), and do writing exercises.

The aim for the group is to be flexible, fun and suitable for anyone with an interest in poetry! I'm not an 'expert', but we can share knowledge collectively and learn from each other.

Also, you don't have to be a Poetry Society member to join in! If you're interested in poetry - whether reading it, writing it or just listening to it, then just come along.

East Manchester and Tameside Stanza - first meeting Tuesday June 15th, start 7.15pm

The first East Manchester and Tameside Stanza group meeting will be on Tuesday 15th June, 7.15pm-9.15pm, in the Bamford Room (upstairs) at the Joshua Bradley, Hyde.

There will be an opportunity for everyone to share a poem they have written and for group discussion and feedback on the poem, if they would like to. Please bring a poem along if you want to share.

The first meeting will include a discussion of Amanda Dalton's poem 'True Story' - part of the Room of Leaves collection which can be found in her book 'How to Disappear'.

If time allows, we may also do a writing exercise - please bring a pen and paper!

There will be a short break, but for people wanting to buy a drink at the bar to bring up to the room (hot beverages such as tea and coffee are sold as well as cold drinks and alcohol), please arrive a little earlier so we can start at 7.15pm. Thanks!

NB: The room has limited capacity in the layout as arranged, so for this first meeting it is essential that you let me know in advance if you are going to come along, then I can have the layout of the room changed if there are larger numbers. Thank you :-)

Address: The Joshua Bradley, Hyde Road, Gee Cross, Hyde, Greater Manchester SK14 5EG (http://www.hydesbrewery.co.uk/joshuabradley/index.html)

Email Andrea to confirm your attendance: andrea.wren@gmail.com

See our page on the Poetry Society website: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/membership/stanzas/cheshire/

Join the Facebook group! http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=118333344864627

User-generated poetry mapping project making us 'poetry aware'

My friend sent me the details of GPS - the Global Poetry System user-generated map of world poetry project, run by the Southbank Centre. Their strap-line is 'Poetry. Find it, Map it, Share it.' and the aim is to build a virtual world based on poetry, by uploading and sharing the poetry we see all around us, whether from gravestones or graffiti, or buses or beer kellers!

Once registered (for free), you can upload poetry in a number of formats (for example, an image file of some poetic graffiti you've seen) and then you map it out within the system. What one person sees as poetry in our living world is clearly different from another, which is part of the fun behind such a project as GPS. For example, the 'Pay in Advance' photo below taken in Ghania is just one user's enlightening interpretation of poetry!

Closer to home, another user has videoed this poem 'Heart on the sharp, hard streets', which is on a wall at St Luke's Church in Ardwick, Manchester.

I'd like to place Hyde on the map, so am going to keep my camera on me while wandering around my home town from now on, on the look out for interesting poetry examples! Register with the GPS project and get your own town on the map.

The Southbank Poetry Library is also an excellent online poetry resource.

Poem: Orphaned Elephant by Andrea Wren

Dust-shimmering plains repine
high octave shrills reveal,
the sorrowed plight of pachyderm,
as he echoes his ordeal.

Orphaned baby racked in grief,
mother lies stone-still.
Violation reeks like singeing hair,
too soon, sees how blood spills.

Red-ochre clouds had billowed
where she thundered to the earth.
Grey hide pierced by bullet holes,
puncturing through her girth.

Wild dogs howled in sympathy
while poachers took their prize,
their ivory treasure hacked away,
before death-degraded eyes.

For those proud tusks, life is lost,
bird song is hushed in mourning.
Young elephant weeps blister-tears,
the herd takes heed this warning.

© Andrea Wren 2010 - All rights reserved.

MAG Poetry Prize 2010, the poetry competition judged by its entrants

I've just entered a couple of poems for Poetic Republic's MAG Poetry Prize 2010, for which the entry deadline is the 30th April this year.

I like the sound of this competition, because it is judged by the entrants themselves, which to me seems one of the fairest ways of doing things. Participating in the judging process is a condition of entry, and each entrant will be assigned an anonymous selection of poems to read, and either eliminate or vote towards the next round.

The prize is an accumulation fund depending on number of entries (it is £6 per entry), but a proportion of the money that entrants pay also goes to a good cause - which is MAG, the Mines Advisory Group.

I'm dubious about some of the poetry competitions out there, and assume your chance of winning in many of them will clearly just depend on whether the judging panel is partial to the style of poetry you write. With the MAG competition, I imagine everyone entering a quality poem has an equal opportunity to win.

Anon - the anonymous submissions poetry magazine

I have been browsing online for interesting looking poetry magazines and have discovered Anon, a publication which prides itself on the fact that all the poetry it prints is selected 'blind' - therefore with absolutely no bias related to the name of the poet.

I like this idea. I imagine, like arts journalism, the poetry world can be very cliquey and some names will appeal more than others for publication, just because of the name. Or, some excellent poetry may be disregarded just because the writer isn't known (or a 'big name' happens to have submitted some work at the same time).

On the website, there is a page dedicated to some thought provoking views about Anon and blind entry submissions - enlightening stuff, and I especially like the quote at the top of this page given by Rosemary Goring, who wrote about Anon One in The Herald. Goring says:

"Clearly, those who benefit most from anonymous assessment are nascent writers. Established authors have almost everything to lose by the process."

I haven't read a copy of Anon myself yet, but there are extracts available on the website to give a taste of what the editors like to choose for publication. As poetry and literary magazines tend to cost way more than your average women's weekly, it's quite nice to have a gander before you buy, and a PDF sample of thelatest issue Anon Six can be downloaded.

Poem: My sister, wouldn't I miss her? by Andrea Wren

She's Scary Spice – but not as nice
And looks like Posh, without a wash
Wears Kickers – that kick you
Gets mud on her face
And in yours
Draws Biro on your Barbie
Spills Vimto in your bed
Pulls every single hair
Out of your Tiny Tears head

She's slugs and snails
She's off the rails
With a Glasgow kiss she'll greet hello
And when she's dropped you
to the ground
don't say I didn't tell you so

She's handy – with her feet
Or fists, or teeth, or nails
She'll scare with flair
and a psycho stare
Turn your war cries into wails

Yet my little sister, wouldn't I miss her
If I wished her straight to hell
God knows I tried to push her hide
straight down our neighbour's well

Yet my sis sticks up for me, she does
She's cookies and cream, and Ricky Hattan's dream
She's Play Doh, and the Loose Women show
She's my ally, my abrasive confidante

And while my sister is there,
no one will dare
to do unspeakable things
to MY teddy bear.

© Andrea Wren 2010 - All rights reserved.

Poem: Korma Girl by Andrea Wren

Meek and mild?
You know I'm not.
Like Vindaloo,
I'm spicy hot.
A chilli pepper
with fiery bite,
or snarling dog
Ready to fight.
Can growl,
can bark,
can hold my own.
Can bare my fangs,
chew to the bone.
Kill you cleanly,
leave no trace,
wipe that look,
from off your face.
Spiky tongue
and narrowed eyes.
Are you really,
so surprised?
My baby blonde
is Fool's Gold,
lures you to
a stranglehold.
I never claimed
was anything other,
and now you're crying
out for mother.
Your Korma girl
was not to be,
but it's more exciting
to be with me.

© Andrea Wren 2009 - All rights reserved.