It's not just the lack of poetry Jamie, got used to that a long time
ago. I suppose it is something to do with trying to fathom why this
particular array of media people, novelists, travel writers,
politicians and cultural commentators are such a turn-off for me while
being such a turn-on for the thousands who flock to things like that.
It makes me feel as though something is wrong with me. I used to go
there and attend some of the events because in the old days if you
were on the bill you used to get a rover ticket as payment - have read
there a number of times in various groupings until they seriously
curtailed the local input. Once witnessed that obnoxious Edwina Currie
in the book shop tearing a strip off her assistant because there were
not enough of her books on the table - really nasty - not relevant I
know, just reminiscing.
Tim A.
On 13 May 2010, at 14:43, Jamie McKendrick wrote:
> On this occasion at least, I don't think you have to feel too
> isolated.
> Just looked online, and the festival's almost total exclusion of
> poetry is a shameful failure of nerve. There are some good writers
> scattered throughout, but poetry (including A Poetry Interactive
> Walk) is reduced to a cluster of minor events at the very back as
> though it were some tedious hobby reluctantly catered for. And
> Dartington's not alone in this.
> (There goes my next years invitation.)
> Jamie
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Allen" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 2:17 PM
> Subject: Isolation
>
>
>> Through the letter box just now came the annual catalogue Ways
>> with Words sends me about the July Lit fest at Dartington. Always
>> a depressing experience that brings home to me just how isolated I
>> am from that literary world. Here I am, a poet, spent most of my
>> life writing and being awed by reading others' stuff. I have quite
>> a few other interests too and consider myself to be not too
>> unintelligent. My enthusiasms keep me reasonably up to date both
>> with both high and popular culture - yet here is this very crowded
>> and rich list of events and readings from the world of
>> contemporary British arts and literature, and there isn't one
>> thing I want to go and see. Good job the World Cup will be on at
>> the same time.
>>
>> Am I wrong in thinking there is something wrong here somewhere?
>>
>> Tim A.
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