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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.