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Oh, have your listy-poos if you want them, dammit. Keeps the kids quiet in the back seat, says Peter. Ric is a saint: let him keep his Pearly Gates round a tiny heaven. Peter Riley a smoky angel. Etc. But Peter's point about the British Council is a very serious one. They run a little booklet with bios of the approved poets. For them, that practically is British poetry and, in my own experience, they will gently push this booklet on you if you try to set up an alternative style occasion. On that occasion the literature officer admitted almost entire ignorance of poetry and since he couldn't stop my event, suggested we have two events to "make a week of it", one with his booklet poets and one with my list. He left the job, fortunately, before my reading was held. The Brit Council mandate allows them to do this -- promoting British arts, etc. How can such middle-class arts administrators decide which artists to promote except by choosing the kind of poetry that suits the middle class audience, is easily comprehensible, preferably in short lumps, and has the backing of schools, publishers, the Arts Council, the TLS, and the BBC? They would actually regard all this as the Council's *not* putting a spin on what's happening, and they won't usually block a determined move to make a different kind of event happen (I could cite cases where they did, though). I make these remarks without irony: how can they, with the sources of information they have as non-participants, act otherwise and fill their mandate? They could dive into the swim and find out? Not sure that's a realistic hope, with their lifestyles. I knew all this would happen the minute the "Young Generation" was launched. But I don't see how poetry can challenge society in any deep way and still expect all the official freebies. Perhaps at the end of an honourable life, officialdom can make a safe place for you if you still want it, but said officials only too easily leave elderly artists facing the old old grinding poverty. That, to me, is a more interesting cause, actually, because when we're young we can always get by. What happened in the sixties was a lot of self-help, a real scene, but no money. I don't think the numbers are sufficient in Britain these days for a strong alternative scene -- don't know -- that could change. In the States an active scene is in place and it makes a hell of a difference. But that's why I get so distressed when British poetry hives off into small groups or acts snooty towards other poets, or doesn't buy each others' books. It's terrifically damaging, lets the British Council/Arts Council/BBC have it all their own way, and for alternative poets supposed to be so sophisticated about politics it's terrible politics. The kind that talks a great game but is never on the mound/at the wicket/on the centre spot/passing the ball instead of shooting at the basket --- Times leader page, please supply the right sporting metaphor. These poetry lists (other signification of the word), for example, ought to be one rallying point, and I hail all those on the Britpo and Poetry etc. postings who are actually engaged in activities. We need to speak among our friends, soften up our alternative scene's quangos, get these lists as active as possible. Ted Hughes reads quite well. Shut up in the back seat, kiddos! Doug %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%