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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