Although we were fewer in number this morning and very much missed those of you not able to be with us today, nonetheless we enjoyed two hours of poetry, discussion, laughter and great chats as we always do. A lot of time was spent discussing the poems themselves but of course, as usual, the conversations broadened immensely and covered many issues, not least what makes a poem a poem, the use of rhyme and non-rhyme and how complicated poetry can be very tricky to read out loud. We then moved on to talk about Performance poetry, notably John Cooper Clarke and the differences and impacts between that area of poetey and the printed word, which we may read out loud but equally, will just be read to ourselves. Fascinating stuff and naturally as you would expect, No Right Answers!

I read Bluebells by Fiona Benson and The Orbison Consolations by Kit Wright

Nancy read T the Great by WH Auden, Cousin Kate and Remember by Christina Rossetti and shared John Cooper Clarke's I Wanna Be Yours from YouTube.

Ralph read Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Clare Harner and Finishing It by Simon Armitage

Lynn read Death of a Dramatist by Julie Lumsden and On the Movement of Bodies by Rosemary Badcoe

Sue read Poem in October by Dylan Thomas and Pandemic of Empty Pockets by Tola Akinyemi

The poem by Fiona Benson is from her latest book Midden Witch (Cape Poetry) and explores many witch stories, folk-myths and magic from an adult, feminist perspective. I highly recommend it.

Kit's poem comes from Hoping It Might Be So, Collected Poems 1974-2000 an is very very funny. And it rhymes! A lot!!

Lynn read from Millstone Grit, the Sheffield Hallam University publication I handed out a while ago.