I'm intending to pop along to the next Poetry at the Cafe open mic session at the Margaret Rose Abri Cafe on Cheapside in Digbeth so when I realised that this month's Rhymes, another event I've been intending to visit, was there last night I thought I'd pop along and have a look at the venue. It's only a few hundred yards from the college where I work and I killed some time by having a bite at the Warehouse Cafe and a stroll around the opening evening of this year's German Market and then headed down.
I didn't take my usual notes so I can't give a detailed review but what I can say is that it was quite daunting. If I ever get to perform at Rhymes I'm going to have to seriously lift my game. Two young poets, Sean Colletti and Andy Cook got the evening off to a very fine start indeed and they were followed by Fatima Al Matar who maintained the momentum with a set of poems that were startlingly accomplished. Even as I was enjoying all of this I was thinking how pale my own work seemed in comparison and how timid my performances.
After a break we had the main reasons for the evening - the new Birmingham Poet Laureate, Roy McFarlane and the new Birmingham Young Poet Laureate, Jordan Westcarr. Jordan started and if he can write like that now he's going to be magnificent with a few years experience behind him. Roy was of course terrific. He always is, performing superbly crafted poems with passion and fervour.
It was a terrific night. I shall be making a point of seeking out future Rhymes events even if they are rather disheartening.
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