Stanza News: Worcestershire

Worcester & Droitwich
Contact: Sarah James (07947 583 102 OR lifeislikeacherrytree at yahoo.com)

Stanza members, June 2011


Elemental: Love, life and the universe (fire, air, earth and water) - a poetry film by Worcester and Droitwich Poetry Society Stanza members Amanda Bonnick, Maggie Doyle, Jenny Hope, Sarah James, Math Jones and Ruth Stacey.

We are a group of poets who meet in the evening (usually Friday) for about two hours every four to six weeks. Because we are a small Stanza (with both Poetry Society members and non-members), we are currently able to arrange meetings on an ad hoc basis to suit inividuals' other commitments.

Our usual format is for everyone to bring one or two of their own poems to share aloud (and on the page) for others to give constructive feedback. We also use the meeting to discuss poetry events (particularly local), books, submission experiences etc. Everyone welcome. 

It’s been a busy summer already for Worcester and Droitwich stanza members on both the page poetry and performance poetry front as many stanza members read or performed in a range of events as part of the inaugural Worcestershire Literary Festival in June.

Maggie Doyle, Kathy Gee, Sarah James and Fergus McGonigal were also finalists in the county’s first poet laureate contest, with Fergus taking runner-up position for the title. Fergus also won the Worcestershire Poetry Slam Championship competition and has a range of performances lined up countrywide over the summer.

Meanwhile, ‘Into the Yell’ by Sarah James (aka Sarah Leavesley) won third prize in the International Rubery Book Awards, a non-genre specific contest. This is the poet’s first full-length poetry collection, which was published by Circaidy Gregory Press in July 2010.

Stanza members have also started work on their latest project, a short collaborative poetry film.