Meeting Notes 2022

Social evening

The social evening was most enjoyable. There were readings of new poems by MVPs, there were familiar favourites such as Seamus Heaney's 'Postscript' and Billy Collins 'The trouble with poetry', as well as poems by many others including Dannie Abse, David Whyte, Dylan Thomas, Edna St Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Jennings, and Emily Dickinson. We each read a poem in turn and delighted in the musicality and imagery within the lines. There were 8 MVPs and so we were able to hold 3 rounds of readings together with brief responses to each poem. There were poems of great depth, of humour and of insight.

Notes by Helen Overell.

3th January 2022

Vincent Van Gogh: Poetry and the Man. Presented by Denise Bundred

The evening's presentation 'Poetry and the Man' was given by Denise and supported by a comprehensive handout. Denise provided an insightful and compassionate outlook on Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) a Dutch painter. The group was introduced to the concept that besides being an artist Van Gogh also wrote in an extremely poetic way. His paintings went on to influence many other artists and poets.

Vincent Van Gogh wrote many letters, mainly to his younger brother, Theo. More than 800 are still in existence, including 89 that he wrote to Theo in a single year – 1882. These letters are very poetic in their language and have been made into Found poems. One such poem the group read was Scene from a Window. Next, to be explored was the 2019 collection published by Irish poet Larry Stapleton; The Boundless and Miraculous. It incorporates Found poems taken from the text of letters Vincent wrote. An example was Iron Wall.

Vincent Van Gogh was fluent in Dutch, English, French and German. He enjoyed reading and compared paintings to authors he admired. He enjoyed the poetry of John Keats and Walt Whitman. His painting Starry Night has echoes of one of Walt Whitman's poems.

Several poets have written poems inspired by Vincent van Gogh's painting Starry Night. There was a reading and discussion about how Anne Sexton in her 1962 poem The Starry Night constructed and demonstrated an interesting connection to the painting. Another poem The Starry Night read by the group came from Robert Fagels' collection I, Vincent – Poems from the Pictures of van Gogh. Followed by Long Reach a poem by Stephen Sexton. Not forgetting the lyrics from the song by Don Mclean Vincent (Starry Starry Night).

Other poets that Denise highlighted as publishing poetry and collections of poems constructed from Vincent van Gogh's letters and paintings include Anthony Costello, Alarie Tennille and Kate Young. The group read poems from these poets. Also, an interesting poem, The Potato Eaters by David Cooke.

The group members stated that they found the presentation really interesting and therefore wanted to explore the paintings and letters of Vincent van Gogh further. Denise's enthusiasm for creating her own poetry based on the interest in the work of Vincent Van Gogh shines!

References:

Notes by Sharon Williams.

31st January 2022

Haibun workshop: Crossing Over – A Bridge into Haibun. Led by Diana Webb

Diana Webb led an inspiring and informative Haibun workshop: Crossing Over – A Bridge into Haibun via Zoom. There were eight people in the group in total of whom five were MVPs. We explored the writing of haibun with different structures using bridge as metaphor. We included found haiku within a piece of prose. We wrote ekphrastic haibun in response to images such as The Shell Bridge, Leatherhead, Bridge at Arles by Van Gogh and The Water Lily Pond by Monet. We were invited to write haibun of transition and of memoir. We wrote in response to a given single line.

Notes by Helen Overell.

26th February 2022

Kathleen Raine: Poetry of Incantation. Presented by Elizabeth Barton

For this evening's presentation Liz provided a most a thoughtful and informative talk on Kathleen Raine: Poetry of Incantation. This was supplemented by a handout, whereby the poems were discussed during the meeting.

Kathleen Raine (1908-2003) spent her childhood in Ilford, Essex and Bavington, Northumberland. She produced twelve poetry collections, including The Year One (1952) and The Lost Country (1971); scholarly works such as Blake and Tradition (1969); and three volumes of autobiography, brought together in Autobiographies (1991).

Liz highlighted the use of anaphora in some of Kathleen Raine's poetry. That is the repeated phrase at the beginning of the line, which brings a haunting resonance to such poems as Storm and Spell of Creation. Furthermore, the group discussed how Kathleen Raine experienced visions or epiphanies, as did William Blake, in which she felt a sense of mystical union with nature. She had a powerful sense of the sacred in the natural world. Poetry was her vocation and solace from childhood.

The poetry of Kathleen Raine presented and read at the meeting spanned a number of decades. These included Storm (1941), Spell of Creation (1952), The Wilderness (1965) and Storm-Stayed (1977). In addition, Amulet – Ted Hughes from The Iron Wolf (1988). Using Spell of Creation and Amulet as a model, Liz asked the group to write about a natural object, such as a flint or a shell, exploring what lies within it. She explained that there was a strong impulse in Raine's poetry to see beyond the visible world and discover what lay at its heart.

Notes by Sharon Williams.

28th February 2022

Poetry Reading

Everyone was invited to bring a couple of poems to read aloud to the group. There were poems of many different forms including haibun and haiku. There was delight in rhythm and rhyme, in the celebration of mending – both physically and figuratively, in the exploration of an underwater world drained dry, in the picking of blackberries, in a poem kept safe from rejection, in the need for protective clothing, in the need for shelter against harm.

Notes by Helen Overell.

28th March 2022

Ecopoetry workshop: Singing the World. Presented by Elizabeth Barton

Liz led an inspiring ecopoetry workshop 'Singing the World' – there were 13 people in total on the Zoom call. We were encouraged to write and there was the opportunity to share what we had written. We considered what makes a poem sing. Mary Oliver talks of a poem having texture because the poet has stood long enough among the flowers to bring fresh insight into his or her words. John Clare said that he found the poems in the fields and only wrote them down. WS Merwin imagines living as one blade of grass. Being still and present enables a deepening of observation into insight.

Notes by Helen Overell.

2nd April 2022

Transience

'Transience' – there was a discussion on sonnets and in particular the crown of sonnets in which the last line of each sonnet becomes the first line of the next one giving fourteen linked sonnets. In the heroic crown a concluding fifteenth sonnet is made up of all of the last lines. Helen read her heroic crown of sonnets, 'Transience', which was published in the Long Poem magazine in 2019. The inspiration for this came from a sonnet workshop led by Jacqueline Sapphra and organised by Tammy Yoseloff.

Notes by Helen Overell.

25th April 2022

'Poetry in the Park' Book launch readings from 'Memory' anthology

'Poetry in the park' at Meadowbank at 2 pm on Sunday 1st May – a gathering of Mole Valley Poets & loyal supporters – ten in all – enjoyed readings in the open air from the brand new MVP Memory anthology. There were moments expressed as haiku as well as longer narrative poems. There were poems of loss and longing as well as poems lifted by humour.

Notes by Helen Overell.

1st May 2022

Sofa Poet: an evening with Paul Matthews

Mole Valley Poets was delighted to welcome the internationally acclaimed poet and creative writing tutor, Paul Matthews, as their guest. This magical evening, enhanced by the venue of the Narnia Room, was our first indoor event since before the pandemic and there were 14 people present. Matthews emphasised the importance of loving words and this was evident in his spellbinding poetry reading. His writing exercises were playful, drawing upon his belief that 'Sometimes being silly becomes deeply soulful'. Collaborative and joyful, these exercises took us back to the origins of poetry as a communal act of listening and sharing, helping us see the world differently.

Notes by Elizabeth Barton.

23rd May 2022

Hafez – Poetry of Adoration. Ancient words in a modern world. Presented by Mark Boor

For this evening's inspiring presentation Poetry of Adoration – Ancient Words in a Modern World: Mark selected the poetry of Hafiz (or Hafez) a Persian poet (1315-1390). It is said that Hafez 'sang a rare blend of human and mystic love so balanced that it is impossible to separate one from the other'.

The first poem Mark read was Someone Untied Your Camel. He explained that he was of the opinion that Poetry of Adoration has a focus that is incredibly simple. In that with a constructed metaphor; it is deeply spiritual and relatable and accessible. There is a sense when reading Hafez of joy, happiness and even that thought from ancient times is relevant today. Members of the group really enjoyed this choice of poem and used such words as: Powerful, relevant, moving, links to mental health and emotions and threads through the generations.

The next poem to be read was Stop Being So Religious. Comments from the group: This has sharp, crisp and simple words and explores the joy and beauty of life in valuing small every day objects. Then moving on to the poem It Has Not Rained Light. Which Mark expressed albeit written a long time ago was still relevant to society values. Further poems read included The Foundation of Greatness and I Am Really Just A Tambourine.

The final poem of the presentation to be read was A Poet who is described as someone 'Who can pour light into a cup' and raise this to nourish 'Your beautiful parched, holy mouth.'

The group provided lots of positive feedback to Mark on his choice: Poetry of Adoration – Ancient Words in a Modern World. The choice of poems had facilitated a lively conversation and a wonderful introduction to a spiritual teacher and poet. In addition, an introduction to new style of poet and poetry.

Notes by Sharon Williams.

6th June 2022

Anthology book launch readings from 'Memory' anthology

We had a good launch of the anthology in Narnia with 9 members reading their poems from the anthology and then going round a second time after the break with other selected poems, some sparked by the offerings of others. We had lots of good feedback from our guests and for each other, plenty of laughter and some moving moments. There was a general feeling that this anthology was the best we've done (thank you everyone, and especial thanks to Sue Beckwith, our editor!) Narnia was, as usual, a warm and welcoming venue.

Notes by Tony Earnshaw.

20th Jun 2022

MVP at WestFest, Westcott

On a sunny, blustery afternoon we entertained the crowds with 4 poets reading a selection of poetry and at our stand, dressed in the WestFest theme of "Seaside", we had various activities to encourage interaction with poetry including a limerick competition, opportunities to write an acrostic poem, a magnetic poetry board and books for sale – these included a selection of anthologies by Mole Valley Poets and various collections by individual members of the group.

Notes by Mark Boor.

26th Jun 2022

Every day is a poem. Presented by Jacky Power

This evening's presentation was given by Jacky. It was an interesting poetry topic that was an introduction to 'Every Day Is a Poem' by Jacqueline Suskin – this offers ideas for writing and ways of thinking about writing. In Every Day Is a Poem, Jacqueline Suskin purposes to use poetry as a means to focus and for finding reason. The group learnt that Jacqueline Suskin achieves this by adopting writing practices, mindset exercises and thought-provoking questions,

Next, the group read the poem 'Some Questions You Might Ask' by Mary Oliver. Within this poem are questions about the human soul. Whereby relating it to nature, Mary Oliver uses various images of animals; for example, an owl, a moth, the eye of a humming bird in thinking about human love.

Then, Jacky introduced the four reasons for writing presented in the essay 'Why I Write' by George Orwell. George Orwell ostensibly in the essay, provides a summary as to as four chief motives for anyone becoming a writer. These are, egoism; aesthetic enthusiasm; historical impulse and political purpose.

As an exercise, the group were invited to respond to one of these. In addition, to be considered was 'why we do what we do' and to share some of these thoughts. Members then wrote ten lines of poetic purpose and again shared their ideas.

Notes by Sharon Williams.

27th June 2022

Poetry and Nursing. Presented by Susan Thomas

The presentation by Susan was a thoughtful reflection on 'Poetry and Nursing'. Susan provided a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation used during the meeting online. Which illustrated: how poetry helps nurses; how poetry helps patients and how poetry nurses our spirit.

Susan highlighted how one of the most important words in nursing is reflection and nurses do it all the time as part of their registration. As part of her research into poetry written by nurses' quotes were read from the writing of Madeline Mysko and her views on how nurses write poetry. Poems were read to the group from 'Between the Heartbeats: Poetry and Prose by nurses' Joanne Trautmann Banks.

Also, the group discussed how recently people's experiences of COVID had inspired them to write poetry about their hospital stay and interactions with nursing staff. In turn, this illustrates the way poetry helps us empathise and gives a voice to our own and others' emotions.

It was discussed that nurses need to be empathic and engaged while also remaining removed and clear-headed. Therefore, in writing, professional barriers to emotion are dismantled out of poetic necessity.

Susan facilitated the group to explore some books and poems written by nurses including 'Antiemetic for Homesickness' by Romalyn Ante and also 'The Peace of Wild Things' by Wendell Berry. Furthermore, during the presentation the group watched a video of 'Nursing the Nation' written and spoken by a nurse; Molly Case. Finally, a lovely ending with humour as shown on video 'The Anatomy of Peace' by John Roedel, a poem about being in the moment.

The group provided Susan with positive feedback relating to her presentation 'Poetry and Nursing'. It was also stated that Susan as a nurse and poet had such integrity and credibility. Additional comments; they were extraordinary poems of choice; it was amazing and enjoyable and powerful. Other people said; so much in the presentation also translates to other disciplines and poetry is helpful in explaining feelings.

Notes by Sharon Williams.

25th July 2022

Summer School: The turn of the tide, presented by Helen Overell

The tenth annual Summer School was held on Zoom and there were ten people in total. We read poems by Mary Oliver, Philip Gross, Kathleen Jamie, Elizabeth Bishop and Seamus Heaney as well as work by Helen Overell. The writing exercises invited the asking of questions as writing prompts. There were photographs of a rock covered with limpets and barnacles, waves rolling onto a beach and reflections of sky in water on a turning tide and these were used as a springboard for writing. There was the opportunity to share what had been written and there were images of sunset over the sea, life at its crest and silver ridges shadowing the sand.

Notes by Helen Overell.

13th August 2022

Light, presented by Tony Marcoff

LIGHT was the subject title of the evening's presentation from Tony Marcoff. To supplement the presentation Tony provided a comprehensive handout which encompassed the poems and readings explored by the group.

As an introduction to LIGHT, a member thanked Tony for bringing insights and awareness into LIGHT beginning with readings from Genesis and the Gospel of John as well as the Australian Aborigine myth of the first sunrise.

Further readings included work by Elytis: 'The Genesis' taken from 'The Axion Esti' which prompted a discussion about how the duty of a poet is to cast drops of light into the darkness.

Followed by Larkin's: 'Water' taken from 'The Whitsun Weddings' and Wordsworth's: 'Ode: Intimations of Immortality'.

Moving on to Angels, Tony illustrated this with considered poems and verse. Introducing Turner's: 'The Angel Standing in the Sun', also the angels seen by Blake and those written about by Gitta Mallasz , plus insights by Mary Oliver in 'The World I Live In'.

The group read from TS Eliot's: 'Four Quartets' beginning with 'Home is where one starts from' and ending with 'In my end is my beginning'.

Reading also from a wonderful selection of haiku and tanka and Hafez and Shakespeare. The group were privileged to be able to listen to Tony's own beautiful piece of writing: 'The hymn of the radiant'. The evening's presentation concluded with an extract by Malcolm Lowry from: 'Under the Volcano'.

Comment from the group : A thank you to Tony who gave a well-researched presentation around the theme of LIGHT, which engaged the group and provided insightful thought and conversation.

Further Suggested Reading:

Notes by Sharon Williams.

26th September 2022

Poetry Pub Stepping Stones, Westhumble

We had a very successful poetry pub with 24 people there, made up of six MVPs, four from the Narnia group and a smattering of friends and random visitors. Aside from Narnia, Phoenix, Moles and Leaves to a Tree were all represented. 15 people read, 9 of whom were guests, and we had a real mix of styles and emotions. Subject matter ranged from maternal anxieties to grief at parent loss, via Denbies, the sea, hospices, teddy bears, nature, and politics. There was laughter, tears and cries of agreement.

Notes by Tony Earnshaw.

24th October 2022

Sheer Delight: an evening with Owen Sheers. Presented by Heather Shakespeare

Heather presented a selection of poems by the prolific and versatile Welsh writer, Owen Sheers, who has been aptly described as "contemporary literature's Renaissance man". In the introduction, Heather outlined her initial encounter with Sheers' work and the particular appeal his poetry holds for her – its conversational lyricism, its sensuousness, and its engagement with both wide and weighty issues, such as war and climate change, and the intensely personal realm of love and human relationships.

The group then listened to an extract, read by Owen Sheers, from his film poem, To Provide All People. This was written for the 70th anniversary of the NHS and, like much of Sheers' poetry, was carefully researched at ground level, drawing on interviews with staff and patients.

A brief biography followed, with reference to Sheers' extraordinarily diverse range of writing and his experience as a dramatist, novelist, screenwriter, biographer, literary critic, presenter, writer in residence, university professor and poet.

The first few poems considered by the group related to Sheers' Welsh heritage and his strong sense of connection to the landscape in which he grew up, as well as to the farming practices he observed as a child. The poem Inheritance, however, revealed how Sheers also regards family as a significant aspect of his heritage and identity.

Heather went on to talk about Owen Sheers' influences – including R S Thomas and Seamus Heaney – and his poetic process, with quotes from some of the many interviews he has given, most of which can be found online. He describes himself as "an instinctive writer" and finds that the process of composition usually starts while he is out walking: "I get the rhythm and tone of the poem in my head". The group then looked at several poems – Skirrid Fawr, The Pond and My Grandfather's Garden – which exemplify the strong sense of place in much of Sheers' poetry, what he refers to as "this 'sensed' yet undefined effect of place". Heather then invited everyone to try a short writing exercise focusing on a place that is, or has been, significant to them, and a number of people shared what they had written.

The final series of poems had been chosen to reflect Sheers' exploration of life's shadow side. In his second collection, Skirrid Hill, separation, loss and dislocation are prominent themes, with the metaphor of this distinctive landmark – a fractured hillside – looming large. The poem Hill Fort focuses on the pain of a personal loss, but in Mametz Wood the influence of the war poets on Sheers is evident, as he movingly describes the unearthing of some of the four thousand Welsh soldiers lost in the Battle of Mametz Wood at the Somme. The group listened to a recording of Sheers reading this poem.

To finish on a more uplifting note, Heather had chosen the poem Intermission, which considers a different kind of battle – against the destructive nature of the elements on a stormy night. In contrast to the chaos and darkness outside, a couple sit indoors talking by the light of the fire and a small candle, their conversation leading the poetic voice to conclude that "... it is after all the small victories that matter, that are in the end, enough".

Links to recordings:

Notes by Heather Shakespeare.

31st October 2022

A time to begin. Presented by Helen Overell

'A time to begin' – a time to look back over this year and to plan for next year, a time to celebrate successes and a time to explore workshop poems. There was time to write in response to lines from 'Little Gidding' by TS Eliot with an invitation to include the phrase 'a time to begin' – this brought to mind thoughts on plotlines, knitting, learning to ride a bicycle and nurturing of leaf fall.

Notes by Helen Overell

28th November 2022

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