It’s been a tough year for Poetry at The Fringe, as it’s been a tough year for everyone and everything. Events. Tough to sort and plan and adapt – and just as you’re going again you’re not. Poetry at The Fringe started. Then stopped. Then started again. And then stopped. The Fringe Bar was cautious – understandably – and had its level 2 rules in place. And though there were some events at the Fringe over the last couple of months this was the first Poetry at the Fringe return since July’s event.

It was a smaller turnout – but it was a lovely crowd. Small, intimate, connected.

Maybe the marketing side was down somewhat, maybe they just didn’t want to hear this month’s guest!

I can say that because it was me! Lol.

We had a lovely open mic session to start and one John Wareham was in attendance. And spoke. So that was indeed a treat.

I had a nice chat with him during the interval as well.

Middle Agent was the musical guest (aka Andrew Armitage of Aro Video Store). I had organised for Andrew to share the headlining duties with me. And he was a perfect choice. His songs are funny – but they’re real songs. Not just ideas for songs, not just vehicles for jokes.

I feel the same way about a lot of my poems. They’re funny, maybe. But they’re not just ideas for jokes or vehicles – they are pieces of writing I’ve wanted to write.

I read a couple of new poems not in the book – Trigger and Roy Orbison’s Blues – just to mix it up since we launched last week and I’ve done a few video readings too. But I read several from the book – including many I’ve never read before out loud. So it was nice to do that.

The audience seemed into it.

A real treat to get to be the headliner, the guest.

Roll on next month now. Hopefully we can get two more months of events in for 2020.

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