SPC Members Profile: Diane Chorley

I was lucky enough to have had a very good English teacher at school, took English at A.L and started teaching at school with a good reputation for the arts, but sadly, although I was a voracious reader of literature, I found little time to pursue my latent interest in poetry.

Dianne Chorley (center)

It wasn’t until I became an H.M.I. and spent many hours in hotels around the country, that I found the time to explore a range of poetry styles. I had one or two colleagues who were also interested but we didn’t get much further than haikus! Too much time writing reports that were evidence- based gave little time for imaginative thought.

 

I was introduced to the Circle by Anne Stooke and, although apprehensive initially, found members very welcoming, especially when I offered to keep a record of the poems read during our sessions! I must confess to being somewhat in awe , and still am, of those members who actually write poems.Through the fortnightly meetings, the themes chosen have given me ample opportunity to remind myself of the great poets of earlier generations and also to explore contemporary poets, including those from overseas. I am enjoying being ‘the first amongst equals’ as President and am very grateful to the committee and members for their support.

Beck Beat Poetry Beckenham Bookshop

There is to be an open mic poetry evening at the Beckenham Bookshop. It will be open to all ages and styles, with no preference given to who reads first, or last. The first event of “Beck’ Beat” starts at 6.30pm, Tuesday 1 March 2016 and will be wrapped up by 8pm, with each performer, perhaps you(?), enjoying 5 mins airtime, at the most.

The air is pungent with dystopian ideas, change is afoot – and not perhaps from them’s that changed before? Something indefinable this way comes and here is your invitation.

Other February Events

Tuesday, 2nd February

Beyond Words
Gillie Robic, David Morris & Rosie Shepperd
Plus open mic
The Gipsy Hill Tavern, 79 Gipsy Hill, SE19 1QY
Doors open 7.15 for 7.30 start. Entry £4 / £3concs.  www.beyondwordspoetrylondon.co.uk

Friday 5th February

Ruth O’Callaghan Presents
Sound Crew:
Judy Brown, Robbie Burton, Josh Ekroy, David Foster-Morgan, Gillian Fenn, Val Fry & Abdul Jamal

Poets from the Floor Very Welcome
Trinity United Reform Church, 1 Buck St, Camden Town
7.00p.m.(doors open 6.30) Entrance £5/£4 Wine

Monday 8th February
Ken Champion & Juli Jana’s MORE POETRY
Tim Cunningham
plus Open mic
at THE COFFEE SHOP
13 Leyden Street, E.C.2
Five minutes from Liverpool St. Stn.
7.15 pm £1

Wednesday 10th February
Launch party for Mildly Erotic Verse, the Emma Press
introduced by editors Rachel Piercey and Emma Wright,
readings from Jamie Baxter, Nisha Bhakoo, Sophia Blackwell, Alan Buckley, Isobel Dixon, Mary Gilonne, Stephanie Green, Ramona Herdman, Hilaire, Angela Kirby, Laura McKee, Fiona Moore, Camille Ralphs, Natalie Shaw, Di Slaney, Kelley Swain and Ali Thurm.
special guest: Richard O’Brien, reading from his pamphlet of love poems The Emmores.
Upstairs Room, The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3BL
7.30pm Free entry

Thursday 11 February
A Valentine for Nature: Haiku at the Made in Greenwich Gallery,
With Gail Cotton, Mick Delap, Graham High, Fiona Moore and Emma Page.
Come to listen and participate, or just to listen.
Haiku traditionally focuses on images from nature. We will read haiku both ancient and modern, and write our own.
There will be some haiku experimentation – cut-up haiku, haiku consequences…
Made in Greenwich Gallery, 324 Creek Road, Greenwich, SE10 9SW

Saturday, 13th February
Poetry in Palmers Green – an afternoon of Readings
To mark the opening of our residency at Palmers Green Library,
Maggie Butt, Myra Schneider, Kaye Lee, Katherine Gallagher, Mike Loveday, Cheryl Moskowitz, Sonia Jarema and others.
+ Open Mike
The Community Room, Palmers Green Library, Broomfield Lane, Palmers Green,N13 4EY.
2 – 4 pm Entry FREE. Refreshments.
www.poetrywivenhoe.org

Sunday 14th February
Torriano
Valentine’s Day reading hosted by Tim Ades
with Angela Kirby and others
Poets from the floor welcome
Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Ave. London. NW5. Info: 020 8881 1418
7.30 pm, Admission £5/£4(according to pocket).

Wednesday 24th February
tribute reading for Katherine Gallagher
Hosted by The Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, Kings College, London.
This celebratory evening includes readings from the Festschrift by more than 20 of the contributors, plus some poems from Katherine herself.
Room K-1.56 Kings College, The Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
5.45 pm to 8pm Wine on arrival.

Saturday 27th February
Kathy Pimlott presents
The Aldeburgh 8 Shuffle
John Challis, Josephine Corcoran, Suzannah Evans, Seán Hewitt, Anita Pati. Kathy Pimlott, Andrew Rudd, Miranda Yates, and special guest tutor Jackie Wills

The Poetry Café, Betterton St, Convent Garden WC1
7.30 – 9.30 Entry £6/4 Refreshments from bar

Workshops and courses

Saturday, 20th February

POETRY & VOICE – Workshop (1 – 5 pm) with Katherine Gallagher
Torriano, 99 Torriano Ave.,NW5,
Ways into writing poetry – writing exercises and constructive feedback.
Practical criticism of existing work.  www.katherine-gallagher.com   £19

A Very Special Event

Katherine Gallagher warmed our hearts when she read for us at last year’s Summer Celebration. You may be interested to know that this event is taking place:-

A Festschrift for Katherine Gallagher, Kings College, Wed 24th Feb, 5:45 to 8pm. Free entry.

In celebration of 40 years of Katherine Gallagher’s poetry, mentoring, tutoring, her inspiration to others… As well as a reading from Katherine, circa 20 poets will read from ‘KG Confidential’, a Festschrift anthology of poems and comment from KG admirers.

Katherine Gallagher and Maggie Butt at the presentation event in Palmers Green,  24^th October 2015. Photo courtesy of Viv Fogel.