PURPLE PATCH POETRY CONVENTION
26-28th July 2002
Barlow Theatre,
Spring Walk, Langley near Birmingham.
Report by Geoff Stevens.
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Saturday began with Lucy Carrington extending her ten minutes allotment with her poems and songs considerably and thus putting back the advertised programme times. Poetry readings followed by newcomers Joy McFee, Mostyn Harris, Jenny Kitching, Mark Borj, Rob Stacey, Stephen Langley, Adrian Bishop and Tim Jarman on stage and in the bar/lounge area. It was also an opportunity to hear Bob Bishop, who had flown in from Munich and Gaston who is from Santiago, Chile. As well as my workshop, which asked participants to write poems prompted by ideas that their fellow poets obtained from pictures provided for their observations, there was an intense S.F. Workshop with Steve Sneyd, and a talk on Christina Rosetti by Roger De Boer, which gave rise to lengthy discussion afterwards. A group of people that have been connected with the Mental Health system provided a post lunchtime session of poetry and music, and were followed by The Oxford Backroom Poets, which included Laura Kingsey and Jeremy Hilton. Before hurrying off to report on the Commonwealth Games, boxing expert, Bob Mee read along with fellow Ragged Raven Press poet John Robinson. Les Merton, Poetry Cornwall, compared a lively dialect poetry showcase on stage, with cornish, black country and scouse in full force. Trish O'Brien was there to represent the South Wales dialect. A number of regulars were missing due to holiday arrangements or illness, and it was particularly sad that John Hirst was unable to attend.  A lively Saturday evening began with two husband and wife sessions, Geraldine and myself, and Brendan and Lynn Hawthorne. The alternate lines poetry duets seemed to go down well. Heather Wastie provided an excellent song sequence accompanying herself on the piano, and was followed by Carolyn King, Keith Melbourne, Eamer O'Keeffe, Emma Purshouse and former Birmingham poet laureate, Simon Pitt, reading their work. A 32 track, nineteen poet CD, supported by West Midlands Arts funding and produced by Poetry Wednesbury was launched.
There followed a discussion on poetry magazines on the net and the feasibility of a library collection of the best sites' offerings. A further discussion suggested the setting up of an annual award system for U.K. small press poetry magazines, a kind of abbreviated version of the American Pushcart Awards. It was suggested that if this went ahead, that there should be four categories:
Entrance to the awards would be limited to publications with under 500 issue circulation. The awards would be made annually and announced at an annual Poetry Convention. In 2003 The Back Room Poets held a Poetry Weekend, under similar lines, in Oxford. Information on the Purple Patch convention 2004 were published on the now defunct Poetry Wedensbury website. The photographs on this page are © copyright Eamer O'Keeffe, 2001 |
The third Purple Patch Convention began on the Friday evening with the usual open mic poetry readings and a chance for poets to meet old friends.
Sunday began with a short video film presentation made by Josiah Mason College and starring Brendan Hawthorne and myself.