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Grass Roots Writers:
Creative Writing open to all in Preston
Enterprising members
of the University's Creative Writing society took the opportunity
offered by the packed poetry reading at St.Peters to advertise their
own live literary evening.
In contrast to the famous
names appearing at the Arts Centre complete with radio microphones,
the open mic evening 'Sacred Cows' took place in the candlelit confines
of a room at the Fighting Cock pub on Marsh Lane on Wednesday 14th
March.
About 40 students, with
a few members of the public, crowded in to read their own poetry,
prose and drama and listen to music played by local bands. Ria Lane,
who organised the event, said that the society "preferred an
intimate atmosphere".
The atmosphere certainly
worked for the half dozen writers, all students bar one, who got
up to read their own words without a trace of stage fright. Work
ranged from political polemics in the style of famous dead poets
and prose poems written in creative writing classes to Angela Carter
style subverted fairy stories.
"Carol Ann Duffy
was fantastic", said Ria Lane, who had attended the event at
St.Peters "but I can't really think of any other venues in
Preston who put on well-known poets". She would like to see
one of her favourite poets in live performance, John Cooper Clarke,
as well as "less well known writers" appearing on the
programme of readings later this year.
The society is to publish
an anthology of its own lesser-known writers work imminently, in
the hope that they will be read more widely. It hopes that the open
mic evenings will take place about twice a semester. Including music
will be part of its strategy to keep audiences coming.
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