Annie Fisher won our 2012 poetry competition with three excellent poems on the theme of ‘Postcards’.  She has gone on writing poetry and has now put together a collection that is being published in November. We are delighted to welcome her back to East Coker for a reading of her work

‘Recipes in Poetic Form’     This sounds like a Great British Verse Off. 

But will we have to eat our own words………. ?

See the ‘Competition Page’ of our website for details

Kate Scott is a scriptwriter, playwright and award-winning children’s author. She is also a published poet regularly heard on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Poetry Please’.  Kate’s stage plays have been performed in the Salisbury Fringe Festival and at the Salisbury Playhouse Studio

John Darling, Margaret Hamilton and David Cloke read poems by T S Eliot and talked about the poet who remains one of the most revered poets of the Twentieth century and whose ashes are buried in East Coker Church.

Bring a couple of poems to read or just come and listen…………these open meetings are always popular

Rosie Jackson – Poetry reading

Rosie’s particular passions are exploring the links between writing and visual arts, and the role of the creative arts in health. Following the success of her Poetry Salzburg pamphlet, What the Ground Holds (2014), her first full collection of poetry, The Light Box, has just appeared from Cultured Llama. She belongs to Bath’s Knucklebone poets, often performs in Bath, at the Poetry Cafe in Frome and other venues in the South West. She runs poetry and memoir classes; her own memoir The Glass Mother will be published in Nov 2016 by Unthank Books. You can listen to some of the poems from The Light Box on SoundCloud. 

The Beat Poets was our first meeting back at the newly refurbished Helyar Arms in East Coker

Amelia Bennett and Caroline Mornement lead this meeting with a splendid mix of poetry, music and visual images.   The ‘Apple Loft’ at the Helyar Arms had recently been renovated and it was warm and welcoming – a very good evening.

Jazz or Beat  poetry is a literary genre defined as poetry necessarily informed by jazz music – that is, poetry in which the poet responds to and writes about jazz.  Jazz poetry, like music itself, encompasses a variety of forms, rhythms, and sounds.  Foot tapping stuff………

This re-launch was quite an evening – plenty of poetry and a buffet !  

Excellent poetry from :-

Wells Fountain Poets:-

Ama Bolton, Morag Kiziewicz, Jinny Fisher and Sara Butler 

Cattistock Poets:-

Elaine Beckett, Kate Hall, Maya Pieris, Geraldine Rennison  and  Lisa  Storm-Olsen

West Coker Poets:-

Roger Iredale, Gaie Vickers, Janet Lailey and Stella Davis

East Coker Poets:-

Catherine Simmonds, Heather Murphy, Margaret Hamilton and Iona Lambe

The Helyar Arms is under new management and Patrick and Clare are keen to have poetry back at the Helyar but unfortunately the refurbishment was not completed in time for this meeting and so the venue was St Michael’s Church in East Coker

Tuesday 9^th February       Dawn Gorman  at the Red House        £2 entrance

Dawn Gorman believes poetry should be everywhere. She uses it to work with people with memory loss, facilitates writing workshops, organises poetry events and runs international poetry competitions. She is widely published, has performed on radio and in New York, Paris, London – and lots of smaller places in between.  

Note the Venue is The Red House, 1 mile South of Yeovil on the A37 towards Dorchester

Meeting at the Red House on the Dorchester Road, 1 mile South of Yeovil. 

£2 entrance (to cover room hire)

Eat Coker     A two part meeting  

Tuesday 24th November   

For those who would like to come early and discuss our future meetings we will be meeting at 6.45pm for a meal in the function room at the Red House.   Come and have your say – or just enjoy a good meal with good company!  Please let me know if you would like to eat so that I can give the Red House an idea of the number eating.   Sample menu and prices on the Red House website.

For anyone who would like to come for just the poetry, we aim to have an Open Meeting starting at about 8.15pm after the meal.  Come and read you own poems or any poem you happen to like – or just come and listen.