A READING poetry group was joined by the Birmingham Poet Laureate for its first meeting of 2023.
The Poets’ Cafe, which meets regularly at South Street Arts Centre, features a mix of guest performers and open-mic poetry from attendees.
For its January session, Dr Casey Bailey joined the group, bringing with him copies of his published works, Please Do Not Touch.
As well as holding the title of Birmingham’s Poet Laureate from 2020-2022, Mr Bailey brings a deeply personal angle to his poetry as it examines a number of social issues.
Following some open-mic performances from members of the audience, Mr Bailey started the first half of his set with a rapid, rapped piece.
He gave a elegy to a lost friend in the form of “We Drink For Them” from his collection Adjusted, followed by Spirit, which was also dedicated to a friend.
He then gave readings of Rise And Fall, Step Step, and Soup, before a performing a pair of poems which examined violence in deprived areas, Every Boy Who Kill in the Ghetto is Me and Every Boy Who Dies in the Ghetto is Me.
The second half of his readings included another rap as well as the piece which inspired his collection of works, Please Do Not Touch, inspired by the prevalence of “Do Not Touch” signs in National Trust sites.
He also gave readings of The Rain, Round There, and Blue, as well as unpublished Shampoo Tears and Attention Deficit, which examines life with ADHD.
Speaking at the event, Mr Bailey said: “We all have an idea of what we really like about poetry.
“We know what’s good in poetry or what we want to do, but ultimately once you have words you can create poetry.
“Whether that resonates with other people or not, it’s just something for you.”
This doesn’t mean that a poem cannot have an aim, he explains: “There are some poems that are definitely written with the intention to highlight something or to bring it to people’s attention, but then there are some things that are written to process.
“I think what I first realised when reading or listening to poets like Caleb Femi is that it’s sometimes about understanding.
“And then other people see it and recognise that perhaps they’ve always understood it, but haven’t been able to express it themselves.”
He said also that groups like the Poets’ Cafe contribute to that process: “Any gathering of poets Is great, at any time.
“When we work on the craft of poetry, our understanding develops with our poetry.
“In my experience, the better you get at writing, the better you get at understanding, and the more clearly you see the world.”
The Poets’ Cafe is organised by the Reading Stanza of The Poetry Society, which hosts a number of regular poetry events across Reading and online.
The next Poet’s cafe will take place at South Street Arts Centre on Friday, February 10, and again on the second Friday of every month.
Next month’s session will see a guest performance by Jonathan Davidson and the usual open-mic performances, hosted by Claire Dyer.
Tickets are £5 for non-reading audience members, and £4 for those reading.
Full information about the group and its events can be found via: www.poetscafereading.co.uk/
