Earlier this year I was feeling a bit down in the dumps about my writing. My last book came out in November 2021 and has only sold in drips and drabs, mainly because I’ve found readings quite hard to come by. April, when I normally join with dozens of others on a Facebook group to share a new daily draft, came and went without much new output. Poems I submitted were being swatted away (or, to be fair, politely declined) by editors of publications large and small. Enquiries to organisers of poetry nights were greeted in the main with deafening silence. I was fed right up.
However, the tide started to turn last month in lots of ways which have given me cause for optimism. Poet friend Chris Hemingway invited me to read at his new event, “Another Kitchen”, which is happening at the Sandford Park Alehouse in Cheltenham on Wednesday 17th May (yes, that’s THIS WEDNESDAY!). He’s paired me up with brilliant Bristol-based classical guitarist Keith Hyett. The trifling sum of £4 gets you over the thresh-hold, there’s an open mic and what’s more Anna Saunders, who runs Cheltenham Poetry Festival, will also give a short reading. Should be great, and needless to say I’ll be flogging copies of Hi-Viz!
Next, a poem I submitted for Burnham-on-Sea Book Festival’s poetry competition found itself on the shortlist – I was gob-smacked. I’ve never had much luck with competitions and if anything I’d vowed never to enter one again, but the entry fee was waived for writers resident in North Somerset, so it’d be rude not to… The awards ceremony is this Sunday (21st May) down in sunny Burnham, just a short hop down the M5 for me, and I can’t wait! The poem in question is “Sweet Memory Sounds”, which I wrote in tribute to Bristolian reggae legend DJ Derek – I’m very fond of it and I’m delighted that it’s found favour with a local audience.
Meanwhile, a few weeks ago I got in touch with Max Minerva’s Marvellous Books, which has opened a second branch near me. I popped in and was pleasantly surprised by their growing poetry section and enquired if they’d be interested in Hi-Viz. They took a copy for evaluation and to be honest I forgot all about it until they sent me an email the other day to say that they’d love to stock it! It feels so nice to have a book available on the shelves of such a great little local shop.
On the subject of other “sleeper hits”, a few months ago I enquired at my local library whether they would accept a donation of a few copies of my books for their collection. I joined the Public Lending Right scheme a few years ago but couldn’t fathom why I’ve never received any payments from them, unlike the ALCS, which reliably provides a little trickle of cash each year. Again, I didn’t really think it would happen but the day after Max Minerva’s got in touch, I received a message to say that Portishead Library would be delighted to accept some copies of my last two collections. I suspect this is the only way for books published by small presses, or by the authors themselves, to find their way into our libraries – you have to ask, rather than simply assuming that the librarians will somehow magically find out about them and buy copies – as though they have the budget to do so these days!
I’ve also been in contact with the organisers of Art Port, Portishead’s annual arts festival. They initially approached me about doing a reading in late September, which I obviously agreed to, but then dropped me a line to see if I also fancied leading a workshop. Weirdly, I’ve never attended a poetry workshop, much less facilitated one, but there was something about this opportunity which really intrigued me, so I’ve said that I’d love to do it. I’ll no doubt be tapping up poet friends for advice over the next few months!
Last but by no means least, I had a call the other day from one of the producers at BBC Radio Bristol about doing a reading and interview for their excellent BBC Upload show. I’ll be popping along there one Thursday evening in June. The station has been fantastic in the past and have featured me a few times, so I’m really looking forward to it.
All of this good news has prompted me to dip into my drafts folder on Google Drive and start licking some poems into shape. I’ve already submitted a few to unsuspecting editors, so with any luck they’ll appear in the world soon, instead of lurking anonymously in the Cloud!
Anyway, keep an eye out for updates on all of the above, and it would be great to see you in Cheltenham on Wednesday evening if you’re able to make it.
Ben Banyard 