Review of Newcastle Poetry Festival 2015 by Pippa Little
The Newcastle Poetry festival has filled me with new spirit and hope! A wonderful, immersive experience through which Nerval wandered with his lobster on a lead, Anna Akhmatova gazed down at the audience and I heard voices, some familiar and some new, I will never forget. My highlights: Michael Longley, Kei Miller, Anne Stevenson, Mark Doty, Niall Campbell, Sean O’Brien, Jackie Kay’s contribution to the round table event, Susan Wicks reading her translations of Valérie Rouzeau…and so much more.
Poetics of the Archive, an 18 month project which the festival celebrated, gave 36 writers/poets/artists the opportunity to explore Bloodaxe’s archive and respond creatively: stand-out work for me included Ellen Phethean’s film, the voices and singing of Wendy Smith and Bernie MacAloon, Chrissie William’s name poem, work by David Spittle, Kris Johnson, John Challis, Stevie Ronnie, Kathy Bainbridge Moran, Christy Ducker, Cynthia Fuller and Anna Woodford…I’ve probably left someone out, if so, sorry!
The atmosphere at Northern Stage was relaxed, with a friendly buzz, and it felt so good to be a community of like-minded poetry writers and lovers just getting together and enjoying each other’s company. My friend highlight was Pamela Robertson-Pearce – twice! A huge thank you to Linda Anderson without whom the project and the festival could never have happened, to everyone who contributed to it and to Neil Astley, whose Bloodaxe vision began everything.