I attended and read at the 100,000 Poets for Change event in Bath yesterday. This was just one of 800 events being held on the same day across the world and felt very exciting to be a part of. Highlights for me were hearing from the young undergraduates at Bath Spa, from Iraqi-British poet Dikra Ridha and American poet, Bethany Pope (now living in Swindon). I came home with a copy of Dikra’s collection: “There are no Americans in Baghdad’s Bird Market.” Very moving poems which evoke the fear and uncertainty of living with the consequences of war, both for those in the war zone itself and for relatives like Dikra separated from her family and vividly imagining what they are going through. I also got a copy of Carrie Etter’s “Divining for Starters” which I’m looking forward to reading. Thanks Carrie for organising the event yesterday. I hope it raised lots of money for Julian House.
