Yes, I’m enjoying the poetry section of A215 more than I enjoyed the fiction – no surprise there then 
The only drawback is that it leads to a proliferation of notebooks, scraps of paper and computer documents which can be very hard to track down – you get hit by a beautiful line, write it down and then …. can’t find it again! I seem to work best with several poems on the go, usually handwritten in a large A4 looseleaf binder so I can switch between them.
My favourite poets are probably Gerard Manley Hopkins and Dylan Thomas. Many years ago, when I was just eleven (yes, THAT many years ago …!) I was in a First Year class called 1W because each class bore the initial of its supervisory teacher. Well, ours was a Welshman by the name of Norman Waldron. He was over 6ft tall with dark wavy hair, a glorious Welsh accent, a passion for Rugby, music (especially choral) and custard creams. He also had the sort of film-star good looks that had every mother eager to attend Parents Evening. On the last day of the summer term (remember how hectic and chaotic they were?) he brought in an LP (you know, black, vinyl, round, fragile?) and played us ‘Under Milk Wood’ by Dylan Thomas read by the late great Richard Burton. I think the entire class went quiet to listen. Fabulous!
March 28, 2008 at 11:53 am
I love the poetry of these two too.
Also, if you ever have the chance, you should visit Laugharne (the wonderful Welsh coastal town where Thomas lived and wrote some of his best work including Under Milk Wood). You don’t have to visit Laughare, of course, to appreciate his poetry. But it certainly helps in focusing one and getting one’s creative and imaginative juices flowing. Great place. Magical experience!
March 28, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi Eamon and thanks for visiting my blog
If I’m ever in that part of the world, I’ll certainly make a point of trying to visit Laugharne.
June 22, 2008 at 10:10 am
Hi, I only heard Under Milk Wood a couple of years ago and immediately downloaded it to my iPod. I love listening to it. And, well done for finishing A215 – I also did that a couple of years ago, at the first offering. I am now looking forward to A363 in October. Enjoy your break. Karen