First Poetry Cafe of 2011 on 7 April

Poetry Cafes are not ‘showcase evenings’ in which audiences are expected to listen in rapt silence, but participatory evenings for poets and poetry lovers to exchange views with experienced poets with a view to developing more confidence in writing, a better understanding of the world of modern poetry, both in terms of approaches to writing and of the publication ‘merry-go-round’.

As guest poet for this freewheeling evening Fire River Poets have invited their colleague, Hannah Wiseheart, to step into the spotlight. Hannah was born and studied in the USA, including a period with the great Denise Levertov (1923-97), for which we can only envy her - or maybe not! Great poets are not always easy company.

Hannah's poems have appeared in numerous journals in the US and she has won prizes there. She recently moved to the UK with her husband and now lives near Taunton. I must say, I always look forward to the opportunity to explore another person's experience of poetry. It is a never ending fascination to hear what the drivers are that make people write, how varied they are and yet how very much common ground! Hannah will, I am sure, offer yet more evidence of this extraordinarily human conundrum and be greatly entertaining in the process.

Join us and discover for yourself ...
John Stuart
Chairman-Fire River Poets