Monday

The Poetry Reading

Our new Exhibition has just opened. Rather than being a direct collaboration between our two artists Stephen Lee and Maria Chevska the gallery has become a space where their work is seen in conversation. We held the Private view for the show “Eye of the blackbird” on Thursday 10th February. I was really excited (I love a good private view). I suddenly, however, became filled with fear when Maria asked me to read a poem...

You know that dream when you’re stood in front of a group of people reading a poem and it all goes horribly wrong and you run off crying and wake up in a cold sweat? It’s much worse when it’s real. So much worse. First time I read poetry (from memory) I was 10 and I froze half way through “All the World’s a Stage”. You know the one, good old Bill Spears, As You Like It, if my memory serves. Absolute nightmare, shamed myself and everything.

Second time, Sixth Form, I was playing Uncle Ben in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” (So depressing I can’t even tell you). Right before I walked on stage my mate shoved a bottle of Amyl-nitrate (poppers before they were shit) in my face and I just fell on stage, stood up and blanked. We tried to pick it up but one shouldn’t say the F word on stage, should one?

A few glasses of wine on and with the lovely Becca reading alternate stanzas of Wallace Stevens poem “Eye of the Blackbird” we were set to go. A crowd had assembled in the upstairs gallery area and we went for it. It is a truly wonderful poem and I think we read it really rather well. Un shamed at last and thinking about running at Monthly Poetry Slam as a result. If any of you are interested in getting involved all you have to do is get in touch!

Kisses.

George xx

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