No Birds or Flowers

I never knew poetry could be so diverse.

With collages and darkness accompanying Simon Perril's poetry, Tom Raworth's quick-fire delivery and music box and John James' colloquial style, it was clear there would be no talk of birds and flowers or beautiful maidens at this event.

I always thought poetry was supposed to be pretty and say nothing much. However, throughout the week of Cultural eXchanges, I have realised that poetry can be about everything and anything - even the development of cameras or eating a slice of soda bread.

Leigh Connelly

Well worth their Salt

Wow! The Salt Night at DMU's Cultural eXchange week showcased three very diverse poets, their work available through Salt Publishing. The contrast between the poet's styles was fascinating, yet I really felt their mutual respect and camaraderie.

John James cut a debonair figure in black, and read predominantly from his Collected Poems. I enjoyed the conversational feel of his poetry, and wide-ranging subject matter.

Tom Raworth is known for the speed of his delivery. Well, that doesn't really do justice to the sheer power of long passages read as if firing wave upon wave of bullets. I particularly enjoyed the poem in response to the Iraq war. Shock and awe, indeed.

DMU's own Simon Perril lowered the lights, and soothed us with readings from his new collection Nitrate. Simon demonstrated his technological prowess (!) by reading selected poems against a backdrop of thought-provoking collage images, representing the transition from still photography to moving pictures in the early part of the 20th Century.

Tom's final poem was one of my highlights though, as he gently turned the punched-out phrase 'Nothing in Leicester' through a small, metal musical player. Such a simple yet beautiful sound, confirming my opinion poetry is not always just about the words.


Sally Jack