It was a chilly night for the October foraging pigs, and half term, so we rather suspected we’d be rather thin on the ground. Not so! The foragers were out in force and we had some new faces join us, too.
I continue to be astounded by the breadth and quality of the poetry in the room, and how different poets riff off one another as the evening goes on - a benefit of organising our open mic in three rounds, giving everyone a chance to feel the vibe in the room between rounds and choose what they’d like to share.
This time, between us, we covered both world wars, multiple generations, and went from Sweden to Hong Kong via Keswick. AJ demonstrated the wearing of a ‘chavaclava’ (pictured right). There were birds and bees, and Halloween and Christmas, and several poems abut pubs themselves.
There was plenty of free verse on offer, as always, but we also had villanelle, several haiku, an (ironic) acrostic, and even a ghazal.
On a personal note I enjoyed sharing a couple of new poems: Brittle Stars and Elegy along with a second outing for A hippopotamus on my windowsill. That’s another thing I love about the Foraging Pigs: it encourages me to make sure I have new writing every month.
Top forager on the night was Harvey, who took us time-bending, gave us a history of shoes and a reflection on medication and age.
There was also a chance for regular foragers to check the proof copy of Wild Harvest before it goes to print ready for the November meeting.
Once again, it felt like something very special happened in a small, dark room above a village pub, and it was a privilege to be part of it.
See you on the 26th November for the next one!