The Poetry Tent 2026
It was a pleasure to be invited to return once again to the poetry tent at Coleman’s Hatch last weekend. As part of the annual flower show hosted by the Coleman's Hatch Horticultural Society, the poetry tent is popular fixture. Not a surprise, given that the event presents the opportunity to enjoy a perfectly delightful countryside afternoon.
Nestling on the northern edge of the Ashdown Forest, southwest of the village of Hartfield, the show took place at Holy Trinity church. The event also included traditional village stalls like a kids' tombola, local handicrafts and a Splat the Rat. There was tea served in proper cups and saucers and an excellent home-baked lemon drizzle cake. I also came home with armfuls of vintage clothing at a bargain price. But, back to the poetry.
The theme this year was Winnie the Pooh.
Quite a specific theme, I have to stay, and I was initially stumped. I shared a handful of short poems that were firmly rooted in childhood books and stories. I had a vivid imagination as a child, and fairy tales and children’s books aren’t always as cosy as they first appear. I was a very timid child who thought that everything was to be feared. I think a lot of the fear grows up from not knowing the ‘rules’ of adulthood. So I began with A child tiptoes into a restaurant kitchen to set the tone.
Not only did I find the fairytales I referenced frightening, I think they are often deeply problematic from a gender perspective in the twenty-first century. So next I shared Little Bedtime Story which received some good reactions.
Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows was, and still remains, an unending source of joy. I loved that book, the version which was, like Winnie the Pooh, illustrated by E H Shepard. But I have wondered lately why a young feminist would be so inspired by a book that was filled with only male characters. I think, at the age of seven or thereabouts, I didn’t see gender. So next I shared Whimsy.
I finished with a poem called Holding Hands, about how all that imaginative escape in books makes the writer and the power that brings.
It was an absolute pleasure to perform alongside some phenomenal poets. I particularly enjoyed the work of Jenny Sessions, Cosmo Goldsmith, Vanessa Underwood, Tallulah Lamour, Rohan Nars, Petra Markham and Frank Dean, and I firmly hope to be invited back next year!