I GORRA nasty shock last weekend when I discovered the pub where our poetry club meets had closed for business.
That was a bit of a shame because The Bards of New Brighton, which I set up a year ago, had met every month since at the Little Brighton Inn and we’d become quite used to the place.
Honestly, pubs are struggling as never before to pull in punters, with quizzes, live music and all sorts of promotions, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.
They are closing at an alarming rate.
Life-long pubbers are put off going to their local for the night by the Government’s hateful, cruel ban on smoking. After all, a pint’s just too wet without a ciggie.
What’s happening to pubs, the great shame of it, and what they mean to our culture is the subject for a future posting, but in the meantime …
Well, in the meantime, I had to scramble to find an alternative meeting place for the Bards.
People who write poetry and who want to share it with others are passionate, I mean really passionate, about their art.
I just couldn’t let them down. I just couldn’t let our poetry club for New Brighton die.
I had to find somewhere else for us to meet – quick!
At first I thought of asking Mr Craggs, landlord of Hell’s Waiting Room, if could we use the darts room there, but it is windowless and, erm, a bit basic.
It would do for a scruffy old maverick like me, and some of the other versifyers, but some of our laydee poets might turn their noses up at it.
Then I thought of the Magazine, a very attractive pub known locally as “the Mags� which has real ale and fine river views. It also has a nice, spacious, enclosed room that is often used by folk musicians.
I asked the landlady, Linda, if we could use that room for our sessions and to my delight she said ‘yes’.
We’ve already had one meeting there, and our poets liked it, so from now on it is the permanent home for The Bards of New Brighton. Hurrah!
We’ll meet there each second Monday of the month, including bank holidays.
The meetings start at 8.30pm and are very friendly, supportive and welcoming.
So if you’ve been secretly writing poetry on your own in the garden shed, your bedroom, or a lonely attic (as surprisingly large numbers of people do) then come out and read your stuff to us.
And enjoy some poetic companionship and stimulation into the bargain.
Here are the dates of the next few meetings for 2008 … Monday 14 July … Monday 11 August … Monday 8 September.
Poetry rocks!
And so does New Brighton!
COMING SOON … my ‘debut’ as a comedy club performer!
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
Smokehouse Williams wrote...
Mate i am delighted that you have found somewhere new to host the New Brighton Bards Night. It does not surprise me that you are struggling to find a venue. I have read that around 400 pubs a week are closing down due to the smoking ban and increased taxes. The "local" pub may one day be a myth recounted by youngsters who meet up in Weatherspoons or such other chains and mention that such and such dads used to drink in pubs that no longer exist.
My brother who used to live in Wallasey has recently come down to see me and I took him for a pub crawl and he did not recognise any of the pubs I took him into. He felt sad about this and it reinforced my feelings about not going out anywhere and why I drink at home and have an open house policy.
It costs me £4.50 for a taxi to a decent pub and £4.50 home. I have spent £9 before I have bought a pint and bag of peanuts. A single pint in a pub costs me over £12. Is it any wonder why me and a lot of other people do not go out and our pubs are closing down?
Credit to you though if you have found a place that will host the "Bards", Long may it continue with you as Head Chairman.
PS it cannot be long before your Stag Night?
REGAN REPLIED: I quite agree with your analysis. The failure of pubs is part of the attempted wholesale destruction of British culture now underway. Sad but true -and the fighback starts here!
Posted by: Smokehouse Williams | June 6, 2008 1:49 AM