CHRISTMAS ZEST!

A very good night on Dec 12th - fine poems from every reader, many choosing to read favourite Christmas poems: Robert Graves, Carol Ann Duffy, U A Fanthorpe, Anne Stewart, Diana Hendry, Jane Draycott, and others.

We were delighted to welcome several new people to Zest! and warmly congratulate them for reading on their first visit to us (some people are frightened by the microphone that Alexander's provide but that little bit of terror doesn't last long - it's a superb sound system there, so good you don't know you're using it, and we are very lucky!)

The winners of our mini-competition - a four-line poem on "games" - were

Jane Dards, Mike Penny, Elizabeth Lambrakis, and Rod Cox.

Each winner chose from a selection of those elegant Candlestick Press pamphlets, and off to new homes went "10 poems about Bicycles", "10 poems about Dogs", "10 poems about Tea", and "10 poems about Gardens"
Nobody wanted "10 poems about Love" - interesting!! But one of the Zest! team members was very happy to adopt it.
Our thanks again to Colin Watts for kindly judging it for us.

I want to welcome to the Zest! team Angela Topping, a well-known poet who is full of good ideas and who will be a great addition to Zest! so we are very pleased indeed to have her on board.

Our next Zest! is on March 19th 2012 when Angela Topping will be our guest.

Please remember that the first lucky 5 poets to arrive will get to read 3 poems instead of the usual one, so if you're early please let the compere know asap. On March 19th the compere will be yours truly, Gill McEvoy, and I look forward to welcoming you all once more!

A very, very Happy Christmas to all our Zest! readers and listeners. And a joyful 2012!

REMINDER: Next Zest! Open Floor Poetry Night

Monday 12 December 2011 at 8:00 pm at Alexanders Theatre Bar, Rufus Court, Off Northgate, Chester CH1 2JG. Entry £2/£3.

This year’s December Zest! will be an open floor night without a guest poet.

* We will announce the results the Zest! mini poetry competition ably adjudicated by Colin Watts.
* The three Zest followers who each won a 3-poem reading slot (at the December 2010 Zest! Raffle) will be invited to come forward and take up their reading slots.
* We will announce the Zest! programme for 2012

Most importantly, please bring your poems or a favourite poem by someone else, to read / perform. Or if you prefer, just come and listen!

Zest! Dates for your diary.

Monday 12 December 2011 (End of Year Open Floor)
Monday 19 March 2012 (Guest poet: Angela Topping)
Monday 21 May 2012 (Guest poets: Jake Campbell and Sarah Maclennan)
Monday 1 October 2012(Guest poet: Tom George)
Monday 3 December 2012 (End of Year Open Floor)

Hope to see all of you there!

Change is in the air!!

There are some changes about to happen with respect to Zest! But Good Ones, really good ones. All will be revealed at the next Zest! night on Monday Dec 12th. Also to be revealed are the 4 prizewinners in our Zest! competition - thank you to all those of you who had a go - we had some amazing poems and Colin Watts had a hard time making a decision. But he has, bless him, and there will be prizes for all 4 people. Plus the usual cheerful night of poems from the floor and, as we have no guest that night, there will be more time for readers. So be sure to come along and make the most of that!

October Zest!

A great night on the 10th October, with good poems and varied subjects.
I'll post more about it soon but for now I want to thank all of you who entered our mini-competition;we had a bumper entry! Our guest poet, Colin Watts, who is kindly going to adjudicate, went home with a large envelope full of poems.
And Colin also gave a really excellent reading of his own work. Just the right tone too - laughter, sadness, wry commentary, and beautiful, tender images, the lot! I wonder if anyone was trying to peel their breakfast orange the Zen way this morning?!!

Another Zester Book Launch!

Hello all Zest! followers.

Just to let you know that Chris Kinsey, a regular performer at Zest! and also a previous guest poet at Zest! will be launching her third book "Swarf" at Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Powys on Sept 15th 2011. 7.30 pm, and admission is £5. I have read the book and can heartily recommend it!

Also reading at this launch will be Andy Croft, publisher of Smokestack Books, Rosie Bailey, partner of the late U A Fanthorpe, Kaite O'Reilly who recently won the Ted Hughes Poetry prize, and our very own Jane Dards who, like Chris, is a regular performer at Zest!
It promises to be a very good event, and the gallery is a really beautiful venue; plus there is easy parking around it. A perfect evening out..

All these Zesters publishing books - it must be that Zest! is a Very Good Thing! And so it is, of course.

Book Launch!!

Colin Watts, our October guest, is launching his new collection (The Tree House Headland Press) at the Basement, Everyman Theatre, Hope St, L'pool on Monday, June 20th: 7- 10pm. All welcome. Anyone who's been to Dead Good Poets' nights will know this is their regular home. There will be music, poetry, and laughter. Mandy Coe is compering. It would be really great if a few Zesters would like to come and support this event.