It is mail out day again! That means 2,000 invitations to stuff into envelopes, and 2,000 labels to stick on. There was a time then Poet in the City mail outs felt like the labours of Sisyphus, dispiriting and (seemingly) endless. But nowadays everything is slick and efficient, with 5 volunteers making short work of it all. Indeed a sort of party atmosphere prevails in the room, with much banter and poetry chat. The volunteers are all seriously over-qualified for the job but there is a therapeutic quality to the task. When the final envelope is labelled, at just gone 1.00pm, there is a palpable sense of achievement.
The trolley takes the three boxes of neat envelopes off to the mail room and the attention of the franking machine. This time it is a drop-in invitation, for an event at which members are invited to read their favourite poems, or their own poems, on a certain these. Although the invites go to all members the drop-ins usually attract an audience of about 40 hard core poetry fans. Although this is a lot fewer than the 150-250 people who regularly attend high profile Poet in the City events like Love Poetry or Poetry & Identity there is something special about the drop-ins. For me they capture the spirit of Poet in the City: talented, eclectic and passionate about poetry. The participatory nature of the drop-in means you never know what you are going to get next. The presence in the audience of many good poets ensures that the quality of poetry is always very high, with many unexpected delights.
The other day I attended on arts conference with representatives of many arts organisations and their funders. There was a lot of discussion about the fact that the funding environment is set to get worse as government largess recedes and more and more money is redirected towards the Olympics in 2012. I agreed with most of what was said but found myself thinking about Poet in the City’s drop-ins and the great enthusiasm they inspire. Most of the discussion at the conference assumed a top-down view of funding.
Poet in the City is no different from other arts organisations in that it needs funding, from the Arts Council or corporate sponsors, in order to go on doing what it does. And yet I cannot help feeling that, in the long run, an arts organisation must be bottom-up, it must grow from its roots. I believe that Poet in the City is very fortunate. It has a committed and growing and grass roots membership, voting with its feet by attending its events and spreading the word about the work it goes in schools. With this level of popular support the prospects for obtaining funding should become a lot better. The simple fact is that Poet in the City would be nothing without its members.
The drop-ins may not attract the big crowds but they are at the heart of what makes Poet in the City such an exciting charity. John Mole, our poet in residence, always hosts the evening with great aplomb, starting off the reading, and making sure that everyone who wants to read gets the chance to do so. When members drop-in to read their favourite poems they are actively engaging with poetry, and emphasizing its importance in their lives.
So check your doormat tomorrow. The next Poet in the City invitation is almost certainly already on its way to you!
