The highlight for me has to be the BBC slam at the Greenroom, it took a lot of effort but was full and a great atmosphere and the winner, Ben Mellor, went on to win the national BBC competition!

2009 itself was the highlight of my life so far. I doubt I'll ever have a better year and would settle for "as good".

My personal highlights outside of poetry were: kayaking 16 miles across the sea to an island and back (sort of by mistake), swimming a couple of miles across the sea from one island to another and back (intentionally) and realising I could buy a second home and doing so.

My personal highlights in poetry were compering at Bolton (hastily preparing a theme for a second round in the break was fun), writing what the cosmos sings to me, guest slot before the BBC slam, having a new book published, compering the royal exchange, and the Aran trip (I recommend this last to everyone - next one will be around about June/July 2010 - see John G. Hall), and assembling an incredibly talented features for the forthcoming write out loud Ezine.

Non personal highlights in poetry were the BBC doing its best to promote poetry and change people's opinions on it. Seeing the North West Poetry scene grow exponentially despite all the arts council funding disappearing into the London School sports day (sorry, meant olympics, but that's pretty much the same thing).

Discovering the performance poetry scene and meeting all the weird and wonderful people who inhabit it. From there, going on to discover WOL and a way of killing all that spare time I have at my disposal…
Having my poetry recorded – felt like a real star, even though I had to pay for the privilege. Performing on the Busking for Beer tour (apart from the last poem which I stuffed up) – thank you for organising it Jefferama - it was such good fun!
What do I wish for 2010? For my poems to ‘write themselves’ a little more frequently. For a greater general participation in WOLOP so that it becomes a little more relevant. A big thank you to all who have voted, and to those who read, discuss and comment on blogs in general. In my opinion, you are the ones that make the site such a dynamic, vibrant and fascinating community. x

My first year writing, I have met some remarkable people and seen and heard some inspiring poetry. At a time when not everything is perfect for my family, being involved has kept me sane and sometimes even happy :-)

Emerging from a humungous 'life crisis' which began 3 years ago and had me suicidal and desperate...but now I feel I am emerging 'out the other side' with family intact (those still alive) and picking my way slowly back to sanity. WOL has been a big part of that.

This year I have written, for the first time, some poems that even I like...well, three altogether. It has been life affirming for just one of WOL subscribers to say they were OK...for more than one to do that has been just...wonderful. To come third equal in POTM has exceeded all my expectations...and then some : )

Sorry if I have seemed a curmudgeon at times...my default setting for most of my life has been generous, funny and slightly cynical....I'm quite nice....honest, I really am...well, I don't expect Augusta to believe that....or Chris....(Izzy might?) but WOL helped saved my life. It really did.

There's a heart somewhere that's twinned with mine.
And on the road there is a sign.
'Humps Ahead'

: )

Jx

Surviving a brain haemorrhage.

Finding some real poets on this site that write sublime lines that I wish I'd thought of first.

For me, the real highlights were visiting poetry venues and places i'd only heard about because of wol.
I agree with Paul, the Green Room Slam was a very special event and a fantastic atmosphere.
Enjoyed all of the slam events i attended and met some wonderful people and poets along the way.

New Year resolution? To experience more highlights, whatever they consist of.

Chris! (((hug)))

Who are you calling 'odd'?

: )

Jx

Sorry for poking my nose in but I couldn't resist it. I think you may be misunderstanding John's humour, Chris. I'm pretty sure he understood how you intended 'odd' to read - I think he was just playing on the word. Funnily enough I almost posted a similar comment. Nearly said - 'Yes - John is odd - isn't he?' but restrained myself. Don't you just love the English language?

Happy New year to you all. Let's all turn over a new leaf and start being nice to each other - that will be 3 sugars for me please...

p.s. Tommy - I wish you a speedy recovery. My father suffered the exact same thing when I was 7. It had a massive impact on all of our lives so I do understand what you must be going through.x

Now I'm confused...am I odd or not?

: )

Jx

PS.I think that the odds are evens that I might be odd, but, even if I'm odd, I still might even be OK. Oddly.

: )

A personal and rather selfish highlight for me was realising a 45 year old fantasy by playing guitar and singing ( both words used quite loosely) at the Sound House and Dog and Partridge in Bolton, expertly supported by James Hartnell at the former and Kev Bates at the latter, thus demonstrating a dictum I thought I'd invented but which was apparently coined by G.K.Chesterton, "if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing badly". Happy New Year everyone.

Getting my pamphlet, Captured Yes, out.

Getting to a lot of the readings at The Other Room. Seeing Tony Lopez, Carol Watts and Phlip Davenport at the Bury Met.

Books: The Collected Poems of Barbara Guest, Geraldine Monk's Ghosts & Other, The Collected Poems of Robin Blaser.

Magazines: Sunfish, Succour, if p then q, Parameter

Reading poetry backed by a jazz band

Arran

Writing my first poem (since a short one about being attacked by a pterydactyl whilst walking down the street, oddly, written at age fifteen). Yep, writing my first poem sometime in October. Now I can't stop! How did I live without it?
Then finding WOL and all you lot! ;-) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I’ve just returned from Cornwall - or Kernow - depending on your particular persuasion. Many of Kernow’s inhabitants consider themselves ‘Cornish’ before they’ll even entertain the idea of being 'English'. I put this down to the strength of the local brew. Anything quaffed from the fermented palms of the local ‘Wooden Hand Brewery’ has its consequence. In my particular case - I lose all the usual feeling in my feet whereupon my toes (especially my toes) became nothing more than superfluous, nobbly digits at the end of two mottled, hobbit-shaped 'plates of meat'. Cornish beer MAY taste like sea water - but it don’t half hit the spot.

However, rambling aimlessly around slithers of the South West Coastal Path, drinking real ale and warming a fat face in front of a roaring yuletide log-fire comes with its own demands and sacrifices. For a start, there has been no ‘Write Out Loud’. Not even a half-baked substitute for my daily fix of on-line poetry. On-line comment, discussion and general fisticuffs of banter and opinion - and dare I say it - in a rather sad way - I’ve missed the very bones of it. Afterall, Write Out Loud has been good to me…

Through ‘Write Out Loud’ I’ve been commissioned by other parties to write pieces of poetry, prose and nonsense. I’ve been rewarded in various currencies, not least, promises of more promises. Warm pies and the greatest reward of all - seeing your work exposing its genitals in front of a subjective, baying mob. There can be no better feeling. Of course, I don’t please everybody - I never set off to - that’d be as ridiculous as it would be impossible. Yet over the last year, I’m more than aware that I’ve upset some of our poetry colleagues - colleagues who reside in and around the dark forests of Middleton by claiming that one of their WOL events was made that more exciting by imagining that the whole event was nothing more than a game of Cluedo. I may have made some reference too that the evening’s co-compére was marginally more animated than the microphone-stand they were standing behind. A comment I later came to regret - especially after receiving letters of complaint from the microphone stand insisting that they were deeply offended by my analogy. But such is life. All this being ‘nice to each other’ is pure fantasy. There HAS to be confrontation. There HAS to be conflict of opinion. There HAS to be naked mud wrestling at future Write Out Loud events.

Still, just so that the year goes out on a high, I've just opened a poetry anthology titled 'Wirral's Winter Words' - which, so far, is doing exactly what it says on the tin - 'may cause drowsiness'. I've not got past its cover and already a 'typo' is poking me in the eye. I'm sure its contents are much less nigglesome...

In the meantime, may I charge my sizeable glass and wish all Write Out Loud members a Happy 2010 - go get ‘em Tigers.

Darren...
I love reading your witty reviews with funny analogies and all their twists and turns - they always put a smile on my face : )

I love to laugh, and if you are secure with who you are, you can laugh at yourself too.

And oh... nothing wrong with a little bit of fantasy...

At times 2009 has been an 'interesting' year but joining WOL has been a big plus.

In each of the 4 months that WOLOP has existed, I made a short list of poems I particularly liked to help decide who to vote for. I'm not normally a Statto (Stato?), even regarding Everton, but for once have done a count. In just 4 months 32 poets made it onto the short list and it would have been 33 if it was possible to vote for Isobel. I expect many of us would feel the same - that there is a fascinating variety of fellow-scribblers on WOL and real strength in depth (would that that were true of the Everton squad).

So thank you everyone for writing such lovely interesting/beautiful/sensitive/powerful/touching/crafted/funny stuff. Thank you to those who keep WOL and the open mic evenings going. And a Happy New Year to one and all.

Just reading the last comment, are we having a WALOP for December? Haven't seen anything 'bout it.

My highlight of 2009 has definitely been finding this site. Here's wishing all the WOLites and their loved ones a Happy New Year. Raising a can of Fosters at you all right ....about...now!
xxx

Just lifting the tab on my ice cold can of ScrumpyJack! Cheers!

* clink*
xxx

Well - I'm sticking to my bottle of red girls - think it goes with my new image better!
There will most certainly be a WOLOP for December, but it won't be announced till 6th Jan - votes to me by then please. I will put out a reminder tomorrow. For those who can't remember their favourite, it is easy to flick back over blogs for the previous months - there is a list of all previous months at the start of current blogs.
Am even considering having a sub award - Wipeoutloud Outsanding Paper of the Month. No guesses as to who that would go to.....

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR WAS GETTING TO SING AT MY MOTHERS WEDDING/S-AND ALSO ADOPTING THE PRETENCE THAT I COULD WRITE POETRY-CHEERS M'DEERS-SLURP!!
THE KINDNESS SHOWN TO ME ON THIS SITE HAS BEEN PHEMONI.....PHANIMA......PHHONONY.......SMASHING!!!OH I,M FILLING UP....BOTH GLASSES-HAPPY NUDE YEAR ALL

all the best w-o-l'ers!!!!!