Spare some stanzas? An anthology of 100 poems by 100 poets
Poetry doesn’t alter anything, right? As WH Auden more or less pronounced. In his foreword to Words on a NE Street, a remarkable anthology of 100 poems by 100 poets about the homeless, its instigator Andrew Mears, pictured below, says of his inspirational idea: “The hope is that, although it won’t end homelessness in itself, it will, with people’s generosity and actions, help to support the small groups who are dedicated to go out in all weathers to help fed and clothe those who find themselves in need of human kindness.”
The truth is, some of us take the homeless for granted, pass them by with barely a thought. When the call went out for submissions for this anthology, I realised to my shame that I had no poems on the subject.
“Spare some change?” We often no longer have any in our pockets. Some buskers have certainly taken to using card readers, but rough sleepers …? At the momentous launch of this anthology, in a packed but thankfully air-conditioned room at Wallsend library, a poem read by Liam Overend summed up this problem, and, as the best poetry should do, a bit more besides:
I mean, in today’s modern world, who uses cash?
No one has coins, it’s tap, go and dash
There’s nothing more I could have done I blandly confess
Because that’s how society is now; contactless
(‘No Change’)
At Friday’s packed launch reading Elaine Gardner, who with Andrew and Dawn Wilkinson collated and edited the book, read a poem about the ‘Streets of Marseilles’, to emphasises the universality of homelessness, while photographer Sally Howarth, responsible for the book’s striking cover illustration, delivered ‘No Penguins in Manchester’, about a Falklands veteran living outdoors. Another poem in the anthology, in the voice of a forces veteran, by George Robertson, talks about how the streets “give me the calm I need”.
A poem in the anthology by Elaine Cusack points out the role that libraries can play in providing a refuge: “I’m on a journey only library staff can see. / They charge my mobile, offer cups of tea, / guard my rucksack, acknowledge me.” (‘Pressed into Wandering’). How does homelessness and the plight of a relative affect individual families? Gez Kelly’s very personal poem ‘Tennis Ball’ looks at that.
There were a couple of musical interludes at the reading provided by “neo-skiffle” duo AJ (Potter) and Ant, giving it an uplifting, busking vibe. The lyric of one of the songs they performed, ‘Oh Daddy this Palace is Yours’, is in the anthology as a poem.
Another poem in the anthology, ‘Wallsend Suzy 1969’, by Julie Meredith, looks back at a time when homeless people were regarded by children as tramps, curiosities, out of the ordinary. When did all that change? Was it the 1970s, 1980s? And how did that happen?
And what gave poetry organiser Andrew Mears the idea for this anthology? He said at Wallsend library that “back in February, I was sat in Wetherspoons, having a couple of drinks, wondering what I would do next”. He was aware of the 40th anniversary of Live Aid. He is a Navy veteran, and had been involved in helping with food donations as a former supermarket manager. He has told the website North East Bylines that while out one day walking his dog on Newcastle’s Quayside, he noticed a sign calling for homelessness to be eradicated by 2022, a date that had already passed.
At Wallsend library he said he had been “overwhelmed” by the response from so many north-east poets. More anthology events were promised by Andrew – a words and music fundraising night at Baba Yaga’s Loft in North Shields on Tuesday, 15 July; Wallsend Social Club, where he runs an open-mic variety night, on 24 July; and an event at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art at Gateshead on 28 August.
Profits from anthology sales will be going to charities Newcastle Helping Street Friends, a volunteer group providing nightly outreach; Heart (NE), a community interest company that supports vulnerable and homeless people; and Emmaus North East, based in South Shields, that “provides a home for as long as is needed, meaningful work in one of our social enterprises, and an opportunity for the formerly homeless people we support to get back on their feet”.
See more anthology launch pictures