Spent the evening at a "Crucible Session" with the usual suspects of milton keynes' poets. Basically our best performers are putting some of their favourite pieces to music, or adding some dramatic effects and other voices for our annual celebration of live music and performance, called Stony Live. So I got very excited about all the drum-banging and the prospect of playing a cantankerous french grand-mere in the eponymous poem by Ian Barker (www.alexsykie.co.uk) and then realised that I'm working that whole weekend. Poo.

Still, there's more activity afoot, we'll be celebrating National Poetry week with various events in Central Milton Keynes in the Autumn, and the now well-established "Proper" poetry event Tongue In Chic will now have 2 headline guests (every 2 months, see tongueinchicpoets.co.uk). But more important than all this is...

Saturday 11th April, poetry busking in the shopping centre. I will be shouting at passers by, trying not to swear, trying to convince them that no, I'm not selling them anything and I won't convert them to any religious persuasion. And trying not to lose my voice ahead of Poetry Kapow in the evening.

Yes, it's on Saturday, so get your game face on and come join in the Slamming/open-mic/random acts of cabaret fun, with a Springtime twist.

Milton Keynes WILL get a culture, even if we have to grow it ourselves. I'm off to design a scoreboard and some name-badges, you should get yourself to Poetry Kapow (www.poetrykapow.co.uk)

overandout

D. xx