Sometimes, there are those days where nothing quite goes right, your timing goes awry, people let you down or perhaps you just disappoint yourself with your efforts. And just occasionally, crazy ideas work out just fine, everything's ready on time, people exceed expectations with their generosity and talent, and you kick yourself for ever doubting it all.

But I've now seen artists building a garden in a theatre, where dragonflies with glowing eyes look on as YET MORE amazing poets from Milton Keynes (and beyond) enter, and give us their words from behind a cute picket fence and surrounded by flowers. 

And there were poems scribbled on leaves (the beermats will be back one day, I'm sure!) which were added to our "poet-tree" (see what we did there?)

And there were "Kapow" signs and name-badges, plenty of chocolate and nibbles, and new local music (monkey kettle & Friends vol 1) over the stereo adding to general atmos.

But more importantly, we had lots of people taking part, many of whom were new performers or new to Milton Keynes, 4 of whom were up for competing, and all of whom were great.

Big fat thanks to our artists Nikki (who left before the show) and Carla (who also gave us some great rhymes, and was on photography duty, oh yeah, and she did the lighting too. I'll get me coat); Ubercool multi-musician Rooh; MatthewMT (for letting us in the theatre and stuff!); Roger for amps, mics and other important stuff; all who donated prizes (including Borders, they rock even more than I thought!); our 4 slammers (especially our winner Alison Brumfitt who I later discover is a well-reknowned and experienced performer. Cheers for coming along and joining in, Alison!); everyone who took to the open mic; and everyone who just came along to watch (and yell Kapow! just for the hell of it!) And big love an'all to Fay, for being the website queen, Facebook-doer (it still scares me!), poetry goddess, and more of an organiser and overseer than I could ever hope to be (I hope you don't now have a house-full of said picket fence, crepe flowers and glowy dragonflies)

Thank you all so much for choosing to spend your Easter Saturday with us. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. And sorry I ever doubted how attendance might have been! Everyone excelled themselves, I can't wait to see the photos!

KAPOW!