stanza 2008

well, where to start? i was just blown away and i don't think my mind has stopped buzzing since we came home. who would have though that three days in st andrews would have opened up so many new doors! the best way that i can describe it is like, open your eyes really really wide into a bug-eyed stare of amazement - that's how my imagination feels right now.

so, we managed to see ...

• the poems of frederico garcia lorca

performed by keith james on various guitars and vocals and rick foot on double bass

this was a great start to my festival (m had already started the day before with some frisian, dutch and norwegian poetry). the way rick foot's hands (ha!) moved over the double bass was like watching warm honey spread itself over a slice of hot toast, i was mesmerized. keith's vocals and guitar playing were the perfect compliment. it all got a little mellow though and m and i had to fight falling asleep - in the nicest possible way.

• past and present

chaired by colin will, with penelope shuttle on h.d. and tess gallagher on raymond carver

i'm ashamed to admit that i had only a passing awareness of these poets before today but i felt privileged to listen to penelope's biography and discussion of h.d. with readings of some of her works and tess's, at times touching and poignant, portrayal of raymond carver. further reading and enjoyment is forecast!

• reading and in conversation

kenneth white reading and talking to drew clegg

where to begin ... ?!

the stanza brochure describes kenneth white as the premier figure in geopoetics, a poet, a thinker and teacher - to me, quite simply, a god.

m had seen kenneth white before and owns a number of his books. again, a sad lacking on my part meant that the only awareness i had was from m reading scotia desertia to g and me whilst we were on a camping trip. although, by amazing coincidence i picked up a book i fancied on our last trip to the library, which turned out to be 'on the atlantic edge', on noticing this m thought i was doing a little reading up before our trip to see him, but it was just a happy coincidence!

i could have listened to this man all night and his conversation and reading was over in the blink of an eye. i wondered aloud to m that, perhaps, if we asked really nicely did he think that mr white would consider being our house guest for a while so that we could listen to him some more!

as the reading came to an end and we were being ushered out of the hall, the magnanimous mr white told everyone that he would be available in the foyer to sign books and to continue the conversation, he was at our disposal. unfortunately we couldn't hang around as we had to get home and to bed for the early rise and our final day of stanza. plus, the longer i heard him speak, the harder it would have been for m to drag me away! got home to pick up 'on the atlantic edge' as some bed time reading :)

then, our final day of stanza ...

a long weekend in march

without concrete plans means ...

three days at the stanza poetry festival in st andrews
home made pumpkin seed rolls
a tray of roasted veg for tomorrow's lunch
an insanely good home made banana milkshake
my first attempt at space dyeing
home made, oven baked pizzas
two days of lay-ins
watching an ideal husband and alien 3
a little too much time spent laughing at i can has cheezeburger
revelling in the joy of radio 4's day-time programming
reading kenneth white's on the atlantic edge in bed
having ideas for new brooches, a new scarf and further plans for the wallhanging
getting the boiler fixed and having heat and hot water for the first time in over a week
discovering stephen fry's the ode less travelled in waterstone's
and writing a few lines
checking the bus timetable for our trip to edinburgh for m's next reading in april
getting out into the garden to start this season's work
and, very importantly, probably not coincidentally - no housework

aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, bliss :)

i can has cheezburger ...

every time i visit this site, it makes me laugh out
loud - it's the perfect antidote for a monday morning!

visit http://icanhascheezburger.com/ for more!

round of applause to the united nations ...

for bringing this up - "celebrity drug abusers treated softly by police". we were just talking (ranting) about this the other night.

jo public would be thrown in jail quicker than you could say "how much for a gram?", losing their job, possibly their home and the support of their friends and family in the process if they behaved in the same manner as these so called 'celebs'!

now, i'm all for supporting people with drug problems and not necessarily treating them like social pariahs but come on! folk walk past drug addicts in the street with a sneer on their face, people with a history of drug abuse are shunned by society but, hey, don't worry, if you're a celeb you'll be 'questioned' and then let off, on a regular basis, a la pete docherty, and then go on to win a gong at the next awards ceremony, see amy winehouse and the grammy's.

however, take away all the emotive or moral arguments surrounding drug users /abusers and you are left with the hard fact that these people have broken the law.

Celebrity drug abusers 'treated softly by police'

By Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent, The IndependentWednesday, 5 March 2008

Lenient treatment of drug-abusing celebrities is sending a damaging message to impressionable young people, the United Nations drug control agency has warned.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said a soft approach by police and the courts to well-known names was undermining efforts to reduce drug abuse and eroding confidence in the criminal justice system.

Hamid Ghodse, an INCB board member, said it was regrettable that a "number of people have got a lenient response in the UK and around the world", although he declined to name the celebrities he had in mind.

Last month the singer Amy Winehouse was questioned by police but not arrested over a video that appeared to show her smoking crack cocaine.

The Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty, meanwhile, was given a suspended jail sentence and a 12-month drug rehabilitation order last year after pleading guilty to possession of crack cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis.

The model Kate Moss has been interviewed by police over photographs of her allegedly taking cocaine, but no charges were brought against her. Chelsea FC sacked their Romanian striker, Adrian Mutu, after he tested positive for cocaine in 2004. The police never became involved.
Professor Ghodse said: "There should not be any difference between a celebrity who is breaking the law and non-celebrities. Not only does it give the wrong messages to young people, who are often quite impressionable, but the wider public become cynical about the responses to drug offenders."

In its annual report published today, the INCB said interest was greater than ever in famous people from the worlds of entertainment, the arts and sport.

It said: "Celebrity drug offenders can profoundly influence public attitudes, values and behaviour towards drug abuse, particularly among young people who have not yet taken a firm and fully informed position on drug issues.

"Cases involving celebrity drug offenders can also profoundly affect public perceptions about the fairness and proportionality of the response of the justice system, especially if there is a less lenient response to similar or lesser offences committed by non-celebrities."

The INCB said Britain had the worst problem with heroin and crack cocaine, while only Spain had a higher rate of cocaine use. It noted that cannabis use was dropping in Britain, although Professor Ghodse registered his concern about the increasing popularity of stronger "skunk" strains of the class-C drug.