bittersweet
congratulations to our oft collaborator, poet john wedgwood clarke whose poem ‘stubble’ is one of the 10 commended in the 2010 national poetry competition, selected from 11,653 entries. john was also one of the six finalists in the manchester poetry prize in october. you can read ‘stubble’ here.
john was a collaborator with us and artist rachel welford on the public art project ‘everybody’s always somewhere‘, on ‘the shop of priceless things‘ in rotherham and we’re currently working together on a building-wide public art project with community engagement in huddersfield.
above: john reading as part of the crescent gardens art trail in scarborough, september 2010. photo by james rush.
sadly in today’s reorganisation of arts council funding due to government cuts, both beverley literature festival and the fledgling bridlington poetry festival of which john is the director lost their funding status. the festivals are run part-time by john and a committed team of volunteers who must be devastated. however, we trust in the power of words in the wolds and doubt that this will be the last you hear of great writing in this part of the world.
