Last Friday night when all of you were watching Danny Boyle’s amazing opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, we ventured to Swindon for a no less astonishing event; the launch of the second edition of that superb poetry magazine, Domestic Cherry edited by Mabel Watson and Ursula Pitt.

Below, life is a whole hamper of cherries.Domestic Cherry allegedly began because some lady poets thought that we girls were under-represented in the poetry mag world (a quick count in the latest Poetry Review shows the scoreline there to be Boys 28: Girls 29, so well done with that, George Szirtes).  Whatever – there were some great contributors in Domestic Cherry.  Several of them read at the launch event; sadly neither Sharon Olds nor Chase Twichell could make it, but their poems are in there.  Several of my favourite Reading girlie poets were there and there are a few boys in the mag too.

Between ourselves, Mabel Watson looks a lot like the Bard of Swindon, Hilda Sheehan, taking on a new authorial voice. Consider Roland Barthes and the death of the author; not so much the death in this case as a kind of temporary possession.

I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo of Hilda’s buddy, Barry, whose hi-vis jacket played hell with the flash on my camera.  But you can find out more about them both here, where there is also a picture of the splendid camel won in the raffle by Wendy Klein.  I’m not  jealous, even though I got the Marmite-flavoured chocolate.

Friday’s reading was very friendly and relaxed.  I got to read a couple of my poems and had a nice chat with Barry about psychogeography.  Their next event is October 6th, I believe, and I have already put it in my diary.

PS and there was tea, in proper teapots, and Tunnock’s tea cakes!