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Standing outside the Dreadnought Hotel, A lady is smoking – laboriously. I point to the beauty and mystery all Later I know But for now we smile, Maureen WeldonEARLY MORNING CIGARETTE - CALLANDER 2011
mist is hanging between Earth and tips of Craigs,
and the just discernable trees with pointy fingers.
In a hazy-blue sky
clouds are like tiny pink petals of roses.
she tells me she fell heavily onto
the pavement the night before.
Her lower teeth are loose.
around us – she agrees;
and tell her how I had heard
the night before, an owl hooting
in the stillness.
Inappropriate perhaps…
I will hear, beauty, mystery, laughter
in Sally and Ian’s bookshop,
as the many poets read their work.
and I return to the breakfast dining room.
Callander Poetry Weekend 2012 will take place on 7th, 8th and 9th September 2012
Callander Poetry Weekend is famous for its entirely free and open character and for the great time poets and visitors have when they come here, whatever the weather. The events take place in Kings Bookshop, in the bookshop garden and in the Kirk Hall across the road.
Contact info: sallydotking4atbtinternetdotcom or by facebook message or phone 01877 339449.
Report and photos of Weekend 2011 see http://www.desktopsallye.com/page16.htm#101997
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2011 programme below
Friday 2 September
4.45 start of programme
5pm Members of Grey Hen: A C Clarke, Margaret Christie, Margaret Wood, Eleanor Livingstone, Helena Nelson
6.15-7.15 Early evening: Garden Reading
Tracy Patrick, Ian Hunter, Mo Blake, Wullie Pucell, G W Colkitto,
Friday evening: opening party.
Book Launches: Fred Beake, Elizabeth Rimmer.
Poems: Maureen Weldon, Eireann Lorsung
Saturday 3 September
Kirk Hall opposite shop (10am -4pm)
10 a.m. onwards: Exhibitions.
Side tables may be used for displaying your books for sale. There are a lot of new books this year so there may be more competition than usual for sales - but remember, Callander is mainly about networking and enjoying the poetry.
Saturday morning: readings 12.45 Ian Blake : Book Launch: Remembering Falstaff And Others (diehard).
10.30 - 11.30: Bernard Briggs, Ruth Aylett, Morelle Smith, Sheila Wakefield
11.30 -11.45 Coffee
11.45 - 12.45: Kemal Houghton, Heather Reid, Joanne McKay, Jim Crumley, Colin Donati
1 pm Lunch (Kirk Hall)
Illustrative material on the Book of Kells (subject of some of the poems) will be on display
2 - 4pm. Saturday afternoon: readings
Margaret Gillies Brown (Makar for Poetry Scotland)
Colin Will, Juliana Geer, Christopher Barnes, Meghan McAvoy, Judith Taylor, Ross Wilson, Robert Ritchie, Irene Cunninghame
4pm leave Hall
4.45 - 6.30 pm Saturday Early evening readings
in Garden or Shop,
Gordon Mason, Gayle Smith, Alison Craig, Rachel Cunniffe, Edwin Stockdale, Christine Ford, Nalini Paul, Hugh Mcmillan
Saturday Evening Party with performances: (in shop)
7.30 pm
Book launch: Anne Connolly
Alan Gay: sea poems and adventures
Book launch: Deborah Tyler-Bennett
Songs and poems: Evan Jones, Sheena Blackhall, Kevin Cadwallender
Sunday 4 September
10.30-12.15 Discussion on the Disestablishment in Poetry led by Fred Beake
12.45 pm lunch and discussion of Poetry Scotland magazine with Sally Evans and Colin Will
Afternoon: readings (garden or shop)
2-4 pm Lucinda Carey, Mike Penney, Jane O'Neill, Leela Soma, Eireann Lorsung, Kevin Murphy, Magi McGlynn, Ian Russell
4.15 pm Depart for Alfresco reading at the Stones Viewpoint on the Dukes Pass, weather permitting. reading 4.45 - 5.30. (One or two poems each depending on number present)
General
Parking free unrestricted on side roads eg North and South Church Street and small car parks at end of N Church St and behind Kirk off S Church Street, and elsewhere. Also some places on Main Street.
Safety Warnings
Please take care crossing the main road between Hall and Bookshop, and near the garden ponds. Do not cross the ponds to beehive area. Children are welcome but please heed safety warnings.
Sneaking off ( a few suggestions) Callander Crags - good wood walks for all abilities. Bracklin Falls 1 mile up the Crags has a new copper bridge. River walks at Callander, great for water birds.
Flanders Moss, a few miles south of Thornhill, a one mile track to car park for interesting floating walkway and viewing tower over spectacular raised peat moss. Best in wet weather.
Dunblane: The Leyton Library, purpose built early library with Bishop Leyton's original books, open weekday afternoons.
Inversnaid, with the waterfall of Hopkins' poem, is reached from Aberfoyle by forest drive. About 25 miles from Callander.
Past Weekends: archive.
Callander Poetry Weekend 2010.
Photo galleries 2010 by Dominique Carton and Mike Penne
Sally's final blog "Leftovers"
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2009 : A flowery welcome from the hanging baskets, and Elizabeth Rimmer's sunflowers. Sally's bees added to the garden interest & she gave a talk about bees and bee writing on Sunday.
2009: Itinerant Poetry Librarian waits for the boat. Other visitors last year included Catherine Smith and Fred Woodward who talked about Burns and the Stars and Burns and Science. Morelle Smith joined them for the Burns Mini Conference. Les Merton and Angela came from Cornwall, and the Cornish flag was flown from the shop in their honour. Fred Beake and Lucinda Carey came from Devon, Ian Blake from Gairloch and others from Ayrshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Berwickshire etc. Also some local poets and visitors including Chris, Charlie, Val, Jean, Linna and Cara. We had a full Kirk Hall on Saturday for the Burns Mini-Conference, Burns Lunch and afternoon readings.
Robin, Rachel and Star came over on Saturday and Eleanor Livingstone, who was also here on Saturday took them back to the train at Stirling. Geoff Cooper arrived from Ayrshire on Saturday and was found somewhere to stay and a lift home on Sunday so stayed for the whole weekend. We had three Makars, Poetry Scotland's own Margaret Gillies Brown, Magi Gibson of Stirling and Sheena Blackhall who sang on the boat.
Maureen and Morelle lost no time in starting the celebrations on Thursday evening, during the course of which the lights all fused and the cooker went bang. Lighting was recovered but the cooker was not, and one of the miracles of the weekend was the catering which proceeded on bindery hotplates and the Kirk Hall hotplates, so that everyone was adequately supplied with Burns Lunches and various party food. See Start Here blog, left, for some catering (capering) notes.
The rest of the weekend passed equally well ("I did not think I could still be astonished about Burns") and with excellent poetry readings
