Sunday 31 July 2011

Poetry Society 1000 Votes Reached

Poetry Society Petition Reaches 1000 Votes from Philip Brown on Vimeo.

A short video of thanks to all who got involved with the recent petition put forward by George Szirtes.

Phil Brown
Poetry Editor

Poetry Society EGM - Who's Signed So Far?

A cloud of support

Have you signed yet? These guys have...


1000. Ella Duffy 999. AJ Ashworth 998. Laura Fernandez-Kayne 997. Tinashe Mushakavanhu 996. Michael Scott 995. Chris Port 994. Ben Cartwright 993. Anjali Desai 992. Carole Bell 991. Simon Barraclough 990. Ra Page 989. Sue Spencer 988. Natalie Haynes 987. Jane Schaffer 986. Richie Brown 985. Robert Mullen 984. Peter Doyle 983. Imtiaz Dharker 982. Denni Turp 981. Fiona Beaton 980. Linda Black 979. Robert Beake 978. Jean Johnstone 977. Wendy Milne 976. Ian Blyth 975. Norman Bissell 974. Jacqueline Bradley 973. Julia Webb 972. Felicity Brookesmith 971. Robert Alan Jamieson 970. Terry Kelly 969. Jean Johnstone 968. Richard O'Brien 967. Laura Marsh 966. Maurice Riordan 965. Leela Soma 964. Shawn Mulachy 963. Anthony Farmer 962. Miriam Johnson 961. Daniel Barrow Barrow 960. Pey Colborne 959. Sonia Hendy-Isaac 958. Lesley Cookman 957. Ken Homes 956. Sharon Champion 955. Gwyneth Lewis 954. Heather Jones 953. Charlotte Geater 952. Victoria Ramsay Ramsay 951. Marilyn Ricci Ricci 950. Robert Doughty 949. Mary Hamer 948. Rachel Davies 947. JANET BAIRD 946. Annabel Chown 945. Lindsay Balderson 944. Philip Fried 943. Rob Lowe 942. Helena Petre 941. Heather Neill 940. Graham Burchell 939. Andrea Holland 938. Peter Halliwell 937. Jamie Jones 936. Sally Warrell 935. Rebecca Farmer 934. Eric Beston 933. Peter Davis 932. Annie Fisher 931. anne-marie fyfe 930. Cahal Dallat 929. Angela Rees-Jones 928. Bohdan Piasecki 927. Rebecca Guy Ver 926. Patience Agbabi 925. David Thomas 924. Margaret Speak 923. Susan Mackervoy 922. Andy Jackson 921. The Itinerant Poetry Librarian 920. JULIE O'CALLAGHAN 919. DENNIS O'DRISCOLL 918. patrick mcGuinness 917. Kenny Knight 916. Helen Dewbery 915. alicia stubbersfield 914. Miriam Scott 913. greg delanty 912. Matilda Leyser 911. Ann Atkinson Atkinson 910. Graham Mummery 909. Lawrence Sail 908. Michele Poet 907. Mary Stacey 906. Barbara Randall 905. Jim Dening 904. Simon Altmann 903. Timothy Walker 902. Jonathan Barker 901. helen constantine constantine 900. Katie Fesel 899. Ann Alexander 898. Hannah Copley 897. Bob Dew 896. Nadine Brummer 895. Elaine Borthwick 894. Benjamin Scott 893. Daniel Powell 892. Jennifer Hunt 891. Trish Davis 890. Peter Mortimer Mortimer 889. Jane Kite 888. Neil Astley 887. Joshua Allen 886. Susanne Chowdhury 885. cary archard archard 884. Sophie Yeomans 883. Pat Borthwick Borthwick 882. Paul McLoughlin 881. diana wilson 880. Nick Jarvis 879. Caroline Cook 878. Hannah Thomson 877. Don Paterson 876. Gabrielle Hatfield 875. Sarah Kemp 874. Donald Atkinson 873. Paul HYLAND 872. John Tufail 871. John Brown 870. David Brown 869. Esther Morgan 868. Caitlin Heffernan 867. Lyn Stephens Stephens 866. Jane Monson 865. Matthew Gregory 864. Tim Cockburn 863. Bill Greenwell 862. Clive McWilliam 861. Doug Robertson 860. Sue Rose 859. Hugh Dunkerley 858. Geoff Hands 857. Bill Trüb 856. Miki Byrne 855. Jenny Gladstone 854. Sarah Dallat-Laverty 853. maura dooley 852. Avril Staple 851. Stewart Conn 850. Julia Copus 849. padrika tarrant 848. Marc R. Sherland 847. James Goodman 846. Bill Greenwell 845. Sophie Hannah 844. Joelle Taylor 843. John Osborne 842. Rosalind Fairclough 841. Anthony Martel 840. Ruth Wiggins 839. Michael Skaife d'Ingerthorpe 838. Clive Watkins 837. david and helen constantine 836. Andrew Forster 835. Samantha Christie 834. Cahal Dallat 833. Nessa O'Mahony 832. Jane Draycott 831. Emily Dening 830. Ramona Herdman 829. Chris Scott 828. Gregory Dowling 827. Vicky Kimm 826. Marianne Burton 825. Nicholas Murray 824. Heather Danson 823. matthew lanyon 822. victoria bean 821. Caroline Gilfillan 820. Melanie Drane 819. Rachel Mikos 818. Alison Brackenbury 817. Lucy Collins 816. Kathleen Bainbridge 815. Janan Saab 814. Lynn Roberts 813. Ted Millichap 812. Phil Barrett 811. Jane Duran 810. Philip Gross 809. Helen Cherry 808. Jacqueline Saphra 807. Bobby Parker 806. Grevel Lindop 805. John Haynes 804. Mary Rozmus-West 803. Charles Lauder, Jr 802. Martin Alexander 801. dan wyke 800. Catherine Gardner 799. Alan Hayes 798. Keith Roberts 797. Rose Flint Flint 796. Matthew Rice 795. Beverley Kemp 794. Tiffany Atkinson 793. Steve Thomas 792. Judith Marsh 791. Sophia Roberts 790. Bill Swainson 789. Theo Dorgan 788. Charles Christian 787. Russell Turner 786. David Borrott 785. Emma bragginton 784. Lavinia Greenlaw 783. Steve Rudd (inventor of Potty Poetry, poet, visionary and seer) 782. Siofra MaCherie 781. Jerry Carr-Brion 780. Llinora Milner . 779. Rosemaris Jesson 778. Elena Kaufman 777. Carol DeVaughn 776. Emma Lee 775. Anneliese Emmans Dean 774. Juliet England 773. Olivia Waldron 772. Richard Parkinson 771. Robin Taylor Gilbert 770. Maria Bennett 769. Margaret Wilmot 768. Fahima Sahabdeen 767. Chris Meade 766. Siobhan Evans 765. David Wheatley 764. John Lucas 763. Jeff Taylor 762. Rosie Godfrey 761. Shirley Jones 760. B Wheeler 759. stuart pickford 758. Jeremy PAGE 757. Naomi Alderman 756. Sheila Preston 755. Diane Simkin 754. Valerie Striker 753. Sarah Duckworth 752. Marcelle Olivier 751. Nigel Fortune 750. Frances-Anne King 749. Linda Marlowe 748. Jane Knights 747. Roger Boylan 746. Joanna Wilsher 745. Judy Prince 744. Desmond Clarke 743. Fleur Adcock 742. Ian Pindar 741. Stuart Charlesworth 740. David Oprava 739. Noreen Drake -Stoker 738. kaaren Whitney 737. BARBARA DORDI DORDI 736. Cathy Moore 735. John Harrison 734. Nicole O'Driscoll 733. Duncan MacLaurin 732. ANN Gray 731. marion tracy 730. Edward Fox 729. Kate Bonfield 728. Keith Armstrong Armstrong 727. Michael Loveday 726. Mary Gilonne 725. Christine Coleman 724. Robert Holbach 723. Christine Wain-Heapy 722. Jo Field 721. Howard Young 720. Benjamin Morris 719. Alana James 718. Lisa Gee 717. Bev Robinson 716. caroline richardson 715. Dot Cobley 714. Glyn Davies 713. Jenny Hutchings 712. Wendy Klein 711. Bernie Morgan 710. Sarah Passingham 709. Jennie Bailey 708. Tom Stevenson 707. Paulene H 706. Pauline Keith 705. Neil mac Neil 704. Michael Horovitz 703. Tim Parks 702. Berko Berkavitch 701. John Smallshaw Smallshaw 700. Sophie Mayer 699. Richard Crockatt 698. Richard Roberts 697. Val Dunmore-Francis 696. Mark Cobley 695. Jenny Hope 694. Valerie Darville 693. ZOFIA DYMITR 692. Adam Wyeth 691. Annie Bishop 690. pippa little 689. Roger Collett 688. Michael Hutchinson 687. Tom Gardner 686. Josh Williams 685. Pippa Chapman 684. Frances Spalding 683. Lisa Wilson 682. Alice Huzar 681. Mark Bond-Webster 680. Melanie Prince 679. paul askew 678. Susie Burns 677. Brian F Docherty 676. Darrelyn Gunzburg 675. Veronika Bowker 674. Helen Szirtes 673. Roger Thompson 672. hugo lambton 671. Simon Smith 670. Rachel Hore 669. Lorna Thorpe 668. Carole Coates 667. Kona Macphee 666. Nigel McLoughlin 665. Ian Crockatt 664. Sasha Dugdale 663. Frances Clarke 662. ALISON MILLER 661. Marina Warner 660. Henry Fisher 659. Julian Turner 658. Jonathan Davidson 657. Morag Styles 656. Jacky Tarleton Tarleton 655. Marialuisa Stella 654. Michael Scott Byrne 653. Colin Ford CBE 652. Liz Berry 651. Alan Buckley 650. John McAuliffe 649. Maximilian Ellis 648. Derek Morris 647. Paul Henry 646. Simon Dalley 645. Linda Grant 644. Aileen La Tourette 643. Crysse Morrison 642. Roy Woolley 641. Camilla McLean 640. Kevin Cadwallender 639. William Palmer 638. Laura Barnes 637. Anjali Joseph 636. Michael Carver Carver . 635. Rosemary Norman 634. Luke Wright 633. geoff rowe 632. Will Wilson 631. Adele Clifford 630. David Craythorne 629. Daniel Sluman 628. Caroline Davies 627. Alan Harper 626. Rosie Blagg 625. Graham Norman 624. David Whitley 623. Isobel Montgomery Campbell 622. Bruce Barnes 621. Martin Zarrop 620. Patrizia Longhitano 619. Peter Gruffydd Gruffydd 618. Michael Wyndham 617. Andrew McDonnell 616. Ashley Bovan 615. Simon Martin 614. Dorothy Fryd 613. Michael Woods 612. Veronica Zundel 611. stephen cross 610. Linda Herbertson 609. Sally Douglas 608. Michael Thomas 607. Ron Capell 606. Jude Cowan Montague Cowan Montague 605. Rona Hamilton 604. Lindy Barbour 603. Kathy Miles 602. Chris Neale 601. Sheena Clover 600. Catherine Czerkawska 599. Christian Ward 598. Maria McCarthy 597. Phil Bowen 596. valerie pargeter 595. Anthony Ellis 594. Julie Hammerton 593. Susan Burns 592. Jeanette Burton 591. Sarah Rudston 590. Mandy Precious 589. David Gwynne Harries 588. Helen Clare 587. Louise Halvardsson 586. Wullie Purcell 585. sherry pasquarello pasquarello 584. Christie Williamson 583. Linda Johnson 582. Alasdair Paterson 581. Diane Cockburn 580. David Austin 579. Glenna O'Neill 578. Rachel Bennett 577. Kaye Lee 576. Catherine McLoughlin 575. Dawn Morris 574. Meg Peacocke 573. MARIE CLOWES 572. Hattie Grünewald 571. Helen Cadbury 570. angela croft 569. meriel malone 568. Wils Wilson 567. Ruth Stacey 566. Diana Brodie 565. Lesley Quayle 564. Neil Morris 563. Kay COTTON 562. Mick Wood 561. Sue Moules 560. Linda Innes 559. Fanny Gapper 558. Anna Crowe 557. Andrea Ball 556. audrey yeardley 555. Matt Howard 554. Anne Rouse 553. Petra Collis 552. Maureen Jeffs 551. Jane Yeh 550. Janice Windle 549. Kirsten Irving 548. Gareth Writer-Davies 547. Harry Man . 546. Janetta Otter-Barry 545. Seán Street 544. Elizabeth Burns 543. R V BAILEY 542. Judith Taylor 541. Bill Tasker 540. Carola Luther 539. Faye Fornasier 538. Douglas Dunn Dunn 537. Steve Carroll 536. Chris Beckett 535. Frances Sword OBE 534. Cathy Bolton 533. Jon Glover 532. Jim Farley 531. Nancy Mattson 530. Catherine Smith 529. Kei Miller 528. Paul St George 527. Lesley Stokell 526. Jena Winberry 525. Joanne Clement 524. Ama Bolton 523. Sarah Wheeler 522. Simon Austin 521. John A. Sampson 520. Sarah Hobbs 519. sue boyle 518. Lynne Hjelmgaard 517. Susan Watson 516. Elaine Baker 515. Nick Asbury 514. Ian Duhig 513. Maggie Hannan 512. Lynn Woollacott 511. Fran Brearton 510. Mark Husmann 509. Kathleen Jones 508. Simon Barraclough 507. Kath Lloyd 506. David McKelvie 505. Alex Hammond 504. Julie Corbett 503. Jo Radcliffe 502. Luke Kennard 501. Wayne Holloway-Smith 500. Lesley Ingram 499. Anna Robinson 498. Sally Goldsmith 497. Jennie Osborne 496. Corina Papouis 495. Calum Kerr 494. Nick Stone 493. Valerie Josephs 492. Elizabeth Rimmer 491. Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch 490. Jessica Van Doremalen 489. Eleanor Livingstone 488. James Sutherland-Smith 487. Helen Lawrenson 486. jules wilkinson 485. Rebecca Perry 484. Jane McKie 483. Rose Hawley 482. Celia Mitchell 481. Maureen Jivani 480. Robbie Guillory 479. Stewart Hildred 478. Christopher Barnes 477. Hayley Newman 476. Pam Zinnemann-Hope 475. Nancy Campbell 474. Rupert Lally 473. Mandy Haggith 472. Geraldine Green 471. Simon Craft-Stanley 470. Edmund Matyjaszek 469. Dafydd Pritchard 468. Brian Johnstone 467. Herman Deetman 466. Ashley Lister 465. Brigid Smith 464. Andy Willoughby 463. Nikki Magennis 462. Maggie Butt 461. Michael Schmidt 460. Susan Wicks 459. Simon Armitage 458. Choman Hardi 457. Kevin Crossley-Holland 456. Alyson Hallett 455. Robin Bowles 454. Douglas Houston 453. harriet proudfoot 452. Patricia Oxley 451. Ruth Aylett 450. Will Carr 449. John Mackay 448. Andrew Biswell 447. Martin Burton 446. Stephen Elves Elves 445. Douglas Houston . 444. Adam Strickson 443. Jessica Holifield 442. Catherine Burton 441. Keith Parker 440. Ian McLachlan 439. Cathy Strawson 438. Lance Pierson 437. Steven Waling 436. Claire Crowther 435. Lynne Rees 434. Katherine Venn 433. Aaron ben-Joseph 432. Rusty Gladdish 431. Stephen Tunnicliffe Tunnicliffe 430. Simon R Gladdish 429. Alex MacDonald 428. Ute Penny 427. Alwyn Marriage 426. Jenny Price 425. Deborah Alma 424. Sylvie Sims 423. Zoe Redgrove 422. Stephanie Norgate 421. Jenny Shepherd 420. Abegail Morley 419. Jon Turney 418. Helen Taylor 417. Roselle Angwin 416. Ann Drysdale 415. Kate Fox 414. Jen Wainwright 413. Sandy East 412. Petra K 411. Diana Reich 410. Peter Forbes 409. David Peter 408. Anna Kisby 407. will stone 406. VICKI FEAVER 405. David Morphet 404. Rob Spence 403. Nick MacKinnon 402. River Jones 401. Daffni Percival 400. Arabella Harvey 399. David Chapman 398. Geraldine Paine 397. Rodney Wood 396. C J Driver DRIVER 395. Richard Price 394. Marion McCready 393. Jehane Markham 392. Richard Livermore 391. Margaret Beston 390. Charles Bennett 389. William Ayot 388. shirley may 387. mao oliver 386. Kate Noakes 385. Maura Hazelden 384. Sarah Jackson 383. Antony Dunn 382. Tamar Yoseloff 381. Colin Will 380. John Glenday 379. Fran Martel 378. Claire Dyer 377. Ira Lightman 376. Ani Jackson 375. Jon Gamble 374. Laurie Smith . 373. Erika Glenday 372. Michael Mackmin 371. George Roberts 370. david lebor 369. ALISON BRACKENBURY 368. Sarah Miller 367. Laura-Jane Foley 366. Donna Collier 365. Jonathan Ng 364. Van Howell 363. Al Barz 362. amanda bellamy 361. Joy Ill 360. Pauline Rowe Rowe 359. Chris Gribble 358. Carole Humphreys 357. Eliza Gregory 356. James Harringman 355. Julie Boden 354. Jon Stone 353. angela Readman 352. Pamela Robertson-Pearce 351. Luke Smith 350. Jack Underwood 349. Joan Hewitt 348. Aine MacAodha 347. Alan Baker 346. Nicki Hastie 345. Kate Compston 344. joe sherman . 343. James Gardner 342. A C Clarke 341. Morelle Smith 340. Jenny Swann 339. David James 338. Julia Gaze 337. Daphne Williamson Williamson 336. Nicky Guthrie 335. Richard Woodcock 334. Alison Miller 333. Lorraine Mariner 332. Morag Massey 331. Frances Causer 330. Angela France 329. Helen Dunmore 328. Dom Waters 327. Liane Strauss 326. Barbara Farley 325. Tom Richardson 324. Peter Howard 323. Polly Atkin 322. Edward Power 321. Mark Roper 320. Karen Dennison 319. Penelope Young Young 318. Victoria Heath 317. Robbie Burton 316. Norbert Hirschhorn 315. Alastair Niven 314. Ian W King 313. james Grant 312. Mark Granier 311. Paul Claridge 310. Alexander Mcmillen 309. Kim Morrissey 308. Zaffar Kunial 307. hazel buchan cameron 306. Professor Diane DeBell 305. Marius Kociejowski 304. Fiona Finlay 303. Alastair Cook 302. Valerie Laws 301. derrick porter 300. Sean McCann 299. Pamela Johnson 298. Pat Jourdan 297. Sabine Pascarelli 296. Pascale Petit 295. Tony Turner 294. Andy Ching 293. Jen Hamilton-Emery 292. Matthew Johnson 291. Phil Simmons 290. Justin Coe 289. Joanna Watson 288. Elly Nobbs 287. Alexandra Buchler 286. Cliff Yates 285. Colette Bryce 284. jane colman 283. Jocelyn Page 282. Ben Holden 281. Linda Parkes 280. will kemp 279. Stevie Ronnie 278. Dorothy Yamamoto McCarthy 277. Victor Tapner 276. Jane Routh 275. Zoe Benbow 274. Leih Steggall 273. Patrick Widdess 272. Amanda Dalton 271. Sophie Breese 270. Matt Merritt 269. Charlotte Beyer 268. Charlotte Kirin 267. Anthony Fisher 266. Valerie Morton 265. felicity alma 264. Rosemary Barrett 263. Elle Zwandahl 262. Angela Topping 261. Julia Copus 260. Roy Cross 259. Colin Begg 258. Roz Quillan Chandler 257. Bethany Helen Durham 256. Hilary Elfick Hilary Elfick 255. Adrienne Odasso 254. Sarah Westcott 253. Jean Sprackland 252. Matt Bryden 251. Heather Holden 250. John Thake 249. Deej Fabyc Art 248. Isabel White 247. Les Bell 246. Jonathan Wonham 245. Davina Prince 244. Christopher North 243. Rob La Frenais 242. Anthony Howell 241. Jan Bay-Petersen 240. ripa haque 239. Adrian Rice 238. Zoe Piponides 237. Hugh Bryden Bryden 236. Fawzia Kane 235. joanna walsh 234. Nicola Bray 233. Mónika Mesterházi 232. Pc Evans 231. Tony Keeton 230. Kate Scott 229. Carolyn Jess-Cooke 228. Kathryn Maris 227. Joanne Limburg 226. Gail Cameron 225. Alex Pryce 224. Rahil Anwar 223. Charlotte Gann 222. Kate Clanchy 221. Mal Dewhirst 220. Peter Richards 219. Clare Crossman 218. Caroline Carver 217. Roddy Lumsden 216. Ron Scowcroft 215. Annie Kerr 214. joan michelson michelson 213. Amy Key 212. David Wilkinson 211. helen oyeyemi 210. Ingrid Andersen 209. Jenny Lewis 208. Gill Learner 207. Naomi Foyle 206. carole satyamurti 205. Frank Bright 204. Carmel Waldron 203. Strider Jones 202. john weston 201. Michelle McGrane 200. JOANNA BOULTER 199. Zoe Brigley Thompson 198. Tim Reid 197. Derek Adams 196. S.V. Wolfland 195. Katie Moudry 194. Maria McCann 193. maggie sawkins Sawkins 192. Roz Goddard 191. Deryn Rees-Jones 190. Owen Sheers Sheers 189. Charlotte Hartung Nolsoe 188. Clarissa Upchurch 187. Sarah Salway 186. Jo Bell 185. Sullivan the Poet 184. Jules Mann 183. Helen Gregory 182. David Floyd 181. Helen Ivory 180. Edmund Prestwich 179. Max Wallis 178. Laura McKee 177. Iain Stewart 176. BRYAN OWEN 175. louise hill 174. MARILYN LONGSTAFF 173. Nigel Pollitt 172. Shirley Lee . 171. June English 170. Mark Burnhope 169. ann Kelley kelley 168. Yara Delinquent 167. Rik Wilkinson 166. Lynda How 165. Tim Turnbull 164. Tammy Ho 163. Wendy French 162. Chris Allinson 161. Liam Carson 160. Emily Hasler 159. Kate Potts 158. Judi Sutherland 157. Mark-Sue Lozynskyj 156. Fiona Moore 155. Sascha van der Aa 154. Lindsey Holland 153. Andrew Philip 152. Lesley Saunders 151. Alan Garvey 150. Timothy Adès 149. Lindsay Fursland 148. Nicolas Williams 147. Jackie Litherland 146. Christina Patterson 145. Jon Sayers 144. Lindsey Thomas 143. Paul Ranford 142. JAMES FLYNN 141. Agnes Lehoczky 140. Peter Berry 139. Anne Maney 138. Liz Loxley 137. Denise McSheehy 136. Julia O'Brien 135. Diana Gittins 134. Niall O'Sullivan 133. James Womack 132. Atar Hadari 131. Jane Dobson 130. Stephen Wilson 129. Vanessa Lee 128. Claire-jane Carter 127. Elaine Ruth White 126. John Clegg 125. Jonathan Briggs 124. Matthew Sweeney 123. audrey ar ardern-jones 122. Lisa Gershon 121. Sue Dymoke 120. Chris Holifield 119. Nicky Phillips 118. Claudia Daventry 117. Vanessa Weedon-Jones 116. John a'Beckett 115. Roger McGough McGough 114. David Belbin 113. Sarah Gooderson 112. Sue Guiney 111. Mary O'Donnell 110. marek urbanowicz 109. joelle taylor 108. Chris Considine Considine 107. Jim Barron 106. Jane Holland 105. Peter Ryley 104. julie-ann rowell 103. John Wheway 102. Matthew Francis 101. Peter Daniels 100. Anne Cluysenaar Cluysenaar 99. Alistair McCulloch 98. Sally Baker 97. Bernardine Evaristo 96. Diane Slaney 95. Michael Shann 94. Mark Niel 93. Sandy Solomon 92. Davena Hooson 91. Patrick Early 90. donald gardner 89. Roderic Vincent 88. James Hamilton 87. Kevin O'Neill 86. Michelene Wandor 85. Rowan Fortune 84. Julia Bird 83. Katy Evans-Bush 82. Catherine Brennan 81. Andy Booobier 80. Gregory Woods 79. Isobel Dixon 78. Jan Fortune 77. chris gutkind . 76. Victoria Cichy 75. Lucy Lepchani 74. Meryl Pugh 73. Fitch O'Connell 72. Martin Figura 71. Keith Lander 70. Gerry Cambridge 69. Jeremy Page 68. Claire Trévien 67. Marilyn Francis 66. Nina Boyd 65. Susan Atkins . 64. Graham Mort 63. Leona Medlin 62. menna elfyn 61. Adam Horovitz 60. Michael Swan 59. DR BOAST 58. Clare Pollard 57. Karin Koller 56. Anne-Marie Fyfe 55. David Kirk 54. Carole Bromley 53. Chris Preddle 49. Jill Townsend 48. Richard Deakin 47. Rebecca Scambler 46. Joy Howard 45. Justin Gowers 44. Norman Andrews 43. Dante Micheaux 42. John Snelling 41. Gabriel Griffin 40. Josephine Dickinson Dickinson 39. Lucy Wood 38. Alessio Zanelli 37. Neil Astley Astley 36. Michael Spilberg 35. Clive Birnie 34. Jane North 33. Sheenagh Pugh 32. Diana Pooley 31. Janet Fisher Fisher 30. Mark O'Brien 29. Paul McGrane 28. Lyn Moir 27. Nancy Hynes 26. Phil Brown 25. A.F. Harrold 24. Tom Chivers 23. LUCIUS REDMAN 22. Wayne Burrows 21. Barry Tempest 20. MAURICE RIORDAN 19. sally evans 18. Ros Barber 17. Bert Molsom 16. Lydia Macpherson 15. Anne Berkeley 14. Carrie Etter 13. Poetry Society 12. Pippa Hennessy 11. Louise Wilson 10. Chrissie Gittins 9. John Siddique 8. Polly Clark 7. Judith Chernaik 6. Tanya White 5. penelope shuttle 4. Anne Vinden 3. Chris Hamilton-Emery 2. Eva Salzman 1. Donna Sparrowhawk 

Saturday 30 July 2011

Poetry Society EGM - Broadsheets to the Wind


An interesting thing happened a couple of days ago. I read an article in Civil Society with the headline Poetry Society Issues Full and Frank Explanation of Dispute. The 'Full and Frank Explanation' being referred to was the one read by John Simmons at the EGM... the one that was subsequently picked apart and scrutinised as a whitewash of trustee incompetence. That full and frank explanation.

I wrote to Civil Society, asking if their article had taken into consideration Judith Palmer's statement or indeed the audio-recording from the EGM. And guess what happened next...

The article was instantly modified to include a more even-handed account of events which referred to Palmer's statement and the secondary sources surrounding it... and I got an e-mail of thanks from the article's writer. "I have been in touch with the press officer all morning and all of yesterday and they neglected to advise me that this had ever been posted".

It would appear that Civil Society is not the only periodical to allow for a modified stance on the situation. I draw your attention to the following pieces:


  1. Guardian Letters - Betrayal of Trust at the Poetry Society
  2. The Independent - A row that shouldn't hide and important truth: poetry matters
  3. Civil Society - The Poetry Society Issues Full and Frank Explanation of Dispute

Whichever stance you choose to take in this debate, I think it serves as a fascinating example of how PR and the work done by PR companies has shifted from solid to liquid to gas in the age of Web 2.0 where the long tail wags the dog.

If you have not already, then I suggest you read Kate Clanchy on paranoid poets and this message from Anne-Marie Fyfe, former chair of the Board of Trustees. Both are important, well-written documents in and of themselves, but there is equal value in the representations of conflicting opinions occurring in the comments sections. Irrespective of people's personal bias, everyone involved in this conflict cares about the future of poetry.

NB. At time of writing the petition to reinstate Judith Palmer has 874 signatures.

Phil Brown
Poetry Editor

Wednesday 27 July 2011

A Call for Judith Palmer's Reinstatement


Following my coverage of last week's Poetry Society EGM,  the poet, ecologist and all-round top bloke, Professor David Morley, sent me the message 'you have done noble work but the story behind the story is still not told. It will come out eventually.'
This has come at least partly true today, thanks to the lengthy statement released by Judith Palmer which I have reproduced at the end of this article. Palmer's stance is adamance that a dispute between herself and the Poetry Review Editor was by no means the catalyst for the current situation, but rather incompetence and bully tactics from the Board. One of the more interesting / unpredictable things to arise from this statement is Todd Swift's reaction to it on Eyewear.
'The poets who organised the Requisition act as if they were blameless, but they are at least half the problem, in terms of bad PR.  The media would hardly report a case of boardroom scuffling in a small arts organisation - but a widely-distributed email campaign to challenge the Trustees, well, that's news.  In short - the damage that is being done is being done by these trickles and gushes from Facebook, email, and blogs.'
-Todd Swift's blog
George Szirtes has begun a petition to reinstate Judith Palmer, which you can sign by clicking here if you so wish. At time of writing it has 115 signatures. If I can be forgiven for interjecting with my own personal opinion here - if I were in Palmer's position then I almost definitely would not take the job back, nonetheless I think that anyone with an ounce of gratitude for the fine work of the Poetry Society under her direction needs to sign this petition now, or at least after you have read her statement.

On Friday 22 July 2011 members of the Poetry Society recorded a resounding No Confidence vote in its Board of Trustees at an Extraordinary General Meeting called to discuss the ramifications of the recent spate of resignations at the organisation. One of those resignations was mine, yet the Board neither invited me to attend nor to present my evidence to members. In the hope of ensuring that the meeting stayed focused on the Board’s alleged reckless financial mismanagement, and on the urgent need to call this to account to protect the Society’s future, I forwarded only a brief outline statement.  Given comments made at that meeting, I would now like to expand on this here.
On 19 May 2011 I reluctantly resigned from my position as Director of the Poetry Society. I explained my reasons to the trustees, stating:
“I loved the job I had, and the team I worked with. I was proud of our achievements and was looking forward to delivering the 4-year programme which had just been agreed. In a few weeks, the Trustees’ unilateral decisions, have made the Society a very unhappy and unproductive place. There’s total confusion. Non-executive trustees have unilaterally taken over responsibility for areas of my job. Agreed staff procedures aren’t being followed. Funding relationships are being mishandled. I’m no longer free to run the organisation using my professional judgement, and under these circumstances I cannot be held responsible, if the organisation begins to fail.”
Decisions were increasingly being made that I had no knowledge of or influence in – decisions made outside the contexts of normal, open, minuted meetings. I had a duty to carry out the instructions of Trustees, but found myself unable to reconcile this with my obligations to staff, funders, and members.
When I left, the Poetry Society was in excellent shape. I wished it well, and hoped it would flourish under the good stewardship of the Board of Trustees.
These are some of the circumstances that led to my resignation:
On 30 March 2011, after a year of huge uncertainty about the Society’s future, we received the good news that our funding bid to the Arts Council had been successful, and we had been awarded a 31% increase in funding.
Two days later, I was called to a meeting by the Poetry Society’s Chair of Trustees, Peter Carpenter. I believed we were going to be discussing the urgent problems facing other organisations in the Poetry Sector. Quite out of the blue, I found there was something else on the agenda.
The Chair told me he’d been waiting until after the funding announcement to tell me about a proposal put to him by Fiona Sampson, the Editor of Poetry Review, a proposal that he’d been discussing with her since January without my knowledge. She requested a new working arrangement whereby she would reduce her days, work mainly from home, and report directly to the Board. I must emphasise that this was put forward as a permanent arrangement. It was initially communicated to me verbally and, a few days later, in writing.
The timing was completely unexpected. Although the relative integration / independence of the Society’s magazine Poetry Review within the Society’s activities had been a regular subject of debate throughout the Editor’s tenure, and long pre-dated my appointment, this had not been a recent subject of discussion.
In September 2008, before my time as Director of the Poetry Society, Fiona Sampson approached the Society’s Board of Trustees with a similar proposal. She requested that her fixed-term contract be made permanent and that the structure of the Society be altered to raise her status and allow her to report directly to the Board rather than continue to be managed by the Director. The Board rejected both suggestions (7 October 2008). The Arts Council was involved in the discussions, and supported the Board’s rejection of the proposal at a subsequent Board meeting I attended on 20 November 2008.
I queried with Peter Carpenter the timing of this revival of Ms Sampson’s proposal in 2011. We had only just submitted a detailed 4-year plan to the Arts Council that had been supported fully by the Board. The plan had reflected a fully-integrated Poetry Society, and this was the vision endorsed by the Arts Council. To make such a significant change now seemed to me both dishonest and dangerous. Our funding offer from the Arts Council remained only conditional.
Carpenter apologised, but explained that poets were putting pressure on him, the Board were going to split over it, and that Ms Sampson had suggested she would otherwise leave.

I raised serious operational concerns about how the proposal would work in practice, explained that many other members of staff would be affected and they would need to be consulted. I explained that the staff had all been working hard in an atmosphere of great uncertainty and did not deserve a major upheaval just when they were expecting to enjoy some well-earned stability. I must emphasise that I did not reject the proposal: however, I gave my opinion that the proposal was potentially destabilising and could jeopardise the Society’s future funding; and that our urgent priority ought to be playing an active role supporting those poetry organisations that had received cuts in funding, rather than looking inwards. I clearly needed more time to consider this. The Chair’s response was unexpected. I was forbidden to discuss the matter further with him, in an email dated 2 April, 11.36.
There followed, in my opinion, the most extraordinarily stubborn and ill-considered sequence of actions by the Board. A confidential Board meeting was called (4 April, 08.34). I petitioned the Chair four times to think carefully before preventing the Arts Council from attending the meeting as stipulated in all previous funding agreements. The Chair replied: (5 April, 08.09) “There is no need for ACE to know of the content of our board discussion… It is confidential to the board and thus only the business of the board.” I pleaded to be given the chance to gather information for the Board in order to help them make an informed decision. (5 April, 09.16). This was refused. I asked to know what would be discussed, and was told that it would be only ‘organisational structure and related issues’ (12 April, 09.31). I was not invited to attend the meeting, and neither were the staff who usually attended Board meetings (Paul Ranford and Rebecka Mustajarvi). However, I would be required to return, unaccompanied, to hear  ‘the outcome of our discussion’.
I was unprepared for the nature of this confidential meeting on 13 April. With no independent witnesses present, and with no preamble, I was read out two Board decisions: ‘There will be a formal job evaluation of the Director’s role & responsibilities’ and ‘The Board accept the proposal as set forward by the Review Editor’. I asked to discuss this, and was told that that was inappropriate. There was no written proposal to discuss, no costings, no time-frame, no implementation framework, no staff consultation plan. I prided myself on running a professional organisation and I was responsible for safeguarding the employment rights of staff. I was responsible to funders and members for delivering against agreed objectives. If the Board were not prepared even to allow me input into such significant decision-making, I warned them I would have to consider my position. I further warned them that they were acting in disregard of my rights and interests and I might have to consider resignation.
This meeting was timed immediately before I was due to go on a long-planned trip to Australia, and I took the precautionary measure of sending a formal letter (17 April) requesting that no organisational change be made until proper discussion could take place on my return. The Board waited until my return, but implemented the proposed changes immediately and without discussion (10 May). Peter Carpenter confirmed he would “split off Poetry Review so it reports to me [Peter Carpenter]”. I feared this was the first step towards a much more profound separation of the Review from the Society.
As the Board began to take legal advice, they appear to have realized the depths of the hole they had dug for themselves. They insisted the restructuring proposal was not permanent, but just a 3-month trial (though with no end game declared for determining whether it would continue or not). And they appear to have tried to find things to justify their actions in retrospect. They maintained suddenly that the proposal was being implemented to ease my workload, for example; or that it was as a result of strangers talking at a party regarding an apparent rift.  I do not accept that any actions were taken as a result of a desire to ease my workload, and I have been given no evidence of people talking at a party. Indeed, I have received inconsistent accounts of this alleged conversation.  My job description was then re-written and casually presented to me. Finally, months after I left, I learned for the first time, from remarks made by the Acting Chair at the EGM, and reported in the press, that apparently Trustees were giving me a ’breathing space’ from contact with another member of staff – even though they had reassured me time and again there had been no complaints about my management.
I have also been told that Peter Carpenter rang the previous Chair, Anne Marie Fyfe, and asked that he be allowed to use an e-mail from her to “get at” me. I had previously telephoned Ms Fyfe to check a couple of facts about things from her time as Chair. Peter Carpenter  then threatened me with the possibility of legal action over this supposed “breach of confidentiality”, and stressed there would be action taken if I talked about the Poetry Society to anyone again.  This seemed patently absurd. My view is that both of these actions were attempts to discredit and intimidate me after I had raised my concerns over the way the Board were proceeding.
I raised concerns about the divisiveness of giving one member of staff preferential terms and conditions and perhaps making her feel isolated; I raised concerns about the need for proper consultation with staff; I raised concerns about the need to have a structured plan to avoid operational confusion; I raised concerns that there was no business case for the changes imposed; and I raised concerns about spending and funding. I also raised concerns about the way I felt I had been treated personally and what I felt to be unacceptable and unremitting bullying behaviour towards me.

If the Board were implementing organisational changes, I asked why they didn’t recognize the necessity of contacting the HR consultants we had on retainer for employment law advice – who could and should have been consulted, free of charge, and whose indemnity policy that protected the Poetry Society was now no longer valid as their advice had not been sought. An invoice from lawyers Harbottle & Lewis was presented to me, and I had to sign a cheque for expenditure that I had been unaware had been commissioned by the Trustees. I had previously secured the services of a legal firm pro bono for the Society, and was never asked if we had any existing arrangements in place before Harbottles were instructed.  I believe Members and funders should have full information as to how funds are being spent, and it is for that reason that I raise this point.
Eventually, there was chaos, with different Trustees in and out the building, contacting different members of staff directly (rather than going through me as was usual practice) with random unplanned instructions. Trustees insisted I drop important planned priorities to attend unplanned meetings about their ‘organisational changes’. On one occasion the insistence that I attend a meeting at 24 hours’ notice prevented me from preparing for a presentation on which a £100,000 funded project depended. When I requested the proposed meeting be rescheduled to enable me to carry out my job effectively, my request was refused. I asked again if I could give my view on the place of Poetry Review within the structure of the Society, and was told (9 May) “please would you explain why you assume that the status of a meeting that members of the board choose to have with the Editor depends upon ‘the contents of our discussion’.
I wrote Trustees a letter (11 May) outlining my grave concerns about the consequences of the Trustees’ recent diversion from our agreed priorities for the current year. Included amongst my concerns was this: “It is a condition of Arts Council funding that the organisation tell the Arts Council if it wants to make significant changes to the agreed programme…We urgently need to discuss  the further impact of recent events upon our Arts Council funding. I am concerned that the funding was awarded to us on the basis of a certain set of circumstances, which have now been fundamentally changed without any discussion with me let alone the Arts Council.” I reassured Trustees that we had an excellent relationship with the Arts Council, and in my professional judgement ACE would be supportive as long as we talked things through openly and honestly with them.
I found the behaviour of certain Trustees increasingly intimidating and on 17 May I received a direct instruction to conceal information regarding issues within the Poetry Society from the Arts Council at a forthcoming meeting. Despite the fact that our funding agreement insists “The success of the relationship relies on effective communication and the sharing of information”,  I was told I must convince the Arts Council it was ‘good news, good news, good news’. I was told that if I let the Arts Council know I had any concerns about governance, I would face immediate disciplinary action. I had grave concerns about governance, and would not lie about this, and so on 19 May, I resigned.  I felt I had no option but to take this step.
Peter Carpenter accepted my resignation, and on 20 May, he and Trustee (now Acting-Chair) Laura Bamford, arrived unannounced at the Society’s offices to cut off my email and tell staff they were not to let me back in the building. I was not in the office, since I had booked a day off. They didn’t think to tell me personally my employment had been immediately terminated and I would not be required to serve the notice that I had given them. I was on a train to Liverpool when a letter was couriered to my home address, which I therefore did not receive until two days later. Certain members of staff were apparently invited to read through my emails while I still remained uninformed that I was no longer working for the Society. There was to be no handover – no cancellation of meetings, no changing of bank signatories, no guidance notes left or to-do lists talked through.
This is only a brief summary of the events that led me to resign. It was not (as has been suggested) because of my working relationship with a member of my team or due to my workload.
To deflect attention from their own evident bad practice, it seems the Board have tried to throw people off the stench with false allegations about myself and Fiona Sampson, and the prospect of legal action.
I have not taken legal action. I have repeatedly reassured Trustees that I have no wish to take legal action. The Poetry Society’s Board of Trustees, however, has already spent £24,000 on legal advice – on a range of matters – in the few months since they first adopted a new management style and decided to step beyond the bounds of their usual remit. Last year, there was zero expenditure on legal advice. In addition to the £24,000 already spent this year, at least £3000 has been spent on unplanned additional PR, supposedly to mitigate reputational risk. To give you an idea what these sums mean to an organization like the Poetry Society, some of its staff earn around £17,500 a year. Imagine how those staff must feel, watching this wanton expenditure. Imagine how painful it is for us to contemplate the toil and the toll of raising the money that the Trustees have so recklessly thrown away.
Members must now ask whether these Trustees were acting in good faith and in the best interests of the Poetry Society. Given the current state of the Poetry Society’s Arts Council funding (suspended until further notice), the Board’s ‘no-one need know’ approach does not appear to have served the Society well. Out of concern for my colleagues I have been wary of making the Board’s actions public. It seems quite clear, however, that funding cannot flow again, until the truth is out and a new Board is up.
Judith Palmer
______________________________________
All of the above can be supported by letters, texts, emails, and witness statements.
Those Trustees on the Poetry Society Board throughout 2011 were  Laura Bamford, Alan Jenkins, Emma Bravo, Jacob Sam-La Rose, John Simmons, Duke Dobing, Wendy Jones, John Richmond, Barry Kernon, Jacqui Rowe and Anne Jenkins.
Robyn Bolam and Peter Carpenter have since resigned.
Phil Brown
Poetry Editor

Saturday 23 July 2011

Poetry Society EGM Reflections


Following yesterday's historic and fraught meeting of the Poetry Society's Board of Trustees and some of its members, many fine people have felt compelled to write on the topic. I shall attempt here, to compile all the relevant responses so that the various opinions can be easily sourced.


  1. Jane Holland - A New Dawn for the Poetry Society
  2. George Szirtes - The Poetry Society: What Have We Learned
  3. Christine Michael - Dysfunction, disharmony, dissarray
  4. Jon Stone - But Can't We All Just Get Along
  5. Richard Fair - The Poetry Society EGM
  6. Kate Fox - Why being bored on a Board is a Good Thing
  7. Stephen Bates - Guardian Article
  8. Charlie Ashley-Roberts - #posocegm (poem)
  9. Polly Clark - Poetry Society EGM
  10. Michelene Wandor - Prêt à poetry in the Surgeons’ Hall 
  11. Katy Evans-Bush - #PoSocEGM: The Post-Mortem
  12. Fiona Moore - Counting: Poets, Butterflies
  13. Rob Sharp - Article for The Independent (with open 'Comments' section)
  14. Niki May Young - Article for Civil Society Finance


Please do let me know if I've missed any out or if new ones pop up that you want added into the list.

Phil Brown
Poetry Editor

Friday 22 July 2011

Poetry Society EGM Commentary



trustee n. (plural trustees)

A person to whom property is legally committed in trust, to be applied either for the benefit of specified individuals, or for public uses; one who is intrusted with property for the benefit of another; also, a person in whose hands the effects of another are attached in a trustee process.”

-Wiktionary

I write this having, just this minute, got home from the Poetry Society EGM which ran today from 14:00 until about 17:10. I write this post in the hope of giving as much undiluted/opinionated fact from the meeting whilst summarising points that will take some time to arrive from the full minutes.

I stress the fact that I make this post hastily from notes taken in longhand from a very long and wordy public discussion. If you feel that I have made important omissions or misrepresentations then there are instructions at the end.

As in my previous post, I wish to present these facts in a logical order, rather than a chronological order, under suitable subheadings.

Why the lack of Twitter coverage?

The meeting was held in a lecture theatre with practically no WiFi or 3G coverage. The only person who was able to give regular updates was Jacob Sam-La Rose, a member of the Board. Interestingly, he did this using the #posocegm tag advertised on Silkworms Ink yesterday.

I suggested halfway through the meeting that it was not appropriate for a member of the board to be using the official Poetry Society Twitter-Feed, let alone be the only source of live information to the outside world.

Resignation of the Board and Vote of No Confidence

The first thing announced by the Board is that they would all resign, effective of September. The reason for this deadline being that this is how long they felt it would take to ensure a smooth transition to a new board.

By the end of the EGM however, the Board’s resignation was not enough to satisfy the members present and there was a Vote of No Confidence in which 302 voted for, 69 voted against and 11 abstained.

Discussions very soon moved onto calls from a few (not all) members from the floor who wanted an immediate resignation from some/all members of the Board. It was pointed out that there need to be at least 5 board members at any one given time. Kate Clanchy asked members of the Board to publicly stand down at the meeting – she did not have the full support of the room, despite saying “I speak for everyone here...” several times.


The Root of the Issue (via John Simmons)

The meeting began with an overview of the issue from John Simmons. Here is the narrative that I garnered from it…

It was made absolutely clear that the entire issue stemmed from the breakdown in the working relationship between Poetry Society Director, Judith Palmer, and Poetry Review Editor, Fiona Sampson.

Judith Palmer was single-handedly behind the Arts Council proposal this year which was met with an acceptance and the promise of a substantial increase in funding.

The increased workload of such a successful grant created increased stress for Judith Palmer and it was the view of the Board that she should take an extended vacation whilst some of her workload was delegated.

Around this time ‘people’ were publicly commenting on the personality clash between Palmer and Sampson and the Board felt the need to address this. The Board decided that, for a fixed 3 month period, Sampson would report to them directly rather than go through Palmer due to their untenable working relationship.

John Simmons suggested that there was not time to discuss this properly and so they went ahead with this arrangement without Palmer’s knowledge or consent. Palmer soon resigned with immediate effect.

For perceived legal reasons, the Board and the Society were silent about this. Simmons stated that “our silence fuelled the flames of conspiracy”.

The situation, as it now stands, is that there is no guarantee of the Arts Council Funding ever finding its way to the Poetry Society and all relationships between all the Society’s stakeholders are marred. More damaging still, the Society’s recent expenditures on legal advice make a significant financial strain on them.

Key elements of this narrative were picked apart and scrutinised over the course of the meeting, as I hope to discuss later on in this post.


The Hitler Video

The Board mentioned that, of all the criticism and conspiracy theory that they faced during the past months’ events, the most hurtful was the ‘Downfall’ parody video which likened several Society members to Nazis.



Paul Ranford – Finance Manager

First participant in the Q&A session was Paul Ranford, the Society’s resigned finance manager and teacher of Business Studies. His argument in full can be read here. I shall provide some of the key points of what he (very eloquently) said…

Ranford began by saying that ‘today is a time for sensible words… sensible words.’ He is incredibly concerned that the Society’s Arts Council relationship has been upset and that the Society’s reputation has gone from its absolute height to its absolute lowest.

The financial reserves built up by the Society over 100 years are at roughly £120,000 – if recent legal fees were to continue then this would be very easily depleted. Ranford made mention that talks had been had about valuing the Society’s current Betterton Street property in light of potential funding cuts.

Ranford finished by stating that the Board absolutely failed to support their director when she needed it most and that the ‘sensible words’ he had heard today were not enough.

Large applause soon followed.

Katy Evans-Bush – Where was the HR procedure?

Katy, who has extensive experience of working in the public sector, coupled with extensive experience of conflict resolution, intimated that she was shocked at the apparent lack of procedure involved here.

How is it that the Poetry Review Editor was able to unofficially voice a grievance directly to the Board, circumnavigating the Director and have the issue dealt with that way? Is there a clearly laid out procedure for HR conflicts in the Poetry Society and were they followed?  Was a formal grievance ever even officially filed?

The answer?

There was no formal grievance ever filed and the Board admits that the measures taken were drastic. It was felt by the Board that the two employees needed ‘breathing space’ from each other.

Evans-Bush pointed out that Palmer was never consulted over this ‘breathing space’ and therefore enforced breathing space is tantamount to exile and banishment.

At this point, Niall O’Sullivan turned to me and mouthed the word ‘bull’s-eye’.



Tom Bell, Union Official – What about acas?

Why were none of the professional organisations such as acas not consulted so that trained professionals could guide the resolution in a fair-handed way? Bell made it clear he felt that a Board who intervenes without use of official grievance procedure should resign.


Barbara Cumbers – FS’ contract and JP’s resignation

Barbara asked to know where the grievance between JP and FS stemmed from, and she inquired as to whether it was linked in with comments made about FS receiving increased pay and reduced hours. Paul Ranford produced the minutes which corroborated that Sampson’s working week would be reduced from 4 days to 3, and that he was asked not to reduce her pay.

The response to this was that the arrangement was only temporary (this phrase was used a lot today).

Cumbers’ secondary question was why was it deemed inappropriate for the Director of the Poetry Society to work through her notice period?

The response to this was that “there were a number of occasions where process and procedure weren’t being adhered to [by Judith Palmer]”.

Legal Advice

The Board of Trustees have been seeking, at great expense, professional legal advice having supposedly received several threats of lawsuits from Judith Palmer. Here are a few discussions that arose from this issue:

Question from the floor: Why were you going to the same lawyers used by Rupert Murdoch when there are several law firms set up who are specifically geared towards advising small charity operations such as the Poetry Society?

Answer from the Board: We didn’t know that such companies existed.

Question from the floor: Did you ever receive written legal threats from Judith Palmer with regards to this issue?

Answer from the Board: No. Only verbal threats.

Question from the floor: If you were dealing with a stressed employee, whom you were attempting to support through times of great difficulty, why did you treat a verbal threat as anything other than a ‘heat-of-the-moment’ thing and go down the path of paying for expensive legal advice?

Answer from the Board: The threats were more than a single incident – several people were threatened with legal procedure by JP on a variety of occasions. It is in the interest of any company to seek advice when threatened with legal action.

Pre-Interval – A call for a vote

Philip Polecoff (thank you to Tammy for spelling) suggested that the Board could be nothing but completely ‘lame’ until September and it could only be be damaging to have a stagnant Board resolved to do nothing until then.

(Cut for commercial break)

The Interval

The conversations taking place during the interval were frantic, emotional, passionate and, to an extent, factional. Some felt that they wanted the Board gone immediately following a Vote of No Confidence. Others felt that such a knee-jerk response in an emotional state would be more to do with vengeance than what is good for the society.

The Build-up and The Vote

Laurie Smith announced the motion that, in light of today’s meeting, the members of the Poetry Society present today wish to make a vote of no confidence against the Board of the Society.

Alan Brownjohn stated that he cannot endorse such a vote as it was in no way mentioned on the meeting’s agenda and that it would be nothing but damaging to all concerned. There was an amount of support for this opinion by those who felt that nothing should be finalised in the heat of such an emotive meeting.

Amidst all this was an obscene amount of umming/ahhing about the propriety of a show of hands, a ballot, a poll or any other form of proportional representation. Much grumbling ensued and the vote was finally passed. The results, as you know, 302 voted for, 69 voted against and 11 abstained.

Interim Board Members

4 candidates were put forward to be co-opted as Board Members in the interim between now and the September AGM. Amongst them was Michael Schmidt – questions were asked over the propriety of a PN Review employee being a Poetry Society Trustee but the Board seemed not to see this as a large enough conflict of interest to put him out of the running.

Andrew Motion

No massive story here – I just had a short chat with him after the meeting about his experiences of Jamie’s Dream School. Really Nice Bloke in person.

Everything Else

So, I’ve surely missed a lot of very important details out of this report. I’m sure that, in my furious note-taking I may have misrepresented certain issues. If you feel that this is the case, then please do write to me (poetry@silkwormsink.com) or tell me over twitter or in the comments section of this post, and I will happily happily happily add edits and appendices to the end of this piece of writing.


Appendix 1: The Trustees


The Board of Trustees at this meeting were Laura Bamford (chair), Emma Bravo, Duke Dobing, Alan Jenkins, Anne Jenkins, Wendy Jones, Barry Kernon, John Richmond, Jacqui Rowe, Jacob Sam-La Rose, John Simmons.

Phil Brown
Poetry Editor