I went to see Wendy Cope at a poetry reading. I thought that she was surprisingly tetchy for someone who writes a lot of funny verse but maybe it was just the weather. There’s a joke to be made there somewhere – talk among yourselves and get back to me.
She was reading with Dennis O’Driscoll who was a lovely man and rather cowed by her, I thought. Though perhaps he did provoke her slightly.
In discussion afterwards, Dennis O’Driscoll said that Ireland was a great place to be a poet and Wendy Cope said that in England, nobody could name three contemporary poets. Both of these comments seem a bit unlikely to me but reader, tell me, can you name 3 contemporary poets? Googling will disqualify. Answering will restore my faith in humanity. No pressure now.
Seamus Heaney, Eminem, Mike Skinner. Do I win a prize?
Louis de Paor, Eavan Bolan, Nuala NÃ Dhomhnaill. All on the scene a while I must admit.
Boland, that should be. And to be slightly less parochial, Galway Kinnell and Mary Oliver.
I would have said Wendy Cope anyway, Martin Hegley, and I can think of various others but will say Michael Morpurgo.
Paul Durkan, Sara Berkeley and Maire Mac an tSaoi, the latter definitely on the scene a long while, but let’s not be ageist and she’ a remarkable woman
What I love most about my readers is how they love a test. You are all delightful.
I will go with Roger McGough, Adrian Henry and Willy Russell. Or I would, but I think Adrian Henry died…
Oh, he did die. And I spelled his name wrong. Should be Henri.
Have racked brains. I’ll have Brian Patten instead.
I am not a big follower of contemporary poetry, but the thing about working in universities is that I can name contemporary poets who are or were my colleagues: Eilean Ni Chuilleanain and Gerald Dawe here at Trinity, Kathleen Jamie, Douglas Dunn, Robert Crawford and Don Patterson at St Andrews. All of them worth a read, especially Eilean Ni Chuilleanain and Kathleen Jamie.
Well done Sarah.
Dot, anything counts I think. Surely, a bonus if you know the poet personally!