A summary of the 1st Southend 100 Thousand Poets for Change Event 2011

Midway through organising another series of community events in Southend, July 2011, I was introduced by email and Facebook to Michael Rothenberg of the Big Bridge Organisation and the brain child of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, by a mutual colleague. In spite of not having a whole lot of time to plan and advertise, I nonetheless agreed to do my bit and arranged a 2-hour, pop-up event at the Alexandra Yacht Club.

After  short, introduction by me as to why we had come, and the importance of addressing the changes we'd like to see in this new millennium - locally and globally. A total of 3 poets, supported by friends recited their work to a small but very respectful audience of unsuspecting yacht's men and women, who were socialising in the club that afternoon... The Poets were: Chris Port, Adrian Green and Carol Ann Lintern.

With the poetry recited in the course of the 2 hour event the poets and their friends lingered on over a few drinks and entered into a discussion about the things they would change about local politics, the state of education, funding for the arts and more - the poets and friends mixed and mingled with the club members who had strolled on that afternoon, and by all accounts it was deemed a successful intimate event.