Paper Swans Schooldays Book Launch

On Saturday I went to the Paper Swans London book launch for their anthology Schooldays. I use to live in London and after I left commuted to it for several more years. Last weekend was the first time I felt like a proper tourist there. My spatial awareness was more shocking than ever and I spent my whole time apologising to bumped-into people. Oh, and the fantastic unfriendliness of Londoners. I love and hate that capital aloofness, those dead and disparaging eyes. I wonder if I used to have them?
 

Contrast this with going down the stairs of the Poetry Café for the Schooldays launch. It was a warm, creative haven. Warm being a polite understatement; it was one of the hottest days of the year. The chairs set out for us were orange plastic old-school school chairs. A glass of white wine from the selection upstairs reduced but did not rid me of my nerves. Seeing fellow Winchester writer @MadelaineCSmith helped too. I was in kind company.
 

Sarah Miles, the Editor and Head of Paper Swans Press led the event and introduced us, with the aid of A B Cooper. Then the writers read. I love reading, it takes up an inexcusable amount of my time, but possibly I love being read to even more. Especially if it is straight from the author’s mouth (I have a vision of nose bags of words now). Or maybe it stems from those very schooldays we were writing about; sitting on the carpet in the corner of the classroom being read to by teachers who were often frustrated actors, pouring their talent into bringing these books alive. It is definitely my way into poetry; I always want to hear a poet speak.
 

The array was eclectic but balanced. There was fear and fun and torture and humour. There was pathos and at times tears in my eyes. There was a lot of resonance and I realised what stays with us from our schooldays is often very similar. Being accused and feeling guilty even though you are innocent. Baby birds dying. Getting pierced. Getting pissed. Corridors outside school discos. The embarrassment of getting it wrong. Brutal violence. Friendships that don’t survive to Big School. Children that could fly. I remember all this too.
 

I’m proud and excited to be part of this anthology. Paper Swans Press are a wonderful voice for poets and flash fictioners. They have fun competitions and inspiring prompts too. Buy the book, it’s great, and I promise I’m not just saying that because I’m in it!