Dark Angels Note 140
Dearest Friends
Welcome back to our weekly Friday Note.
Observing
This week’s Note celebrates World Poetry Day, which took place on Tuesday 21 March.
The annual event was first adopted by UNESCO in 1999. It aims to honour and promote poetry in all its forms, from oral traditions to its intersection with other creative arts, and invites everyone to join them.
This year’s message from UNESCO was to celebrate “poetry’s power to shake us from everyday life!” By its existence, “Poetry reminds us of the beauty that surrounds us and the resilience of the shared human spirit.”
Listening
The National Trust is working in a two-year collaboration with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage to create a collection of poems celebrating the beauty of blossom.
Listen to the first poem, Plum Tree Among The Skyscrapers.
Writing
In the above article, Armitage explains that he was “keen to examine how nature might flourish in our urban landscapes”.
From hidden city gardens to a daring daisy emerging through a crack in the pavement, think of an example of where nature is flourishing against all odds. Try capturing that in a haiku.
Sharing
On Tuesday evening, we hosted a poetry celebration of our own with readings, talking, and book signings as Dark Angels with Paekakariki Press launched a new series of beautiful books on World Poetry Day.
We’ve shared some pictures from the evening over on Instagram.
Keep sending us your poems, writings, links and writerly whatnots that you’d like to share with the wider Dark Angels family.
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Diary
Dark Angels & 26 poetry event
Wednesday 5 April at 7pm (UK time), on Zoom.
We’re delighted to invite you to a joint gathering for Dark Angels and 26 members, co-hosted by Neil Baker and Martin Clarkson. Therese, Tim and John will give readings from ‘Dark Angels: Three Contemporary Poets — Book One’, as well as being in conversation with Neil and Martin. It promises to be a poetry event different from any other.
Register here.
Save the date: Starter Day, 17 May 2023
This one-day course in central London will introduce you to some of the core ideas and practices that underpin the Dark Angels approach to writing – whether that’s writing for work or for your own creative expression.
The day costs £475 but we are making four early bird places available at a reduced cost of £355. There is also one scholar place for just £50, which is for someone who cannot pay the full amount just now.
More details coming soon. Contact Susanne to save your spot.
Weekly Tuesday Gatherings
Join us for a reflective hour of reading, writing and communing led by Neil Baker. Everyone is welcome; in fact, invite a friend along. We meet at 7pm UK time. To join us, click here on the night. There’s no need to register in advance and we’ll be using the same link every week from now on.
Hearts, Inspired, 16-21 June 2023
Join us for a 5-day writing retreat on Whidbey Island, in the US Pacific Northwest. We’ll explore writing, creativity and inspiration through guided writing, personal projects and time in nature.
Find out more here.
Words Are Seeds, 19-23 June 2023
Five days of writing, rituals and nature connection at Bore Place over the summer solstice. We’re expecting a lively, stimulating and playful experience, with plenty of time for individual pondering, wondering and wandering – and writing.
Find out more here.
Be well, keep reading, keep writing and know that we’re always here.
From everyone at Dark Angels