Lemonade Anemone

Back in March 2023, I received a commission to write a poem, based on libraries. The folks at Inspire Culture, Learning, Libraries had launched a twinning project between their library at Beeston in Nottinghamshire, and the library at Gütersloh  in Germany.  As part of the project, there was a day of celebrations at both libraries, and our lovely poetry collective, Paper Crane Poets , were invited to perform. Whenever I have a commission to write, I always try to find a strange or unusual way to tackle the topic. This time, I got a little romantic. When the phrase "two libraries fall in love" came to mind, I knew I'd found a way to start writing the poem. This is what came out. Let me know what you think! Wenn sich zwei Bibliotheken verlieben Conducted over correspondence,  any building can become infatuated with another.  Our libraries are like two tender halves,  their brickwork synchronising with their beating hearts.  This courtship starts with chaste book swaps,  we

In May 2023,  Paper Cranes  (the poetry collective that I run in Nottinghamshire) worked with the National Justice Museum , responding creatively to an art ehibition from the group  C2C Social Action . C2C worked with local visual artists and women in vulnerable situations (including those with experience of the criminal justice system, survivors of domestic violence, or folks with addiction issues) to produce artworks inspired by nature. The project lab exhibition space at NJM showcased the artworks created, as well as a tea apothecary, celebrating local wild flora and its positive impact on human well-being.  As part of the Paper Cranes writing workshop, we all wrote poems about the restorative power of tea. Each poet then wrote their favourite line from their poems on to a neon sticky note, and I arranged the lines into a collaborative poem.  The final piece was published by the museum as part of Green Hustle 2023 programme.  The Tea Apothecary  Tea tastes of tears. My eyes are cir