Meeting Notes 2026

Social evening

This was an enjoyable meeting with appreciative responses to sharing of favourite poems. There were 12 MVPs present – 6 online and 6 in person. There were three rounds of readings with a rest break after the first two rounds. Readings included 'Seaside Golf' by John Betjamin and 'Where's a Pied Piper When You Need One?' by Wendy Cope, work by Owen Sheers and by Yannis Ritsos, 'Wild Geese' by Mary Oliver and 'Gate-4' by Naomi Shihab Nye, as well as poems from 'Otherworlds' – the Mole Valley Poets Silver Jubilee Anthology 2025.

Notes by Helen Overell.

5^th January 2026

Polish Poets: Czesław Miłosz and Zbigniew Herbert. Presented by Liz Barton

This talk explored the poetry of two major Polish poets: Czesław Miłosz and Zbigniew Herbert. Both poets lived through Nazi occupation, followed by Communist oppression, affecting their attitude towards language and the responsibility of the poet. The talk examined their different journeys and writing styles but highlighted their shared belief that poetry should bear witness to history, resist tyranny, and pursue truth.

Notes by Liz Barton.

26^th January 2026

Storytelling animals: ideas for narrative poetry. Presented by Richard Lister

Storytelling Animals: Ideas for Narrative Poetry was an exploration of story as an imaginative means of communication where an audience is engaged with rather than told and meaning is revealed rather than defined. We considered examples of narrative poems based on i) whole lives ii) specific details iii) clashing viewpoints and iv) interlacing strands.

Notes by Richard Lister.

23^rd February 2026

"Arrives on Time – see it, say it, sort it". A haibun workshop about trains. Presented by Diana Webb

Diana Webb led an inspiring Saturday afternoon exploring "Arrives on Time – see it, say it, sort it" – a haibun workshop about trains. We read poems including 'From a Railway Carriage' by RL Stevenson and 'Adlestrop' by Edward Thomas as well as haibun including 'Delayed' by Alan Peat and 'Mind the Gap' by Iliyana Stoyanova. We were invited to write a haiku based on lines borrowed from a poem and haibun based on prompts such as a conversation while on a train. There were postcards of paintings representing aspects of train travel and we were invited to write an ekphrastic haibun in response to one of these. This was a most enjoyable journey.