Sarah L Dixon Writer

Top Ten from Morecambe September 2024 in no particular order

Raymond Antrobus

I know I will not be alone when I say Raymond Antrobus and signing assistant (name?) telling us a bedtime story at about 10pm was one of my festival highlights – beauty, love and connection with each other on stage and audience. A moment of utter intimacy and joy. Didn’t stop grinning for ages after this.

Jackie Hagan’s Manky friends (and more Manchester)

The usual Morecambe suspects in both audience and on stage, hugs and chat and shared pints.

Michelle Noonan and Lucy Power are consistently great company.

Great to see Tony Walsh (who I started reading with when were both in The Ugly Tree back in 2007/8) and Kate Fox (who may not be from Manchester but I first met in Manchester around the same time).  

Brilliant to see Charlie Hart launch his first book (and not before time).

Jackie’s Manky Mates on Sunday was a glorious celebration with memories and love and a lot of swearing and a graphic choose your next adventure book handmade for Matt Panesh by Jackie. 

Alastair McGowan

Shared some brilliant and moving poetry alongside some top-class impressions, including a volley of Gogglebox impressions to conclude his set.

Robin Ince and Clare Ferguson Walker

I met Clare last year. She is a joy to photograph as she is very active on stage. I have not met or heard Robin read before and his set was a great start to my Saturday (I was sorry I missed the very beginning and berated myself for having a slow, hungover breakfast!).

I loved what Robin had to say about sharing our joy and the handmade poetry scrapbook I managed to buy which had child Robin eating ice-cream on the front and present Robin eating ice-cream on the back. I am also enjoying his book Bibliomaniac about touring independent bookshops instead of large capacity venues at the end of lockdown (Robin told me this was the most joyful of his volumes). And I expect I will search out other volumes when I finish this one. 

Stumble Walk (pre-festival event)

Stumble walk on the Thursday – Matt asked me to kick off the festival with some beer poems. I did sneak in two poems that mention beer but are also from my new 90s indie fan book. It was a delight to share a stage with my good mate, Barry Fentiman Hall (who I have tried and failed to meet up with for several reasons over the last year) and to hear him weave his looping magic in words about pubs, characters and place. Also from other festival regulars, Arthur with stories behind beer signs & song & story from the ever cheerful Barney Hallmann.

Helen Ivory and Martin Figura

It was excellent to see Helen Ivory and Martin Figura in real life for the first time in ages. I saw them a lot over lockdown and after when they hosted brilliant Butchery events online (so I didn’t have to travel to Norwich from Huddersfield). Great to get my hands both their books I had not got around to buying yet.

Doorstep Poet, Rowan McCabe

Rowan regaled us with stories of calling on strangers and asking them if they would like him to write a poetry and then going back to deliver the poems to those who requested them. The final poetry deliveries were made more difficult by the fact lockdown was imminent. I was sure I had met Rowan before until I actually met, then I was sure I hadn’t. Another person I see so much about on social media I feel our paths must have crossed in real life.

Midlands Takeover

West Midlands Takeover – Three poets I met several years ago on Quiet Compere jaunting before lockdown or shortly after lockdown. Was a lovely surprise to see the showcase poets and the faces of two of the three tireless Pandemonialists in the form of Emma Purshouse and Steve Pottinger. I still see these faces (along with Dave Pitt) most first Sundays of the month at Yes we cant online. Great to share a photo, a pint and hugs too 😊

Radio Shows – The Verb and Loose Ends

I enjoyed these being part of the festival, especially Ian McMillan presenting The Verb in as a long-term listener and The Lovely Eggs who I had only seena couple of weeks earlier in Huddersfield.

And Onwards – it continues…

On a two-hour show for National Poetry Day on Beyond Radio a week or so after the festival I had an ace surprise in the fact Matt read out two of my Jim Bob poems and dedicated a Carter song to me made me dance around the street outside a gig a bit. This show felt like revisiting some of the festival. It was interesting to hear my poems read out by someone else too. The festival anthology is also packed with first time writers and more established ones and is a lovely document.  

Finally, thanks to Matt Panesh, star.

I enjoyed watching Matt have more time to enjoy the festival himself as he had more assistance with the festival. Roll on 2025 Morecambe Poetry Festival, but first check out The Bay International and Film and TV Festival  8^th November – 1^st December.

And, time for one more pint…