Nothing Ventured...

In the office we celebrated National Poetry Day by sitting back and acknowledging what a tremendous job we've done on the forthcoming Arc Ventures tour - not generally people to clap ourselves on the back - and moving swiftly on to what we're most looking forward about it:

Being able to spend quality time with Arc poets, some of whom we've met already, others not. We'll get to consolidate old friendships, make new ones.

While we're familiar with the work through discussing, editing and setting the poems, hearing them read aloud by the poet in their original language adds a new dimension to them.

Bringing six of the poets to Hebden Bridge over the three weeks is a chance to showcase out work to our immediate community. Plus the poets get the opportunity to visit the office and where we work, and the other works we publish, and hopefully strengthen their sense of belonging to the Arc community.

It's always good to be part of an audience, and its buzz, to hear their reactions to the work and perforamnces.

For the best part of the tour we'll all be out of the office at one time or another. What better way of reminding ourselves why we do what we do - to reconnect with the real world, and those people who love literature.

And while it is the middle of the entire tour, the party at the Free Word Centre on Wednesday 31st October it ends the Burmese leg and is promising to be a fabulous celebration of Burmese poetry, music, art and poets.

All in all I'm taking it as a good sign that we're all beginning to get rather excited by what begins on Wednesday 17th October...