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Hello there. Well, what a summer it has been so far. Possibly the most exciting since, ooh, 2002.

RACHEL: FORTHCOMING READINGS 2008

18 Apr:

Sideshow, Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, London WC2. 8pm. £10.

19 Apr:

Steven Bickers’s wedding, Fryerning, Essex. You can’t come.

22 Apr:

Speakeasy, The Glass Onion, 2 Burghley Road, Peterborough. 6pm. £3.

15 May:

Farrago Poetry, The Telegraph, Telegraph Road, London SW15. 7.30pm. £6 / £5.

20 May:

Write-Angle, The Square Brewery, Market Square, Petersfield, Hants. 7pm. £3.

21 May:

Libraries Aloud, Castelnau Library, 75 Castelnau, London SW13. 7.30pm. £5. With the mighty Joolz Denby.

8 – 17 Jun:

tour of England and maybe Wales (details tbc).

20 Jun:

Eight Pints of Poetry, Lewes Arms, Mount Place, Lewes, East Sussex. 8pm. £5.

21 Jun:

Camberwell Swimming Pool, Camberwell Church Street, London SE5. With Liz Bentley (who is entirely responsible). Details tbc.

2 Jul:

Word Up, Cellar Bar, Castle Café, Quay Street, Cardigan. 8.30pm. £5.

5 Jul:

Marxism 2008, at a secret place in Bloomsbury, at a secret time. £45 / £32-£15 various concs.

18-20 Jul:

Latitude Festival, Henham Park, Beccles, Suffolk. £130. Or £55 for one day.

2-10 Aug:

Grassmarket 2, Apex International Hotel, Grassmarket, Edinburgh. 10.30 nightly. Liz Bentley’s idea again.

As many of you know, I read my poems at the Ledbury Poetry Festival in July. Clashed with Jerry Hall, but never mind – we tend to appeal to different demographics. Next it was off to the Latitude Jazz Festival (near Dunwich, but far enough inland for the ravages of the encroaching sea to not be an immediate problem). Whilst I was there, I was whisked into the Radio 4 marquee to participate in two instalments of ‘Poetry Please’. Yes indeed – McGough on one side, Armitage on the other. What can you say other than “Loved the new translation of Gawain and the Green Knight”? Maybe you heard the episodes, maybe not. I’ve had lots of letters from people in the Warwickshire area, mainly. Anyway, next it was off to do a reading at the Square & Compasses in Dorset: charming pub in the middle of nowhere, largely frequented by Freemasons. Amazing – the entire population of the Isle of Purbeck must have been there. Just like something out of Hardy. Splendid night.

Anyway, lots more coming up: readings in Llangollen and apparently a bus in Hackney. Who organises these things? Anyway, there it is. You’ve been very indulgent.

As a general rule of thumb, I generally tend to be on stage for about 20 minutes. Any more than that and I start to get palpitations. I am, after all, only human.

I appeared on Poetry Please while performing Lattitude.
You can listen to the show using the play button to the right: