A hushed sense of anticipation falls over the room as Cope paces the length of the hall. Strange as it sounds, she has the aura of a rock-star. She is a mousey, petite woman who resembles a timid aunt; however, as soon as she takes to the stage this image disappears. Her confident, frank tones take charge of the room; it is clear she is in control.
She begins with ‘Valentine’, one of her best-known pieces, a love poem written twenty years ago. Afterwards, she jokes: ‘My heart changed its mind not long after that!’ Sharp, comic interludes knit her poems together, her dry wit often revealed in her humorous reflections. She goes on to read mainly from her newest collection ‘Family Values’, but also dips into some her older work.
Looking up with a twinkle, Cope exclaims, ‘At a poetry reading, the question that is utmost in my mind, is ‘How long is it going to go on for?’ So I will tell you; 35-40 minutes. Minus the 9 minutes you’ve already had!” This is received with a hearty laugh from the audience; it appears they are more than content to be in Cope’s firm hands for the next half hour. Her straightforward manner is endearing and her school-teacher background is ever-evident when addressing the room. She explains this has a lot to answer for and is probably the reason she uses repetition so often within her writing.
A large proportion of the audience is, unsurprisingly, female; Cope’s relevance within the world of female writing and poetry is tremendous. She stands as one of the giants in a great generation of female poets, alongside Carol-Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke. The large crowd of all ages is surely the greatest testament to her vast popularity and accessibility.
‘Family Values’ is more varied than some of her previous collections. She admits this is down to the greater freedom she has recently been given. The poems still contain the wry humour, touches of emotion and revealing insights into her life and thoughts. The introduction of free-verse poems interspersed throughout gives variety and a contrast in form. At times, these poems flow like liquid between the intricately structured others; the immediacy of the imagery is quite striking next to the traditionally constructed Cope poem. This is probably due to the fact that she is not constricted by specific structures or rhyme schemes. For example, in her poem ‘At Stafford Services’ she is able to conjure the exact atmosphere of the service station in its rawest state. She writes ‘As the light fades the glass walls turn into mirrors, lending the place an air of glamour. I like it here. I could be in an Edward Hopper painting.’ The rich pictures she creates bring to life a collection, which leaves haunting images in the minds of her live audience.
She reads two new poems, in draft stage, from the page. It is a privilege to be amongst the first to hear them. When listening to such an established writer, it is easy to forget the edge of the creative process and the excitement and exposure of a first reading. By sharing their work in this way, well-known and studied poets can break down some of the grandeur and inaccessibility of poetry and stimulate fresh work and ideas for new talents.
Cope shares her writing process, opens up her life, thoughts and feelings in an intimate reading. It would be easy and understandable for someone so established to hide away and step back from the public eye. To be as proactive as she is, with such a schedule of readings and school visits, is a real inspiration. Wendy Cope embodies the rich tradition of the Bath Literary Festival, bringing retrospective of the familiar, as well as new work, to the live performance spectrum. It is a sublime start to a week dedicated to the celebration of such a beautiful art.
Our thanks to Miguel Dawson-Ambiado for this review.
