So the Leonard Cohen obsession continues, with endless listens and all the documentaries from blockbuster’s mail order thingy. What is it about the man? He has just grown into himself, hasn’t he? With grace and integrity. And his lyrics are sublime.

 

But famous people: why would I want to meet them? I love them for what they do, not who they ARE. Who cares whether they’re good conversationalists or not? Seamus Heaney, gorgeous man: but I’m quite happy to listen to him in conversation with someone else, and reading his poetry. If I met Leonard Cohen, I’d feel I’d have to keep him entertained and somehow prove myself. And he might be kind of irritating in real life.No. Let my true idols stay at a distance. Much better that way, and no room for disappointment on either side.

 

But of course I have met a couple of people I greatly admire in the past week. At the Magma poetry launch. I invited Blake Morrison, all round wordsmith and poetic star - and Vicki Feaver, mistress of the domestic gothic, never afraid of the dark side to be our guest readers. Neither of them let us down. They were fabulous and so ... oh I don’t know ... human. The launch went very well and it was so interesting to hear the poets read their work from the issue. Even to set eyes on some of them was dead interesting. To find out more about the process of editing Magma 42, you can read my article on the spanking new Magma website

 

 

Of course there was cake. There must always be cake at a celebration (bigger, better Magma with a brand new design) I organised it, although I didn’t make it this time. Wonderful bakery down the road from me - family run - called Dunns will make good old-fashioned cakes but they can now scan your logo and recreate it in icing. Whatever next? They also sell things like eccles cakes and rock buns and ginger parkin. The ladies wear aprons and funny hats and they’re absolutely charming and from a different era (apart from the cake logos that is). We also had badges. How intersting to watch everyone being gradually branded. Quite a statement.

 

And one more time: do check out the wonderful new Magma website and read my earthshaking article on the blog.

 

 

It is fabulous. Not that I’m biased or anything.