6:20pm Wednesday evening, I rush into Cardiff Arts Institute only to discover people eating in the space Word 4 Word is supposed to take place.  There are a few poets already waiting & my host Ali Goolyad hasn’t turned up yet.  I rush around with Gem White sorting the room out around the diners and out of the window I see Ali strolling in, the relief!  Now at least I have a host.

The only other stressful moment in the first ever NTW supported, CAI hosted Word 4 Word, was when I went up to check I had listed all poets wanting to perform.  As I looked around the room I was delighted to see the diverse audience and artists waiting intently.  I handed over to my extremely charming young host, Ali kicked us off.

The following 2 hours were crammed full of poems of love, war, smoking, relationships… the list was endless.  There was music to break things up and a few jokes from Ali which certainly amused him but more importantly the audience.  As the night wound down, I was tasked with the difficulty of having to select & announce the individuals who would be part of a master class workshop with Lemn Sissay. 

After much deliberation, the participants were announced and all performers & audience were asked the important questions:

How does this develop? What would people like to see happen?  How does this grow on a national level?

Answers were positive and interesting – people definitely wanted to see a night like this again.  There was mention of bringing in guest performers and poets.  Having themed nights.  Transferring this to a national scale through digital links between other Word 4 Word events across the country via Skype or other media/ digital links.  Taking the event on a tour around the country.  The suggestions were great and have stimulated a lot of thinking and inspiration within me and within many of the poets and audience members alike. 

What is the prospect for an event like Word 4 Word and how do we keep the momentum going?

What are your opinions, you may or may not have been at the event, your thoughts & ideas would be appreciated………