Ledbury Poetry Festival Face Book Post

MISOGYNISTS NO, ONLY MISANDRISTS NEED APPLY?

I had not intended to write anything like this during the morning as I had other things to do. Then via the wonderful medium of Face Book I read Ledbury Poetry Society’s post and I felt the ‘ire’ rising. Am I to be grateful that they are ‘gifting’ me a poem or is that gift only intended to one half of the population?

Quoting Ledbury Poetry “….Female poets writing in direct and immediate response to the here and now. Sometimes it feels as if strong female voices are still not heard enough……….So this series of commissions aims to give female voices space to speak……

According to them there is not enough female voices out there and that they need to be heard more and be much stronger. I would urge them, (not to get out more and I do know that's a cliche), but to watch any politics show which is being hosted by Jo Coburn with Laura Kuenssberg, Helen Lewis and even female Labour Members of Parliament present. There are many other programmes too. And if you look at the credits you will find there are people of both sexes involved. The list could be endless!

I am aware that in centuries and decades past female representation was severely restricted to the point of nil and even hidden. J.K. Rowling I can use as a modern day example as initials do not indicate gender and who the hell is Robert Galbraith anyway? Before you go on and leap to any conclusion I will tell you I have seen the films, been to Hogsmeade and read her detective series. I loved it all, and I have seen her speak, spoken to her when she signed my book and I consider her to be a star.

And now the final point as I will be presumptuous and say that the debut for Phoebe Stuckes Book and especially with the title ‘Platinum Blonde’ is a big fat tongue in the cheek moment!

Equality lost again today.