Best and worst festival experiences

Vicki Feaver

Worst festival experience:

"My worst reading was with Adrian Henri - years ago - in a bandstand in Regents' Park in London. It was pouring with rain and our only audience were two sound engineers (there to work the loud speaker system) and a girl who had come with Adrian! We still read a few poems. At least we were dry and it was rather beautiful with the rain streaming down."

(Vicki Feaver is a poet whose books include The Book of Blood and The Handless Maiden)

Francesca Beard

Best festival experience:

"Meeting my partner and father of my children in the Performer's Bar of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999."

Worst festival experience:

" Doing the Poetry Tent at Roskilde Festival, Denmark, in 1998, just across the way from the Dance Tent; not only did we have to compete with the relentless banging bpms, but 80% of our audience were refugees, recuperating from a losing battle against some out-there off-the-counter pharmaceutical experience."

(Francesca Beard is a London-based poet, performing spoken word to audiences all over Britain and the World. She is currently touring her one-woman show, Chinese Whispers', produced by Apples and Snakes.)

Gillian Allnutt

Worst festival experience:

"I was once a member of a group of anti-nuclear women artists and writers - Sister Seven, for short - and we did The Green Festival somewhere, somewhen, probably in the early eighties. We put up our poster exhibition and got onto the performance / installation / reading bit, by which time it was a dark summer evening of torrential rain. I remember being in a big tent, barefoot and very wet, when, in the middle of a thunderstorm, the generator packed up. I finished the reading by torchlight. You don't often get the chance to be heroic in a poetry reading. I'm glad you've got buildings in Ledbury.

(Gillian Allnutt is a poet whose books include How the Bicycle Shone: New and Selected Poems)

Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread

Best and Worst festival experiences combined:

"I once had a gig at the World Super Bike Championship at Donnington Park telling poetry to 2000 sports bikers! I had a manager then and he was getting me some 'quality' gigs. The evening's entertainment was to be Status Quo supported by a cover band and a wet t-shirt competition. However, at the 11th hour the girls with the wet t-shirts refused to go on and attempting to calm the restless crowd the compere announced Ladies & Gentlemen, we're rapidly approaching the moment you've all been waiting for.... Status Quo! Yes in a few moments time it's Status Quo! But 1st of all we've got uh... we've got uh.... Mark Gwynne Jones....he's going to tell you some poetry. They're words I'll never forget. Burnt on my harddrive as I stumbled out into the bright lights. In front of the stage was a fence, to keep the crowds back when poets had got a bit wild in previous years - I wondered. The lights were blinding but still I could make eye contact with the 1st four or five rows and about half way through the first poem the thought came to me: I'm telling poetry to 2000 bikers.... this is beautiful! And then it happened.... a can of beer sailing out of the middle of the crowd and over the fence... and once one had been thrown more came from all directions. The front row turned round dropped their leather trousers and pulled a collective moony. I was telling poetry to axxxxxxxs! The strange thing was I actually enjoyed it and after finishing my first poem went on to tell the next. The adrenlin rush was amazing and somehow it was mixed with pride... Poetry at the World Superbike Championship!? Well, it got a response!"

(Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread combine rhythm, roots music and poetry)