23rd August 2015, Nicholson Gallery, Forres. It had been penned into my diary for a couple of weeks and I was looking forward to listening to Eileen read some of her work from her new collection. I made a point of not buying or reading any in advance because I wanted my first experience of the poetry to be through Eileen’s own voice, and to buy my copy on the day.
So you can only imagine my delight when Eileen herself emailed me and asked if I would read some of my own work at the launch of The Stone Messenger.
I brought along five poems I had finished over the summer and, along with four other poets, had the chance to be part of Eileen’s day. The nerves were quickly dispelled by the support I received from the other poets, and from the reaction of the audience, who were lovely throughout.
What made the whole experience extra special was the fact that it was my first time reading my work in front of an audience, as opposed to a group of other writers. So thank you to Eileen for the opportunity, and for her beautiful collection of poetry.