Cobourg Poetry Workshop

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Acts of Chance
A series of chance happenings in the year 2000 caused a group of people to assemble and meet monthly in the library to talk about poetry. The room was austere and comfortless and, after a couple of years, the meetings moved to The Cobourg Bookroom. There the group held its first public reading. Shortly afterwards the Bookroom went out of business and, after a series of missteps, the monthly meetings moved to The Cat & The Fiddle pub. About the same time a regular series of public readings was inaugurated. However, it was not until the Fall of 2004 when the restaurant at 66 King Street East opened that a satisfactory venue became available for public performances.

In addition to having a fixed venue the public readings have fixed dates ( 3rd Thursday of every month ). Typically three readers present their work between interludes of instrumental music. At least one of the readers is from outside the group. Audiences have varied, though there have never been fewer than 20 and at times there have been over 50 people present.

It's hard enough to say what poetry is and even harder for a community to find common interest in it. Hence the early meetings were not always satisfactory and at times it seemed that failure was imminent. Ultimately a mode that focused on original writing evolved and it was a practice that new members found to be congenial. The group expanded and began to know itself as The Cobourg Poetry Workshop. By 2007 there was a membership of twenty writers and the time seemed right to launch a journal with a sample of the members' works. - E.W.