A Blog Post from Maggie Harris on her splendid Benefit Concert for Haiti, Saturday 26 June, 2010 in Broadstairs:
"Last night's concert was amazing, more than 150 attended and we raised more than £800 for Haiti. The artists were all highly talented dancers,. musicians, singers and poets, and some travelled from London and Surrey to take part at their own expense. As well as Thanet poets, several poets from the Canterbury area took part, this included two of the laureates Gary Studley and Vicky Wilson, Sally Minogue, Sue Rose, Geraldine Paine, Lorraine Lougher and Luigi Marchini.
There were fantasic readings from young people, singing from up and coming young vocalist Kanisia Mounty, winner of Bouverie's Got Talent last summer; an amazing soul singer Enrique Joyette and singer-songwriter Sam Palacios. Performances from Masque Theatre School included tap and ballet and a song from Glee, and dance student from Reynolds Performing Arts in Bexleyheath, Aimee Watmore performed an original contemporary piece. Lorraine was so impressed with Aimee's performance she's asked her to take part in the Canterbury Castle event in July! The Broadstairs Gospel Choir had people dancing in the aisles, and feedback from the audience was overwhelming, and positive.
I was presented with two bouquets of flowers at the end!
The book, Sixty Poems for Haiti, specially commissioned, with contiibutions from over sixty poets including top international poets George Szirtes and Kamau Brathwaite, was launched and sold very well, not only to poets but a wide variety of people attenting the event. The book is available from me and my publisher Cane Arrow Press, with all profits going to Haiti's Lambi Fund. Over the next months I'll be promoting the book with launches in Wales, London, and through my up-coming performances at Bristol Poetry Festival, Merthyr Tydfil and Canterbury. If you are able to support this I'd be happy to accept advice and proposals.
We've also made an amateur dvd of the concert which, if the quality is good enough, we'll be selling. I am also in communication with The Lambi Fund of Haiti who were very pleased with our effort, and copies of the book will be winging their way to their headquarters in the US, and to Haiti itself.
You can buy copies of Sixty Poems for Haiti here:
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