This event celebrates the new Koo Press chapbook by Paulina Vanderbilt
Thursday 21 May 2009
Books and Beans, Aberdeen [Map]
If 2009 was the year of Homecoming, then Wordfringe delivered a triumphal one with
the return of Paulina Vanderbilt to the North-East.
Paulina was back for the Aberdeen launch of her new Koo Press chapbook In Search
of Salt. Her search took us to varied places of love, lust, and tears both
happy and sad. And it was the many aspects of love that she focused on through her
two sets of well delivered emotive verse. Gentler poems about love of family provided
a contrast to those about the more compulsive side of love.
The two support readers were both regulars at Dead Good Poets' open mic. Tonight
they had a chance to read a longer set of poems, and didn't disappoint.
Doirena Culloty's style was direct, and her observations were filled with a mix
of seriousness and charm.
E. E. Chandler performed insightful poems themed around aspects of family relationships.
And as normal with a Dead Good Poets event there was an open mic that provided a
completely varied but always interesting range of work.
But the star of the show was Paulina. She returned with a second set of verse that
finished with a poem urging us to hold on to the moment, which seemed a very apt
way to conclude this entertaining event.
A well rounded evening and judging by the number of books sold it seemed that the
rest of the audience enjoyed the night as much as this reviewer.
Rapunzel Wizard
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