won in the seventh is launched!

24 Jan

My latest book, won in the seventh, was finally launched on 17 Jan at the Old Arcade pub in Cardiff. This replaced the launch event back in November that was cancelled due to illness. I did do a reading in Swansea at the start of December, but this was the proper launch in my home town of Cardiff.

Thanks everyone for coming, including Rhys, Isobel, Miira, Johnny, Topher, at least two Neils, my mum and my brother Ade, plus quite a few more. A friend of Dom’s (who published the book) also stayed for the launch. The two had not met for getting on for forty years I believe – it was just a coincidence that this friend happened to be in the Old Arcade at the time.

Johnny Giles got things underway. Johnny is a very skilled poet in my opinion. He reads with great authority about his chosen subject matter – mostly politics this evening. He weaves words together in quite an intricate fashion, and so you get both style and substance with Johnny. Thanks mate!

Dom gave me a brief introduction before I launched into my set. I’d chosen to read through the book in chronological order, telling a story from start to finish in some senses. Here is my set list from the night:

Funny Business
The ADS
Make Up
Size of the Soul
Moving On
Welcoming Committee
The When Girl in the Window
K Reassessed
Trigger
Love
When Christina Met Elizabeth II
Discretion Assured

So, twelve poems in all, not an insubstantial number, which took up around 20 minutes I think. Here is a video for Trigger.


Dom closed the night with some nice words about the book. He did a form of list poem using the titles from won in the seventh as his guide, I think to show the variety contained in the book. He encouraged people to buy the book, and buy they did. With the book priced at £7.77 this involved a bit of fiddling around with change.

More drinks were consumed; books were signed. Finally I packed up the mic equipment and Dom and I left together. We were both quite hungry as they weren’t doing food as we’d hoped at the Old Arcade (they have a very good steak night there usually on a Tuesday), so on our way back to mine, we stopped at a Lebanese place on City Road and got a sharing platter. Yum!

So the book was finally launched. Anyone who couldn’t make the launch for any reason whatsoever can buy it from the Iconau website below. And don’t just take my word for it that the book is worth buying. Several people have said nice things in praise of it, including Peter Finch who said “The range is great and the achievement absolutely solid. Fisk hits the target and does it often.” Here is Topher’s review on Amazon:

So all you need to do now is buy the book and form your own judgement!

won in the seventh (iconau.com)