January conversations, with dogs

by Di Slaney

7pm Sunday 5th January 2025

with special guest readers

Please come along to help me celebrate the launch of my new pamphlet from Valley Press, January conversations, with dogs. I'm so proud of this little book which has been beautifully illustrated by artist and poet Jane Burn.

You can buy the book here in the Valley Press bookshop

I'll be reading poems of community and companionship from the pamphlet and talking about how it came into being. Jane will show some of her artwork and talk about the process of illustrating a book. I'm lucky to be sharing this event with some wonderful poets who will read their own poems about dogs - and if there are any dogs who would like to enjoy the evening on zoom with us as well, so much the better!

Guest readers include Carole Bromley, Deborah Harvey, Jeanette Burton, Jenny McRobert, Lynn Valentine, Maggie Mackay, Marcelle Newbold, Miriam Darlington, Penny Sharman, Pratibha Castle, Rebecca Gethin, Sarah Doyle, Sarah Watkinson, Sue Burge and Victoria Gatehouse.

The event is free to attend but please book your ticket to secure your place and receive the zoom link. It helps me to know who you are and how many people are coming.  All the open mic places have now been filled.

Thank you! Look forward to seeing you on 5th Jan -

Di

“Sparse, skeletal and yet heart-warming and soul-softening by increments, Di Slaney’s dog meetings create a subtly deepening sense of sympathetic resonance, of connections, and of days full of the melancholy light and beauty of ice crystals that grow and fall like poetry read at home on a snowy day. Read them and be transformed.”
— Miriam Darlington

“Di Slaney gives us the opportunity to share a whole month’s worth of walks, their purple-streaked skylines and barking companions. The poet has fashioned a style which is so immediately and sensually alive that to read these poems is to walk alongside her and, best of all, to meet the fascinating people she meets. The collection celebrates how walking can lead us into accidental, sparkling and nourishing communities, how the apparently everyday is absolutely essential. These poems have the wind in their face, the earth at their feet and a world of people around them. Read them!”
— Jonathan Edwards