4 literary events in 4 days

Feb 28th - Matt Riches, Matthew Stewart et al at St. Albans.
Organised by Vers poets, which has included some famous members over the years. About 20 people watched the headliners (an experienced and excellent pairing) and 11 open-mic poets. It began at 11 a.m. which is a convenient time for some of us. It was free. The poets sold several books.

Mar 1st - Anne Berkeley et al at CB1, Cambridge.
I bought her latest book, "Object Permanence", there. About 40 people attended, paying £5, with a lively open-mic. At least 3 of the people were first-timers.

Mar 2nd - A.E. Stallings (Oxford Professor of Poetry) at Trinity, Cambridge.
The first of a short series of free talks. This one was entitled: "The Spell of Rhyme". About 100 people attended. She looked at what rhyme does, at some types of rhyme, then at why some types (e.g. between different parts of speech, or between an abstract noun and a proper one) succeed more than others, using as examples works by Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and "The sunlight on the garden" by Louis MacNeice, etc.

Mar 3rd - Cambridge Writers short story prize results.
A hotly contested members-only annual event that I usually enter and rarely win. This year was no exception. 30 entries. Over 30 zoom and in-person attendees. Many excellent stories.