7.30pm the grand  opening of kwame Dawes Wisteria. http://www.rfh.org.uk/poetryinternational/kwameDawes.html    Five hundred or so people fill the
Purcell rooms and the concert introduced by Ruth Borthwick is on. Wisteria are a set of poems and photos written by Kwame Dawes in interviews with the people  of South Carolina. Kwame is a Caribbean   academic and poet. The music is operatic and of the deep South and I am moved   to tears. Maybe it’s the jet lag mixed with the moving tones. By  8pm   I am in floods of tears. Music should move – poetry should destroy and rebuild
in the same action. I am in pieces, remind of why I do what I do and why   artists are  the salt of the earth. I’m sat next to the beautiful Grace Nichols and the wonderful John Agard. Grace  encouraged my first reading twenty years ago and here she is. I see old
colleagues patience agbabi linton kwesi Johnson Bernadine Evaristo and many  many others. It is an inspirational event. The company of artists is a great   thing – its my favourite past time.  And   here we are. Poetry International.  If  poems are royalty and we their dressers then the grand procession has begun.

 After the event the performers and others do the food and   drink thing. It is now 11pm. I have a   brilliant conversation with Linton regarding the establishment of the term Dub
Poetry. Linton is the person who coined the term when describing  DJs chanting as Dub Poetry. He did this in a   newspaper in Jamaica.    The term was then appropriated,  promoted and popularised  by Oku Onuora who though in prison at the time  had written a book of poetry himself.  Linton reviewed his book using the term. Oku  Onuora performed at the bob Marley One Love Peace Concert: the one where he  held the hands of the two opposing political leaders above his head. At that   precise moment lightening struck.  Now  that’s history right there. Poetry International.