Reading University poetry festival focuses on female friendships

The launch of Best Friends Forever, an anthology that focuses on female friendships, was among the different events held over Friday 7 – Sunday 9 November.

Ms Wright said: “The way female friendships are portrayed are limited and limiting and we wanted to show what happens outside of those stereotypes.” Editor of the anthology, Amy Key, 36, initially contacted The Emma Press with the idea. Ms Wright said: “It is completely Amy’s vision, she put together such a challenging theme.” During the launch, Kathryn Maris, Camellia Stafford, Rebecca Perry and Fran Lock all read their contributions from the anthology.

Ms Key said: “In my view, they represent the varied and unique nature of female friendship.” Out of 600 entries only 33 made it into the anthology. Ms Key said: “In the end my final choices were down to what resonated with me and what surprised me.” Ms Key thought that the festival was the perfect platform for launching the anthology as the event encouraged people to listen to a variety of poets.

Best Friends Forever is available online at: theemmapress.com for £10.00. There will be another launch of the anthology on December 1 in London.

The independent publisher’s next projects include an anthology on dance and their first children’s book.

As well as celebrating works of notable contemporary poets, including Dylan Thomas and John Berryman, the festival focused on war poetry on Sunday 9, including Reading publisher’s, Two Rivers Press, new anthology The Arts of Peace.

Dr Matthew Sperling, organiser of this year’s festival and Leverhulme Trust Fellow at the University of Reading, said: “The room has been filled at every event this year.” The popularity of this year’s festival increased due to the involvement of The Emma Press and Two Rivers Press.

Dr Sperling said: “Our collaboration has definitely brought more of the Reading people along.” The third Reading Poetry Festival has been planned for Summer 2015.