Why ‘Windows’?

Back in 1974 a group of local residents on the Halewood estate were looking for a name for a poetry and music show that they were putting on in Bridgefield Sports Forum. ‘Windows’ was the title of a poem in the show by Icilda McLean who worked as a play leader and school meals assistant. It was adopted as the title of the production, which went down so well that ‘Windows’ became the title for regular poetry and music events staged every month in Halewood Library. These hosted visits by some of the leading poets of the day: Adrian Mitchell, Brian Patten, Fleur Adcock, Norman Nicholson, Libby Houston, Tom Pickard and many more combined with a committed nucleus of ‘floor performers’. What had started as a one-off ran for ten years.

The events spawned two publications: Arthur's Colour Supplement, an offshoot of the Halewood News published by Halewood Community Council and delivering a mix of Halewood poetry, stories and pictures to every household on the Liverpool overspill housing estate; and Smoke magazine, from the outset combining contributions from leading poets such as Barry McSweeney, Miroslav Holub and Frances Horovitz with local and emerging talent and attracting artists with an eye for lively graphics.

Why ‘Windows’?

In the summer of 1976 an invitation came from Merseyside Play Action Council for four poets to run writing workshops at Liverpool summer play schemes. Dave Calder and I had already combined to run a series of poetry performance events at Great Georges Community Cultural Project, where we had also learnt the value of introducing participation in the arts through specially devised games. We were joined by Carol Ann Duffy, just completing her degree at Liverpool University, and Libby Houston, already widely respected on the readings circuit. To help the youngsters to write in the high energy atmosphere of the play scheme at the Bronte Centre, situated next to the city centre Bullring housing, we created the Amazing Push Poem Machine (so named by Carol Ann) – a brightly coloured 12-foot ramp – up which the kids bowled a yellow football which dropped into a series of labelled crates, one for each letter of the alphabet.