About 15 years ago I joined the Poetry Society. I had just come back to 'being a poet' as a friend put it, after an absence of time when I was 'not a poet'. Truth is, I wasn't publicly a writer as I didn't participate in events or publish, but to myself I continued being a poet. The kind that had scraps of scribbles in every drawer in the house. 

When I joined the Poetry Society I used to receive its newsletter in Hong Kong (by post). I used to think that the Poetry Cafe seemed like a great place to hear interesting poetry. And wouldn't it be lovely to read there one day? And so it came to pass... many happy events later I'm delighted to be able to fundraise for a refurbished cafe and performance space.