The former Poetry Editor of the University of Wolverhampton Student Union was invited to honour the celebrated Black Country Poet Harry Harrision alongside Wolverhampton`s first Poet Laureate at Tipton Libraries Local History Group.
"It was a high end affair," said Ian Henery - who published under the name Arthur Person at the University of Wolverhampton - "and I was chuffed to bits to be on the same billing and poster as Emma Pursehouse, Wolverhampton`s first Poet Laureate. Emma did a great job as poetry ambassador and if people are looking to see what the job entailed they can find out in her book - "It`s honourary, bab" published by Offa`s Books and with artwork by local artist Alex Vann. The artwork is "the man on the `oss" - the statue of the Prince Regent - which has become a symbol for the City of Wolverhampton.
The name Arthur Person was taken by Ian after a song by The Smiths - Half a Person - and he was Poetry Editor of Sheepsclothing, the Student Union Newspaper, for 2 years when he was studing law at the University.
Other Black Country poets on the bill were Heather Wastie, John Homer and Billy Spakemon.
"Billy`s real name is Brian Dakin" explained Ian and he was actually a Doctor of Linguistics at the University of Aston specialising in the Black Country accent. According to Billy (or Brian to his friends)", explained Ian (or Arthur Person to his readers at the University of Wolverhampton) "the Black Country dialect goes back to the Anglo Saxon era and is the accent of Anglo Saxon kings."
Billy Spakemon was awarded a studio after his name for services to the community and broadcasting at Black Country Radio. Billy heads up Black Country Xtra at Black Country Radio which is the community arm of broadcasting at the OFCOM regulated radio station.
Ian Henery and Billy Spakemon are also Ambassadors of the Black Country Bugle newspaper which regulalry publishes the poetry and stories of the late Harry Harrison, Black Country Poet.
Ian Henery points out that there is a difference between poets coming from the Black Country and Black Country poets.
"I come from the Black Country and I am proud opf it" explained Ian "but I would never say I am a "Black Country poet" because i do not speak the dialect. I honour those who do and do it well. "
The celebration night of Black Country Poet Harry Harrison involved each poet reading one of Harry`s poems, 3 of their own and one poem that they liked from another Black Country poet.
"My task was simple" explained Ian. "For the Black Country Festival I published a collection of my poems entitled "Black Country Blues" with poems translated into Black country dialect by Billy Spaklemon. All books sold went to Cancer Support which was a charity I was working with at the time."
In the collection Ian rewrote Rudyard Kipling`s famous poem "If" and William Blake`s "Jerusalem" - before Billy Spaklemon rewrote them in Black Country dialect.
"It was a great exercise" said Ian "and we raised a lot of money for Cancer Support. We got a lot of laughs at the Black country Poet gig - and if Harry Harrison was looking down on us from heaven - I hope he would have approved".
