The Opposite of Cabbage meets The Ambulance Box
March 12, 2009
Last night the SPL was packed for the Rob A MacKenzie and Andrew Philip joint launch. Friends, family, fellow poets and colleagues made for a convivial atmosphere, helped along by fine wines and some smashing poems read by our joint poets of the month. A great heap of books were bought, and both poets were happily ensconsed in signing for a sizable part of the evening.
The assembled represented a bit of a who’s who in poetry: Colin Will, David Kinloch, James Robertson, Katy Bush-Evans, Kevin Cadwallender, Jane McKie and Jen Hadfield, who was busted carrying glasses down to the dishwasher. This great picture, by Andrew’s pal Diarmid Mogg, shows the library looking pretty by night…
A lovely picture by Diarmid Mogg which captures the ambience of Rob and Andrew's joint launch
The Opposite of Cabbage and The Ambulance Box are both published by Salt. If you’d like to hear more from Rob and Andrew, here they are having a chinwag about poetry and life on Anon‘s podcast.
Our sweet old etcetera... 
March 13, 2009 at 9:37 am
This was a great event. I especially enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the approachableness of both poets. Scottish poetry turned a corner this week with Rob and Andy’s spellbinding new collections.
March 13, 2009 at 10:47 am
A fantastic night it was indeed! Congratulations to Andy and to Rob. Truly Scottish poetry took a turn towards something better on Wednesday night and we were proud to be part of that congregation of change.
March 14, 2009 at 9:27 am
That is a very good photo… I even dreamt about it the other night.
March 14, 2009 at 9:46 am
Many many thanks once again, Peggy and Lilias (and Jen!) for all your hard work. And to everyone who came. It wouldn’t have been such a success — well, a success at all — without you.
March 16, 2009 at 10:57 am
Yes, it is a really cool photo. I wish I could dream about stuff like that.
I’ll add my thanks to all at the SPL and to everyone who came. I just found out that my friend Gerry turned up just as the readings started and found a stair to sit on. He had to leave early, so I didn’t know he was there at all until I ran into him this morning.
To anyone thinking of having a launch, the SPL is a great place to do it!
March 16, 2009 at 11:10 am
Thanks guys. Twas a pleasure.
Very intrigued about the dream David!
March 29, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language 😉
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
June 10, 2009 at 10:13 am
[…] joint launch of The Ambulance Box and Rob A Mackenzie’s The Opposite of Cabbage here at the SPL really takes some beating. The audience is always well disposed towards you at a launch, but to […]