Dame Vera Lynn at The Grand Hotel

On Saturday 27th March 2010, the Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide (FLOW for All) and SilverWood Books hosted a poetry reading and book signing with special guest DAME VERA LYNN.

The event celebrated the publication of two new books Stories of the Poppies and Poems of the Poppies.

The afternoon featured a short talk from WWII 'Forces Sweetheart' Dame Vera Lynn, who recalled her time performing to the troops in Burma and Egypt during the Second World War. Mac Macdonald, co-founder of FLOW for All, talked about FLOW as a not-for-profit organisation that aimed to offer support for those who suffer in the aftermath of armed conflict. Major-General Tim Cross CBE spoke movingly of the effects of conflict on some of the troops.

The FLOW for All poets read their work to a spellbound audience, who were further thrilled when Lance Corporal Alex Roissetter made a dramatic late entrance in full uniform just in time to read his own poem. Lcpl Roissetter had made a lightning dash from Germany to the UK to read his work, and was delayed in Brighton's heavy Saturday traffic.

The event was rounded off by Alison Jones singing her song A Soldier's Wife, and a roof-raising turn from comedian-poet Mac McFadden.

The event was photographed by Brighton's Henry Bruce, whose image gallery can be seen here.

In 2008 we hosted the launch of FLOW for All's first book Voices of the Poppies at the Jubilee Library in Brighton. This great day out was enjoyed by more than sixty guests from all over the UK, and was featured on BBC teatime news. Read coverage in our News Archive or see photographs of the event online

BUY THE BOOKS
Buy your copies of Poems of the Poppies and Stories of the Poppies now.

Lcpl Roissetter has just published his own volume of poetry A Soldier Poet in order to raise money for Help for Heroes. The book explains in prose and verse what it's like to be a junior soldier on a tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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