Bohemia Village Voice

Edward Preston writes (Dec 2006)

It must have been about 1975, when a new poetry group was established, known as ‘The Bohemians’.

Initially, meetings were held at the Oliver Twist Tea Rooms, 63, Bohemia Road, (proprietor, Elizabeth Preston). The founder was Mrs Joan Chaplin of Cornfield Terrace, and the group comprised about two dozen members, meeting on a monthly basis. From time to time, a speaker would attend to talk on some literary or arts-related subject.

The purpose of the group was to encourage poets and would-be poets to develop and employ their latent talent; to assess and criticise new work as it appeared (although generally were too polite to cast adverse criticism on fellow members’ efforts). Nonetheless, some good work was produced, and within the ten years or so of the group’s existence, three booklets of poems and short stories were produced: Bohemian Bagatelle, Bohemian Bouquet, and Bohemian Bounty.

Edward Preston, Bohemia Road.

Edward kindly enclosed copies of “Bohemian Bagatelle” – ‘a small collection gathered from the work of some members of the The Bohemians Arts, Poetry & Social Club.’ and “Bohemian Bouquet”,  a similar work – Ed.