Commentaries on Bob Cobbing - The Argotist Online

That first essay, from over 30 years ago, may still be useful in showing an approach to reading
Cobbing.
I ran Sub Voicive Poetry from 1994 and had instituted the series of celebrations of Eric Mottram
within the SVP programme; hence my making the introductory remarks of events.
There were three Bob Cobbing appearances at SVP in 2000. I organised it like that to make clear
just how important I thought his work was. It seemed to me that was the way to say it, primarily,
and then add in appropriate commentary: rather than saying how important he was, to actually
stage performances, and then see what there was to say.
Cobbing celebrated the memory of Eric Mottram in January 2000. He read for us, for two hours, in
July, from his own work; and then we had a celebration of his birthday in the late summer. It was
felt then, by me and the nominal co-organiser of the third event, Adrian Clarke, that a scheduled
Writers Forum workshop as such was not an appropriate environment for the third event; so we
had a separate related event, planned in advance.
After Bob’s death, I sought to stage celebrations of his work; but that was only partially successful.
It was intended to be its own reward with no ulterior benefits to the attendees; but, in that, it
became unworkable. That series of celebrations ceased with the series as a whole, when it became
clear that Poetry was best served by letting other more recently-founded series make the running.
I have not attempted to document every reference I have made to Bob Cobbing over the years,
only to the pieces that specifically address his work throughout. I have left the reader to locate the
works referred to; but I do so knowing that many will be included in the still in preparation
Selected Poems.
Lawrence Upton
Goldsmiths, University of London
August 2012