The last time poets made the national press was when Ruth Padel and Derek Walcott had a very public spat over the chair of poetry at Oxford. These Morse-ian groves of academe and dreaming spires seem to suit the realms of poetry better than the hard-hitting business arenas of line management and good governance. But the double-edged sword of public funding brings with it a game-raising set of pressures and responsibilities.   

Poetry needs good governance, the same as any other sector.  Yet that is the problem at the heart of the problem. You may be a poet but please stand up charity managers, lawyers, employment specialists -  your society needs you. It is these people who should  be elected onto the reconstituted board of trustees at the agm in September. Running the Poetry Society, which benefits from a considerable public funding (through the Arts Council grant) does not require huge literary endeavours.  It requires effective management of highly intellectual paid directors and staff members, not unlike running an ethical company selling a commercial product.  It requires vigilance, skill and experience.
 
So what happened?  Well, in case you missed it all, the current Poetry Society board of trustees clearly lost their nerve when faced with an epic clash of personalities between the director and the editor of Poetry Review, handled the whole thing disastrously badly, causing the resignation of the director and a subsequent threat of legal action.  In the face of this verbal threat, trustees - instead of seeking affordable legal advice on offer to charities generally from organisations such as NCVO [National Council for Voluntary Organisations] - saw fit to spend £24,000 of the society's-hard won funds on legal advice from none other than the firm of Harbottle & Lewis, who famously have advised News International. The resulting meltdown has led to the resignation of the entire board, effective as from the agm in September.
 
It  didn't quite knock the phone-hacking scandal off the front pages - but for a small organisation like ours it's bad enough.  Anyone can make a mistake, but the abuse of the society's funds in that manner is unforgiveable.
 
So where has it all got us?  An agm and a new opportunity to rebuild trust in the organisation which, despite all the furore, has managed to keep going brilliantly. Poetry Review hasn't missed a beat even though it must have been a desolate time for the editor.  Courses continued to run. Poetry News continued to be produced. The excellent finance officer, Paul Ranford, has resigned in protest.  A replacement will have to be found.   
 
The good news is that the Poetry Society will get a new start with a new board.  I quote Kate Clanchy, who convened the requisition group which led to Friday's meeting being called. She said: "The agm is in September. If any wider good can come of this, it has to be in renewed membership, renewed enthusiasm, and new openness. The Poetry Society needs a new, tighter, constitution and a new, more disinterested board. I know you’re out there now, and I hope that you put yourself forward. "