It is now two decades since Neil Astley's 'Staying Alive - real poems for unreal times' transformed modern poetry from the margins to the mainstream of popular arts. It is still an unrivalled collection which spans the 20th century of international English language poetry (skewed towards the later decades). This course works through the collection published by Bloodaxe (ISBN 1-85224-588-3), the required text for this course, over ten sessions. No prior knowledge of poetry is required. The class will discuss a handful of poems in each session sharing their thoughts and opinions. This is a discussion group with no formal teaching, led by an enthusiast who has no training in poetry but relies on the combined knowledge and wisdom of the group to explore and enhance understanding and enjoyment. Those who have attended 'Getting to grips with Contemporary Poetry' over recent years will recognise the format.