Michael and his wife Gwendoline
Michael Lee founded Poems in the Waiting Room UK in 1995 and acted as editor until 2010. What was to be a retirement hobby, blossomed into the most widely read national poetry publication and the most extensive arts in health programme in the National Health Service. Current circulation figures are 50,000 poetry cards a quarter.
PitWR’s first international launch was in County Kildare, Eire with the NZ project starting a few months later. Poets in Australia and South Africa have been enquiring about the project so maybe it’s on the move again.
Michael provided valuable advice when we were establishing PitWR in NZ, offered me a free license to use the copyright to PitWR and also funded the first two NZ editions.
As age and health issues prevent him from meeting the demands required by such a large project he has been making arrangements for his replacement. The NZ trustees wish Michael a happy re-entry into retirement.
Hi Ruth,
Frederick Lee passed onto me your kind comments about I’d Soonest Sit and Seldom Run. I was delighted to read that you had enjoyed the poem so much. I have sent him three more poems for consideration today. If there is anything I can do to help your site here, let me know. I would be happy to let you have a poem, for instance.
Best wishes,
David
Hi David
My spring and summer (NZ) editions are already finalised but you’re welcome to send me poems to consider for the autumn (March 2012) edition. I don’t usually work so far in advance but I’ve just happened across appropriate poems and generous poets so both editions filled up with very little effort on my part! Many thanks for taking the time to contact me.
Kind regards
Ruth