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Poems, schmoems. Couple acceptances, a bit of rejection but hey.

Well hello! I am feeling epic. Not because I’ve suddenly won some dough or got a call from Faber. No!

Health update (feel free to skip!)

You may recall my moaning on about my bad back or whatever. It seems to be something else entirely that’s been sapping me of energy and slowly seizing up my joints to the point of what felt like Permanent Old Ladydom, the mystery has I think been solved. It looks like I have a condition with the important-sounding name of Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which nobody is supposed to get before they hit at least 70 apparently. So for various reasons I don’t fit the profile, except that my brother has also had it, and if he hadn’t said ‘your symptoms sound just like mine’, I would never have been diagnosed. So THANK YOU that bro of mine. The key facts for me to take in are 1) no-one knows what causes it (funny how that’s often the case when it’s a condition mostly affecting women) 2) there is no cure  and 3) one can only wait for it to go into remission, which takes at least 2 years.

But the good news is that there’s a drug that suppresses the symptoms, and for once in my life I have given in Big Time to Big Pharma. Within hours of taking the magic pills I felt about 20 years younger. I am honestly not exaggerating. I am Lazarus. I can function again, and it feels like I’ve got a second chance at life – more so even than after having cancer. So here I am taking a long-term, systemic drug after always saying I never would. I accept there may be side effects but I will manage them. I’m sleeping right through the night. I’m starting to write again. It’s even kicked me and Nick into a new resolve to eat low-carb and take better care of ourselves. So all good.

Quick submissions summary

Poems currently out, to magazines: 11, competitions: just the Bridport (ha) and two pamphlets. One of the pamphlets was ‘long listed’ by Live Canon.

Three more poems rejected by Shearsman, two pamphlets sunk without trace in competitions.

Three poems accepted by Morphrog, one ‘highly commended’ in the Ver Poets comp.

Recent readings

No full readings lately but I did go to the launch of Magma 74 last week and read my ‘hospitality management’ poem. It was a really good night – great to hear many of the poems read, and a chance to catch up with several poet friends including Jayne Stanton, Alison Brackenbury and Hilaire (who read very calmly from London Undercurrents at only five minutes’ notice!), say hello to others who I know either slightly or met for the first time, such as Maura Dooley, Carole Bromley and Stuart Charlesworth, as well as editors Pauline Sewards and Benedict Newbery (a fellow Live Canon longlistee). The venue in Exmouth Market was fun – with a very high but tiny stage. Here are a few pics, not sure who took the medley of pics that appeared on Twitter:

Readers at the launch of Magma 74

 

Here are Benedict and Pauline doing the intros (a bit fuzzy, sorry):

Launch of Magma 74

Two days later I took a wee trip to St Albans, just north of London outside the M25, and it was actually a very easy journey by train  as there was no need to change in London. I was a bit ashamed I’d never been there before, as I like visiting cathedrals and cathedral cities where there’s often a lovely historic vibe.

I was there for the Ver Poets competition readings, so I got to read my HC poem ‘Next best thing’ and hear all the winning poems, some of which were read by the poets themselves. It was a lovely surprise to see Peter Raynard there, as I hadn’t realised St Albans is actually his manor.

Adjudicator Kathryn Maris gave a really thoughtful and kind introduction. At the end, a cheque was presented to a lady from the OLLIE Foundation, a charity that provides funding for suicide prevention skills training for any individual or community that wants it. I wasn’t aware that proceeds from the competition were given to charity in this way, and was impressed. Personally, I think if this was made more explicit in the promo material it may encourage even more entries.

I don’t have any pics of the event but I’m looking forward to reading The Book of Jobs, Kathryn Maris’s first full collection, a copy of which I picked up while I was there.

Oh and here are a couple of photos I took of the Abbey:

St Albans Abbey

st-albans-abbey

 

 

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16 Comments

  1. Glad remission on health. X
    Lovely poetry news, wish I had half your energy!
    Hitting 79 so am grateful for everything!
    Still hoping to write a prize winning poem… well maybe not! Take care. X

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Thank you Ann – I think you are amazing and hope I can be as active & creative when I’m your age.

  2. Peter Raynard Peter Raynard

    Lovely to see you yesterday Robin. I am glad the magic pills are working for you. I thought Kathryn’s reading was great (albeit with interruptions from the back), but I also thought her comments about prize culture were very insightful. Hope to see you soon. Peter x

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Hi Peter, yes indeed I liked the way she spoke about ‘competitions like these… less of a bloodsport than the majors’…

  3. Robin, it was lovely to catch up with you at the Magma launch. Good to hear your PR has been diagnosed and medicated.

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Thanks Jayne!

  4. Penny Shutt Penny Shutt

    Oh no! I’m sorry to read about the polymyalgia diagnosis – must be painful, lovely to read everything you’ve been up to in spite of this and glad you’re feeling more human!

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Thanks Penny! I hope all is well with you 🙂

  5. Great post, Robin, and so pleased to hear that your condition has been diagnosed and is responding well to treatment. Congrats on your various successes. You’ve been incredibly productive even when you haven’t been firing on all cylinders which puts me to shame. Beautiful photos – that ceiling! J x

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Hi Josephine, and thank you for your encouragement – although I’m not sure that I’ve been all that productive really, it might sound like it but there’s been an awful lot of daytime napping, general grumpiness and letting things slide… 🙂

  6. Heather Walker Heather Walker

    Congratulations on your accepted poems and good to hear you are feeling better after your diagnosis . Pain can really wear you down. Good luck with the low carb diet. I need some of your motivation!

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Hi Heather, thank you – still in the ‘honeymoon’ phase (both of meds and of low carb recipes) but fingers crossed I can keep it up!

  7. Cheryl Capaldo Traylor Cheryl Capaldo Traylor

    So glad you are feeling some relief. Hope you continue to feel well!

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Thank you Cheryl. I am hoping so!

  8. HI ROBIN, I HOPE YOUR DIAGNOSIS WILL HELP LEAD TO TREATMENT THAT IMPROVES YOUR SYMPTOMS AND LEADS TO A MORE COMFORTABLE SITUATION FOR YOU.
    I’M REALLY SORRY I DIDN’T GET TO TALK WITH YOU AT THE MAGMA LAUNCH. I WASN’T SURE WHICH OF THE MANY VAGUELY FAMILIAR FACES YOU WERE UNTIL I HEARD YOU READ, AND I LEFT EARLY FOR MY TRAIN, SO DIDN’T CATCH YOU AT THE END.
    I WAS THRILLED BY THE READINGS, AND YOUR POEM WAS A FASCINATING, MIND-STRETCHING EXPERIENCE! WARMEST WISHES, CLAIREX

    • Robin Houghton Robin Houghton

      Thanks Claire! I’m sorry we missed each other too. Really enjoyed your Pisa poem and meant to say hello. I think I was a bit distracted! No doubt our paths will cross soon. Rx

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