Claire Dyer is a fine poet and novelist who I first met at a launch reading for The Interpreter’s House. She seems to be one of those people who quietly produce one good book after another, without any of the kind of angsty fuss some of us like to indulge in. If you get a chanceRead more ⟶
Category: Blog
Seven questions for poets #5 – Ian Humphreys
Today’s poet ready for a grilling is Ian Humphreys. I met Ian on the Ty Newydd masterclass we did a couple of years ago. He and I were in a small working group with Lizzie Fincham – which basically meant we holed up in the library, trying to do our homework while comparing notes and reading linesRead more ⟶
Individual poems v collections – still on the learning curve
Putting together a collection of poems is proving to be harder than I ever expected. For a while now I’ve had a number of poems on a theme, which originally I dared to call ‘a pamphlet.’ I tried it on a few pamphlet comps: a couple of long-listings came of it, but basically nothing much. So IRead more ⟶
Seven Questions for Poets #4 – Hilda Sheehan
My fourth guest in this series is poet and poetpreneur-extraordinary, Hilda Sheehan. I have a vivid memory of seeing Hilda read at a Kent & Sussex Poetry meeting and she seemed to lift everyone out of their seats (and comfort zones, I suspect!) with her warmth and often bonkers humour. Hilda is forever associated in my mind with SwindonRead more ⟶
Seven Questions for Poets #3 – Antony Mair
Today’s poet in the spotlight is Antony Mair. Antony has been a brilliant poet friend of mine for some years, firstly as a supporter of the Brighton Stanza and member of the ‘loose committee’ when I was the rep, and latterly as the founder and chief corraller-of-poets at Hastings Stanza. He has an MA in Creative WritingRead more ⟶
Seven Questions for Poets #2 – Jill Abram
My second poet under ‘seven questions’ interrogation is Jill Abram. Jill is widely published in the magazines and is both the Director of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen – a collective of writers who focus on craft, community and development – and a Tideway Poet. She’s really active on the poetry scene, especially around London – not only inRead more ⟶
Submissions windows open & poetry competition deadlines
Windows Just checking which magazines have re-opened their windows (must’ve been hot in there) and have found the following: The Stinging Fly is open until Aug 31st (postal submissions) or Sept 4 (via Submittable). Agenda appears to have been open since June 1st – the website says it’s still open, so jump in quickly! Ambit hasRead more ⟶
Seven Questions for Poets #1 – Clare Best
A new series begins here. I thought I’d have a fun Q & A with some of my poet friends, throwing them each seven thorny questions and seeing what comes back. Huge thanks to everyone for playing the game. Stand by for some interesting answers! First up – Clare Best. Clare is author of Treasure Ground (HappenStance 2009), ExcisionsRead more ⟶
Notes from a workshop with Andrew McMillan
As promised in my last post, here are my notes from the workshop I did on Saturday at the South Downs Poetry Festival, with Andrew McMillan. I’m including links at the end to other workshop notes, in case you find these posts useful. I was really impressed with Andrew’s workshop. It’s tricky to teach a one-off sessionRead more ⟶
At the South Downs Poetry Festival
When Tim Dawes came to Lewes just a few months ago to talk about his plans for a South Downs Poetry Festival, I admit I was sceptical about whether it could be done in such a short timeframe. But hats off to him, the event happened and from what I can tell, it was aRead more ⟶