I think blogging is like all kinds of writing in that one has ebbs and flows – of ideas, of energy, of motivation. If I were to take my own advice I’d be sure to blog at least once a week in order not to lose readers or to keep my blog coming up inRead more ⟶
Category: Blog
When the poetry magazines arrive…
… it’s always exciting, especially of course if you’ve got a poem in it. In the last couple of weeks I’ve been enjoying The Interpreter’s House issue 62, featuring an augmented brace of Telltale Poets (ie 3) and Brittle Star 38. Both mags are famous for their striking covers, and my first thought when I sawRead more ⟶
Launch of ‘The Skin Diary’ by Abegail Morley
What a privilege it is to be asked to read at a friend’s book launch. Abegail Morley has been something of a mentor to me, always generous in her support. She is a genuinely unselfish in her helping of other poets, and always interested in collaborations or new ideas. She’s also a prolific writer – in the timeRead more ⟶
Some poetry readings etc in next two weeks…
Just a quick shout out for some poetry readings & events coming up in the next couple of weeks … we’re always being told how people turn to poetry in times of trouble, so perhaps we need to start promoting poetry readings as an antidote to brexit woes. I already foresee a tranche of poems onRead more ⟶
What I’ve been reading… Kei Miller’s ‘Cartographer’
At the library I recently picked up Kei Miller’s The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion (Carcanet 2014), and it proved to be one of those books you start reading and can’t put down till you get to the end. I’ve folded back so many corners of pages, to mark the poems IRead more ⟶
Tears in the Fence: a no-tears rejection
A few months ago I sent some poems to David Caddy at Tears in the Fence. Although he didn’t take any of them for the magazine, his reply was prompt and very civilised, so much so that it didn’t feel like a standard rejection. Polite, interested, business-like, a suggestion that I send again, not a hint of condescension.Read more ⟶
‘The future of poetry’ – Coffee House Poetry at the Troubadour
So, to the Troubadour last night for poetry, discussions about poetry and the big bad world of digital – a ‘colloquy’ of five poets from diverse backgrounds. In the first half we had readings from Carrie Etter, Hannah Lowe, Gregory Leadbetter and Richard Price, and in the second they formed a round table chaired byRead more ⟶
Some poetry magazine submissions windows now open
For behold! Some windows are now opening, namely… Agenda – opens today, June 1st – with the promise of a 12 week turnaround time. Submit by email only. Bare Fiction – submit now for Issue 8, deadline 10th July. Popshot – is announcing its theme for the next issue tomorrow (June 2nd) Long Poem MagazineRead more ⟶
A few poetry comp deadlines coming up
This is the post I set out to write before I got sidetracked with my last one! So enough with the musings. I just wanted to mention some poetry competition deadlines coming up. Like London buses, they all seem to come at once, so I hope you’ve got a nice bagful of competition-winning poems at theRead more ⟶
Thank you, Dr Upadhayay
I was one of those lucky people who enjoyed school, and whose English teachers (and I will name them, by way of a belated thank you – Dr Upadhayay and Mr Jennings) believed I had some writing ability and encouraged it. But I couldn’t see what they saw and thought it was utterly ridiculous toRead more ⟶