On National Poetry Day: getting autumnal, Medieval women, currently reading

An blog update for National Poetry Day! To celebrate, not only have I just recorded an interview with the immensely talented Tishani Doshi for Planet Poetry, but this evening I’ll be at Hastings Stanza for some poem sharing and workshopping. All very fitting. Everything’s cranking up now it’s the autumn: the publicity machine for variousRead more ⟶

The positives of submitting less to magazines

I recently came across this blog post by Naush Sabah about why we send our poems to magazines (or not). I’m in agreement with her on just about all of it, although I needed telling some things; for example: You needn’t seek to publish every poem you write. Some work is for the drawer, someRead more ⟶

So this is Christmas, and what have I done?

Oh no! I can see I haven’t posted for several weeks, has there really been nothing to talk about? Let me see… First of all, nothing to do with poetry but my Covid experience was pretty mild in the end. So as far I’m concerned the jabs were worth it. Plus we’ve made it toRead more ⟶

New podcast, plus new updated ‘Guide to getting published in UK poetry mags’

Eeek! I’m trying to fight a sense of overwhelm at the moment even though it’s all good things that are overwhelming me. Keeping my weekly work commitments going and doing all the reading and cogitating required for my course, which this term is a whistle-stop tour of the English Lit canon (week 3: Virgil &Read more ⟶

Advice to a poet, and a curious birthday thing

Q: Who are these poets and what do they (almost) have in common? (Answers below…) Advice lines Recently I came across this delightful and very relevant piece on the Poetry Ireland website: Advice to a Poet – words of wisdom from Maurice Harmon, critic, biographer, editor, literary historian and poet. Even the title has anRead more ⟶

A few thoughts on ‘truth’

One of the things I like very much about the US poetry magazine Rattle is the ‘Conversation’ at the back. It’s basically editor Timothy Green interviewing a poet, presented as a verbatim conversation, and it feels so immediate, like you’re listening in to a phone call or something, or an unedited podcast. The fact thatRead more ⟶

A midsummer stock-take

It’s the longest day of the year here, and the hottest. I love these long days and warm evenings and we’ve been making the most of the garden and living by the sea. Somehow blogging seems less appealing! However, having just been inspired by Marina Sofia’s Fortnightly Round-up, I thought maybe it was time forRead more ⟶

Marion Tracy spills the beans

On becoming a poet in Australia, putting images in the wrong order, and John Ashbery’s baskets: in conversation with Marion Tracy. When I asked poet friend Marion Tracy if she’d like to guest on my blog, we both had several ideas of what form it might take. We met, and chatted through it – I’ve known MarionRead more ⟶

Seven Questions for Poets #10 – Elly Nobbs

My final interviewee in this series is E.E. Nobbs. Elly is a Canadian poet whose book The Invisible Girl won the Doire Press International Chapbook Competition in 2013. I almost feel I’ve met Elly – she’s a bit of a poetry Anglophile given her impressive presence on our UK poetry blogs, at The Poetry School and numerous other places.Read more ⟶

Seven Questions for Poets #9 – Rosemary Badcoe

This is the penultimate post in this ‘Seven Questions’ series, I’ve hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have – there have been some really interesting and surprising answers, but also a fair bit of consistency – particularly when it comes to recommendations for non-poetry readers, and reactions to being asked to read atRead more ⟶