Podcast – Robin Houghton

Blog/ 02/01/2025

New Year, new book and other news

Oof! December was a blur of concerts and all that entailed, then family stuff and various resolutions. Between Christmas and New Year we managed not one but two mini-breaks: the first was a day in London which included an excellent guided walk of Nine Elms & Battersea with Hilaire. The next day we took off to the north Kent coast, staying in Tankerton and doing a whistle-stop tour of Thanet’s seaside towns. I love a bit of dereliction for its photo opportunities, but it is a shame to see how run-down Margate seems to be. Nevertheless it was my favourite of the places we visited, albeit very briefly. There’s a youthful, arty vibe to it.

Back on the computer, by posting a comment on a Substack a while back I seem to have got a bunch of new followers there, even though I’ve never posted an article there as far I know. I can’t spread my online time any thinner. Blog or Substack..?

Then the Blue Sky experiment. I haven’t been posting regularly there, although I still prefer it to Twitter, and have certainly come across many more interesting folks. However I’ve spent a fair bit of time monitoring new followers and blocking those that appear to be either bots or agents. They invariably present as men in their sixties, straight out of a catalogue, smiling, posing with a boat or car or something outdoorsy, usually without a biog or else it’s an AI one-liner such as ‘Enjoying all that life has to offer!’ or ‘Be kind to me I’m new here!’ They are usually following zillions of people and if they’ve posted at all it’s just vapid photos or re-posts that suggest a political agenda. I suppose a lot of people just follow back when someone follows them, which is why these fake accounts exist – to disseminate crap on an industrial scale. It was one of the things that did for Twitter and I’m sorry (but not surprised) to see it happening on Blue Sky. All we need is for all the trolls, eejits and troublemakers to start posting and feeding the bots. So let’s hope they stay away.

The collection is coming along. First round of edits & comments received from publisher. I’ll be going through them very soon. We’re still hoping to hit a March launch. Let’s see! I’ve got a few readings set up now, but need to arrange some more. First of all I’m reading at Red Door Poets on January 21st in Covent Garden, as the guest of Gillie Robic. I don’t know yet who the other readers are but I’m sure it’ll be a good night, with an open mic too, so please come if you’re in London/willing & able.

One thing I plan to do more of in 2025 is writing poems. Sounds simple, eh? I’ve got an idea for a proto-pamphlet in the pipeline, which I’d like to self-publish in hand-made form and have it to sell alongside the ‘big book’ at readings.

I’m still fully committed to Planet Poetry, despite Peter and I missing out on any ACE funding. On the other hand, we’ve got a small number of people supporting us on buymeacoffee.com for which we are inordinately grateful as it helps to relieve the financial burden. And of course my quarterly poetry submissions spreadsheet, which I wonder how long I can continue with to be honest!

Meanwhile the music continues… two one-day workshops coming up, for which I am the admin. And another unrelated project which starts next month. More on that at a later date.

Happy New Year to you, thanks for reading this blog and I hope your 2025 proves to be a goodie.

Blog/ 03/10/202402/10/2024

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

medieval women exhibition at the British LIbrary

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 various Christmas concerts, book projects, the podcast starting its fifth season, the garden to be tidied up (though the tomatoes keep coming)…

A week or two ago I was in Seaford reading poems mostly from the new collection (still forthcoming!), plus a couple from Foot Wear. I took with me the last five copies of Foot Wear and sold four, which means there’s only one left of the limited edition run. Not sure if it’s a left or a right foot, teehee. Perhaps I should auction it??

Meanwhile I was very excited to see there’s a forthcoming exhibition at the British Library called ‘Medieval Women: In their Own Words’ which has started me submitting my novel to another round of agents. Medieval women is a thing! Just look at Janina Ramirez on TV, and her brilliant book Femina. You may have guessed I’m a bit of a fangirl. Come on, lit agents: there’s a lot of interest in strong 14th century women!

In submissions news, I’ve had a bit of a dry summer as regards writing new poems, but I’m very pleased to have one in the new Frogmore Papers and another forthcoming in Black Nore Review on October 17th.

Currently reading: Ellen Cranitch’s new collection Crystal, and Tony Hoagland’s final collection Turn up the Ocean – the latter I picked up in the Poetry Book Shop in Hay on Wye in the summer. Both books are from Bloodaxe.

audio/ 12/08/2024

A finale, a winning poem and some forthcoming readings

A few hot days of summer are here, yay! We had a dip in the sea this morning at a secret location, keeping well clear of the little seal colony that was basking on the rocks, bellowing to each other now and then, probably annoyed to see humans on their beach!

Then I was just trying to stay cool indoors at my desk, clearing up emails and so on, when I realised I hadn’t blogged here for a while. So what’s been happening? Let me see.

There’s a week or so to go until the DYCP deadline, and Peter and I are going to try for some funding to help us with the Planet Poetry podcast. We’re not hopeful, but I put together an application six months ago only to miss the deadline by a couple of hours. So I’ve nothing to lose in trying now, I suppose (except for a day or two of my life going over it and changing it all of course.) We have a handful of kind supporters who donate, and we’re very grateful to them, but it’s a drop in the ocean. Without funding, I can’t see us being able to produce Planet Poetry indefinitely, alas, but we’re committed to one more series at least and then let’s see. We finished Season Four a couple of weeks ago with an unusual episode in which we interviewed each other for a change, about our own forthcoming publications. It kind of broke our own rule of not talking about our own work. But hey, after four years I think we deserve to be a bit self-indulgent. Here we were when we recorded Episode 13 of Season 4, over by the sunny Seaford beachhuts.

Although Planet Poetry is now on its holidays, we’ve already got some exciting poets lined up for October onwards when we start Season Five. One interview in the bag and a couple more on the way.

Meanwhile, a wee sonnet of mine which was published in June by Ink Sweat & Tears was voted its ‘poem of the month’ – possibly down to the fact that I petitioned my entire mailing list of poets to place their votes – although I did not ask them to vote for my poem of course! Anyway, if you’d like to read it and hear me reading it, the poem and a recording is here on the I S & T website. I was very touched indeed by the comments the poem received.

Other poetry-related stuff I’ve been up to: writing a review of a collection by Simon Alderwick for the Frogmore Papers, re-reading Ovid’s Heroides for a project I’m working on, and contacting poetry groups and Stanzas to ask if anyone will have me give a reading in early 2025, when I’m hoping my book will be out with Pindrop Press. So far I’m reading at Seaford next month and at the Poets’ Cafe Reading in March, with dates at Chichester and Eastbourne yet to be fixed. Hopefully more to come, if I’m to sell some books!

Now back to some lovely box-filling and wordcount checking. Wish me luck!

PS I took the ‘bench art’ photo in Turin, on the roof of the old Fiat factory that’s now part- shopping mall part-art gallery and part-rooftop garden where the old test track still circles.

Blog/ 29/05/2024

Subs, poddie, choirs & a greenhouse

When you login to your blog and see there are 16 updates required it can only mean one thing – it’s been a bit neglected! So here’s a somewhat belated update…

The podcast is nearing the end of its fourth season! When it comes to the home stretch Peter and I tend to get a bit exhausted, but the last couple of interviews of the season will be goodies and in July we’re going to try for an ACE DYCP grant. The chances of getting one are probably zero, but we have to try. Running the poddie isn’t cheap – we have two very kind regular supporters but would need about a hundred to cover our costs. Anyway, wish us luck.

I’ve also been doing some editing of the new collection, looking at where there might be holes and what I need to write to fill them. Which has led to more writing, and I’ve been submitting again after a hiatus. Despite a few rejections, I’m delighted to say there’s work forthcoming in The Frogmore Papers and Ink, Sweat & Tears, two of the longest-running poetry zines, still going after many years while so many others crash and burn. If running a magazine is anything like running a podcast I can empathise!

On the novel-writing front my medieval mystery hasn’t yet had any interest from agents, but a second book is in the planning stages and it’s quite different, so it will be fun to get stuck into that when the time feels right.

Meanwhile I’m just back from a short trip to the Netherlands with the Lewes Singers: great singing, very social and lovely to be in Leiden. But the awfulness of airports and flying is so depressing. Yes, we should have gone by train, but last time we did that the journey was a nightmare. It’s all a matter of luck I suppose.

Now I’ve got to finish my end of month submissions alert email. And next there’s the spreadsheet to update. It’s a good time to sign up if you haven’t already. Plus a programme to create for the East Sussex Community Choir’s Haydn concert on June 29th. Oh, and seedlings to pot on, tomatoes to worry over and courgettes to encourage. Did I mention that Nick and I recently erected a little greenhouse, on the three hottest days of the year? The garden is calling…

Angst/ 21/02/2024

And there goes February flying past…

This is not my favourite time of year I confess, although I love all the early signs of Spring – the first sunny days, the first buds, daffodils and birdsong. Just look how grand the beach looked the other day! We even had breakfast outside on Friday! But this month in particular I’ve been plagued by asthma. Struggling to swim, or jog, or even walk uphill is a bit depressing. I’m managing to do a little yoga, and I’m still singing, although my chest sometimes hurts afterwards. Roll on warmer and dryer weather.

But what about the writing, you might ask. I’m kind of in a no-man’s land at the moment. I’m not writing poetry with any great intent. But I feel as if I might be moving towards writing something. Hard to describe the feeling really but it’s there.

As regards the prose, I’ve had two rejections so far of my manuscript, with four more probably to come. I will send it out to another six agents, but unless I get a bite I’m not spending any more time on it now. I feel as if that ship has sailed. On a positive note, I’ve already started on the characters and an outline plot for another book. I’ve got a list of the mistakes I think I made in the first one, and the things I could do better this time, starting with characterisation. I’m also setting this one in the present day. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Meanwhile I’ve started putting out feelers for readings early next year when my poetry collection will be coming out with Pindrop Press. So if you have any suggestions of places I might read, please let me know. I will travel (within reason!)

And of course Planet Poetry is my regular connection to the poetry world. I’m continual kept on my toes by our excellent guests, and by my co-host Peter. Interviews I have planned in the next few weeks include Roy McFarlane and Seni Seneviratne, both of whose work I’ve really enjoyed getting up close with.

Coming up: This Friday 23rd I’ll be in Seaford to hear my poetry pal Antony Mair reading his work at the Seahaven Poets Open Mic, then on Sunday 25th at 4pm my group The Lewes Singers are giving a concert at St Saviour’s Church Eastbourne. The church is huge, so I hope we have at least fifty people in the audience or else we shall be rattling around! The interior of St Saviour’s is gorgeous – Victorian ‘arts and crafts’ red brick, beautiful mosaics all around the walls and an amazing painted ceiling.

Art/ 12/12/2023

Look to the future now, it’s only just begun

Ah, Christmas. Busy busy. I still haven’t made a nice door wreath but when it stops raining I’ll be up the garden gathering foliage and berries. Next week I’m Christmas-crafting with the granddaughters (cutout snowflakes? stars for the tree? I think the only no-no is glitter… not sure anyone uses that anymore anyway!)

A meet-up with old school friends tomorrow, and a big concert in Lewes Town Hall on Saturday Jostling for place on the programme we have Vivaldi Gloria and later on ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, so something for everyone. As the years go by I do think Slade’s shopping-mall classic has weathered well. Can anyone argue with those lyrics? Nice one, Noddy and Jimmy.

Meanwhile Peter Kenny and I have been trying to get the latest Planet Poetry episode in the bag, but struggling with tech issues. I’m hoping it will be up by 4pm Thursday. It’s our Christmas episode so not to be missed!

Have I written anything lately? Not really, although I was inspired by the Marina Abramovic show at the Royal Academy. Challenging and thought-provoking. I feel something is coming of it, in terms of poetry…

On the same day as Abramovic I was at the Nutcracker reimagined, a dance performance as part of the South Bank Winter Festival. I’ve seen the Royal Ballet version and this wasn’t it – but it was equally brilliant. And I love performances where I’m so close I feel a part of the action. (Although I confess I did baulk at Abramovic’s ‘Imponderabilia’.) Lucy and I had front-row seats and narrowly missed being knocked out by a high kick and showered in confetti.

In the New Year both Peter and myself are reading at Needlewriters in Lewes, on January 11th. It’ll be my first reading in ages. I need to get back into the swing of things, and with a collection coming out next year I’ll need to start begging for opportunities, which I’ve never been great at. Please come to Needlewriters if you are anywhere near. Friendly faces very welcome!

The New Year also sees a renewed effort to get my novel out the door and into the slippery inboxes of lit agents. Let’s hope it hits them just as they’ve had a nice lunch and are feeling all is well with the world.

At the weekend we were in Rye, a little town that seems to have come on considerably since the pandemic. Many more interesting shops but still charming. At Lamb House, a National Trust place that has been the home to Henry James, E. F. Benson (who wrote the Mapp and Lucia books) and Rumer Godden, they have a ‘seventies’ themed Christmas going on. Perfect! Blue Peter annuals, paper chains, Angel Delight and – erm – Slade on the record player. Someone had a lovely time putting that together!

Blog/ 10/10/2023

All kinds of poetry news and shenanigans

"Bird in a Wilderness" Hastings Stanza Poetry Anthology

I like the word shenanigans, don’t you? Although as I just check its meaning I see it can mean underhand goings-on. I don’t have anything underhand to report, but a few things happening now that Autumn is kicking in (just). And my birthday is approaching – always a time of fluidity and change.

Poem submissions

The blockage has finally cleared! Poems that had been gathering dust in numerous in-trays have finally come back to me, all with a polite ‘no thanks’ attached. Oh well. Although having said that, I’ve two poems forthcoming in South magazine and another two in the Hastings Stanza Anthology ‘Bird in a Wilderness’ which we’re launching on Friday October 20 at The White Rock Hotel, Hastings at 7 pm – if you’re anywhere near, do come! The book is partly in aid of The Refugee Buddy Project that does wonderful work in welcoming refugees in the Hastings area.

Readings/launches

Clare Best is launching her new book Beyond the Gate from Worple Press this evening in London, compered by none other than my old poddy mate Peter Kenny, so I am braving the train journey north and dodging the replacement buses to be there.

On Thursday I’m looking forward to Needlewriters in Lewes, which I haven’t managed to get to for a while, and it’s always a lovely social Lewes event. Reading from their new collections will be Janet Sutherland and Richard Skinner.

Also on Thursday is the ‘season opener’ of Planet Poetry Season Four – yup! We’re still going strong…and as befits the first episode we have a special guest… poetry royalty, you could say…

Novel stuff

My ‘hot new bestseller’ is at a crucial stage – basically I’m re-writing the ending. It will be much better for it, and transition coolly into Book Two. I’m a month behind schedule but will definitely be submitting to agents before the end of October.

Music stuff

My choir the Lewes Singers has its concert this coming Saturday which I know will be lovely, but that doesn’t stop me checking bookings every day and hoping we will cover our costs with ticket sales! Next month I’ll be taking part in a big Verdi Requiem in Brighton with two big choirs which will be fun. Plus, on my birthday can you believe, I’ve been press-ganged by a friend to take part in one of her musical soirees in which friends and neighbours agree to listen to various musical turns by amateurs. So I’ll be donning some dreadful costume and hamming it up on something called ‘The Stepsisters’ Lament’. Gawds, I can’t believe I’m admitting to it.

Blog/ 01/09/202327/08/2023

Current poetry reading and podcast prep

My phase of reading nowt but historical novels is over (for now) as I get my poetry head back on in preparation for Season Four (gulp!) of Planet Poetry.

First up, I’ve been doing a deep dive into Leontia Flynn‘s brand new collection Taking Liberties (Cape). It’s wonderful work and I’m feeling quite energised by it (meaning: it’s inspired me to write something that may be a poem.) I’ll be interviewing Leontia on the pod, really looking forward to that.

Also on the ‘to be read’ pile is Caroline Bird‘s The Air Year (Carcanet) which picked up a whole ton of awards in 2020. I’ve not yet been hit by the ‘Bird Love Bomb’ that many others speak of, so I shall read it with keen anticipation.

I was a fangirl in my teenage years of Brian Patten, and I’m still hoping we can coax him onto the poddy. In the meantime I’ve been loving, loving his Selected Poems (Penguin 2007). Even lovelier is that having bought it second-hand, I discovered it’s a signed copy, ‘To Liz’ – the name I was given at birth. Spooky!

I’ve also recently read another prize-winning collection Hannah Lowe’s The Kids (Bloodaxe 2021) and enjoyed it immensely. Recommended.

Angst/ 07/08/2023

In the summertime when the weather is fine…

July seemed to pass in a soggy blur

How’s your summer going? As I recall, I went to several concerts last month, as well as a dress rehearsal at Glyndebourne, doncha know, although we couldn’t stay till the final act as Nick had a rehearsal to play for and we only have the one car. Plus, as there was a train strike that day he had to drive me several miles in the opposite direction so I could pick up a bus to get me home, then motor back to Lewes for his rehearsal. Actually train strikes and go-slows have made for a miserable month, almost as much as the weather. A day out in London ended with a four and a half hour journey back via Blackfriars, South Norwood, Balham, London Bridge, Gatwick, Lewes and Seaford, in that order (train, train, tube, train, train, train and bus). Joyous! And in other news, I finally heard back from a magazine after a 13 month wait. It was a no, in case you’re wondering.

Enough of all this negativity!

On the good news front, I finally sent out another collection submission to a publisher. Well, it might be bad news of course, but good that I sent it at least.

Also, Beth Miller critiqued my book submission letter and synopsis and asked some very difficult questions, which has led to me doing some serious re-writes. But I’m still aiming to start submitting it to agents in September. Meanwhile I’ve started plotting the next book.

Peter and I had our Planet Poetry AGM today, and we’ve lots of ideas for our fourth season which begins in October, plus, while we’re in the close season we’re going to showcase a few of our favourite archive episodes.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to a wee trip to London to see & hear Voces8 in a prom, not to mention a whole week away next month in Wales, plus a family get-together. And although it hasn’t been the best year for gardening, we have a bumper crop of tomatoes and even a few beans. Happy days!

Blog/ 16/07/202316/07/2023

Round up: poems, podcast, garden, new photos…

News round-up time… written in haste, before the Wimbledon Men’s final…

The Pod

Peter Kenny and I have just wrapped up the last episode of Season 3 of Planet Poetry. Our guest was Richard Skinner, a fitting ‘finale’ as he led us through a fascinating poetry landscape in which OuLiPo, curtal sonnets, Caedmon and cutups all made an appearance. Then Peter and I had a chat and a beer in the potting shed. It’s been an exciting but exhausting season and we can hardly believe the poddy is still going strong!

You couldn’t make it up

Well, I did actually, but will anyone buy it? My novel submission materials are undergoing a beady-eyed review by author and book coach Beth Miller, whose expert opinion I need and value, prior to leaping into the lion’s cage of literary agents. Gulp!

Other things that have been keeping me busy

The Hastings Stanza Anthology coming along and the nit-picking finally done I think, writing reviews for the Frogmore Papers (delectably short!), cranking up plans for the Lewes Singers next season, producing a 4-page advertorial for the East Sussex Community Choir and DementiaUK, trying to get a front door replaced on my late sister’s flat in Guildford… and so forth.

Poetry forthcoming

I’ve two poems appearing in Ben Banyard’s excellent Black Nore Review tomorrow (17th July). Ben is a rare editor – one who promises (and delivers, certainly in my case) to respond to submissions within two weeks – !

Murder in the Garden

No, not the next novel, just an admission that I managed to kill one of only two courgette plants that made it to maturity, by mistaking the main stem for a dead leaf, and cut it… after months of nurturing (when it was small I even sheltered it from the hot sun with an umbrella tethered to the ground), I was truly upset. And now its remaining mate is struggling to produce any courgettes, so I can only assume it’s in mourning too. Bad Robin!

Ready for your headshot

Yep, last week I got some new photos done (in readiness for all that Booker Prize publicity – tee hee!) Nothing makes you feel more confident (in my humble opinion) than a professional photoshoot. I’ve rubbed along with selfies and ancient headshots for a number of years, but as Nick needed photos too we asked photographer Sarah Weal for help. I can only describe her as an absolute magician, making us look like we mean business, but still very much us. I couldn’t help myself but use one of the shots she took as a featured image to this post. Forgive me! Anyway, even if the book deals never happen, I will love looking at these photos in ten or twenty years’ time (fingers crossed) and say “look how amazing and young we were!”

Category: Podcast