Help! I’m just emerging from a fraught couple of weeks. Two weeks ago our cat Bobby suddenly developed a life-threatening condition. He’d only been officially ‘ours’ for less than a fortnight. He’s on the mend now, but I think the shock of it all (including not being insured, plus a week or so of cleaningRead more ⟶
Category: Podcast
Faith, hope and podcasting
The sun is shining and I’m going to be gardening this afternoon. The weather is becoming less glacial and I may even be able to plant out the tomatoes. Hurray! I feel my mood lifting. The diary for May and June promises much, it looks like Nick will be working again after 15 months ofRead more ⟶
Purgatory and the wonders (and pains) of technology
After the excitement of having my site invaded last week, and the subsequent tsunami of ‘new posts’ about ‘how to make a salad’ or ‘best value beanies’ etc (could have been a lot worse I suppose), I thought I ought to write a genuine post if nothing else to check whether I still have anyRead more ⟶
Readings this coming week, Planet Poetry & Uni stuff
Today feels like a desk-work day even though the sun is shining outside – we did go for a long walk on the Downs yesterday and I always need a day to recover after sustained exercise, although of course I have to keep up my Yoga with Adriene sessions! It was cold and frosty upRead more ⟶
Swimming again… in poetry
Not my own, no, but now that term has ended I’ve got a fair few books to catch up with. What I’m Looking For (Penguin, 2019) is a ‘selected’ by US poet Maureen McLane gathered from five collections 2005 – 2017. I first came across her work in a York Uni seminar, and enjoyed theRead more ⟶
– and + and so it goes
A teeny bit of a moan How’s things with you? Well, I hope. During the first lockdown I was happy to enjoy the garden and revel in the novelty of it all. I trusted (more or less) what we were being told. I admit I’m feeling a bit ground down by it all now. I’ve justRead more ⟶
So no fireworks this week then? Hmmm
What a week. That election (can’t bring myself to watch). Another lockdown starts. Planet Poetry Episode 2 coming up. And I’ve just turned 60. Planet Poetry Peter Kenny and I were thrilled and touched by the feedback on our podcast first episode. Episode 2 goes live on Thursday, when I’m interviewing Clare Shaw (yeah, baby!)Read more ⟶
Planet Poetry takes off
A quick time out from poring over Virgil… The first episode of Planet Poetry is launching this afternoon, stand back! We’re starting with a big hitter – Pascale Petit gives a fascinating interview about her collection Tiger Girl (shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection – results this weekend!) and the themes in her work.Read 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 ⟶
Into the serious reading, plus a podcast brewing
In the last few weeks I’ve been gearing up to the start of my course at York. The logistics are all up in the air, not surprisingly given the many variables and with you-know-what going on. Next week is Week 1, and yesterday I received a swathe of information about changed timetables, reading lists, inductionRead more ⟶