I’m very pleased to be taking part in an online reading this coming Friday 19th February at 1pm. Live Canon, the lovely publisher of my 2019 pamphlet Why? is hosting a series of weekly lunchtime readings, and this week it’s the turn of Adham Smart, Gillie Robic, Laura Theis and myself. I’ve only done twoRead more ⟶
Category: Poet’s Tips
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 ⟶
Those tips from Don Paterson again…
I was doing a bit of editing yesterday and looked back on some of the notes I’d made from various workshops, and then I remember this blog post from 2012. Yes, nearly 8 years ago, a heck of a long time in politics but a few seconds in poetics. Anyway, I thought I’d reblog it,Read more ⟶
Those poetry ‘banned words’ again
Another perennial topic that poets always seem to enjoy debating – what are the ‘banned’ words? The word ‘shard’ came up the other evening at Hasting Stanza and I couldn’t help but mention that it was ‘on the list’ – to which the response was, ‘can you do a blog post about this?’ Is itRead 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 ⟶
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 ⟶
Tips for open mic poetry…
[View the story “What are your top 3 tips for a poetry open mic?” on Storify]
Should poems be read from memory?
I’ve only really started reading poems from memory this year, but rarely an entire set. I admire those poets who not only memorise long, often VERY long poems, but communicate them with panache and seeming ease. But is reading from memory a requirement of a memorable reading? Does reading from memory always enhance the listener’s experience? Just howRead more ⟶
Reading from memory – the sequel
Well I did it. Yesterday evening at Lauderdale House in Highgate I recited two of my poems from memory. It was actually the perfect set-up – no microphone (which I usually like having, but in this case I was concerned it would prevent me from moving freely), the chairs set out in a semi circle,Read more ⟶
Dealing with Literary Rejections: Six Viewpoints
I was asked yesterday ‘how’s the writing going?’ which is always an interesting one to answer. First you have to gauge if it’s a genuine enquiry, or a generic ‘how’s things?’ A non-writer friend probably doesn’t want to hear a long moan about rejections. But submissions, and in particular rejections, is one of the unavoidable andRead more ⟶