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 offRead more ⟶
Category: Roundups
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.Read more ⟶
A quickfire ‘personal canon’
The other evening I was in Lewes listening to Jackie Wills and Grace Nichols being interviewed by Mark Hewitt. One of the topics they discussed was the idea of having a ‘personal canon’, in other words those poets or poetry collections that have either been formative influences, or that you dip into regularly for inspiration.Read more ⟶
Oh hello! Quick catch up
What was I doing all last month? Mostly singing (I passed my Grade 8 with merit – hurrah!), the odd party (friends with birthdays and/or launches), gardening (what was possible with the scaffolding up), executor stuff for my sister, making jam & chutney from all the rhubarb, and seeing an old friend from my adidas/NikeRead more ⟶
On poetry magazines: The A3 Review
You know how I’m a bit of a sucker for interesting poetry formats? Well, I’ve often wondered what The A3 Review was all about – a paean to the London to Portsmouth road, perhaps? Or a massive mag that won’t go through your letterbox? I bought a copy of issue #13 to find it’s neitherRead more ⟶
Drum roll please, the essay is submitted (and other news)
End of my first year on the MA Poetry & Poetics On Tuesday I submitted my Spring term essay (HURRAH!), and well before the deadline, so no stress, except for not being able to find anything on my desk under the various piles of articles, but they are now all filed away. (This is theRead more ⟶
On over-exposure and other poetry ups and downs
It’s been a busy few weeks. To tell the truth, I’m feeling a little over-exposed. You know how annoying it is: Poet X has just launched this, then it’s announced they’re going to be judging some competition or other, then someone has just interviewed them or whatever and you just think I’ve had enough ofRead more ⟶
On poetry magazines: Stand, Agenda, The Dark Horse
This is the second in my mini-series on UK & Irish poetry magazines. The three featured today are all long-standing publications. Stand started up in 1954, when, according to the website, “Jon Silkin used his £5 redundancy money, received after trying to organise some of his fellow manual workers, to found a magazine which would ‘stand’Read 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 ⟶
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 ⟶