Tag: ambit

Books/

Pre half-term round-up: submissions, events, other writing

October is my favourite month, partly because it’s the start of the run-up to Christmas with all sorts of musical things to come, before then of course Bonfire Night in Lewes – always an annual high point. Plus I have a birthday, and it’s generally a time for a stock-take and a bit of ‘where am I in my life?’ internal Q & A. I’ll spare you the full depths of the navel-gazing, but here are some of the projects occupying me at the moment:

Writing/submissions etc – not much to report, I haven’t given much time to writing in recent weeks, sadly, but I’m not stressing about it. In anticipation of one or two rejections which I believe are due in the next month, I sent out a few poems last week – I’m trying Ambit again, although I swore not to – can’t get out of my head the idea that I have stuff that belongs there. As regards lost submissions (one of the issues that plagues me) – for those publications that still require postal submissions I’ve taken to enclosing a stamped addressed postcard which just says ‘poems safely received at XYZ magazine’ for the mag to post back to me – which seemed like a trouble-free way of acknowledging receipt. More publications are now using Submittable, which I really like, and I also don’t mind paying £1 to submit (eg to Iota). I’ve blogged before about this and the subsequent poll was split.

Last year I missed the deadline for the National Poetry Comp, so this year I’m determined to enter something at least. I’ve never done well in the big comps, but hey, who knows. As for the pamphlet competitions, I’m tempted to try Iota Shots again (deadline Nov 10th), as  I’ve tightened up my short themed pamphlet and think it might now stand a chance. But I don’t think I’ll be trying the Poetry Business comp, because I’m not sure I’ve got 20 good-enough poems, and that’s not a competition I want to enter half-cocked. Maybe next year.

Other writing – yesterday I got my hands on a preview copy of ‘Blogging for Writers’ which was very exciting. It’s going to be available in shops in a few weeks’ time, and I’m planning a blog tour – yee haa! More about this on the website in due course. Then ‘The Golden Rules of Blogging (and How to Break Them)’ is due out in March 2015, and there’s already been interest from some prominent bookshops in staging readings / Q & A sessions. Double yee-haa!

Also, I have an article on blogging to write for Poetry News – if you’re reading this and thinking “Hmm… I remember Robin asking me some questions for this many months ago..” then you’re not wrong – it’s that very same piece, but there was no room for it in the last edition, so it’s going to be either in the Winter or the Spring issue. I have to write this TODAY.

Telltale Press –  Peter and I have been given some hot tips for potential Telltale poets and we’re in the process of feeling our way in that direction. Slow steps but it’s happening – both Peter and I have a lot of stuff on at the moment but we’re determined not to lose the momentum of the launch events, which were such a lift.

Readings etc – this evening is the quarterly Needlewriters event here in Lewes, with readings from Sian Thomas and Liz Bahs (poetry) and Colin Bell (prose). I’ll be doing the introductions which will be fun, particularly as I know all three readers. Always a lovely local vibe, in a cafe just yards from my house – would be perfect if I could have a glass of wine but today being a Thursday it’s no alcohol. Boo!

Next month I’ll be reading at the Poetry Society AGM at the wonderful Keats House – which feels like a big deal!  Rumour has it I’ll be one of the support acts to Daljit Nagra … I’m now over the initial excitement and into the slightly nervous period. But I won’t be stressing about WHAT to read until nearer the time (I hope).

Meanwhile I’ve already booked tickets for the T S Eliot prize readings in January – 10% off if you book before November 1st! I’ve really enjoyed it the last couple of years, big thanks to poet friends Charlotte and Julia for introducing me to this event.

A few plans for this blog – I’ve got two wonderful poets lined up to feature in the next couple of weeks, plus plans for a regular ‘regional focus’ – I’m going to be poking my nose into what’s happening down your way, and reporting back. Poets, there’s nowhere to hide!

Bloggers/

End of year thank yous, submissions news, plans

Daisy by the Xmas treeHappy Holidays (or non-denominational winter festival, etc). Wouldn’t it be great to end the year on a ‘good news’ note? You know – I’ve suddenly been snapped up by Faber, or something – but I’ve nothing exciting to report on the submissions front, sadly: yet another no from Ambit, and a very swift no from HappenStance (very generous of Nell Nelson to read and respond so quickly and thoughtfully, even though I sensed she found my poems a tad yawn-worthy. Clearly I must do better if I want to raise myself above the swollen river of poetic same-ness that constantly darkens her door. Oh dear, there’s a lovely mixed metaphor for you – I rest my case…)

Oddly enough I don’t feel knocked back. I’m strangely optimistic about 2014, and determined to make something happen rather than be passive about it all. What that means exactly I’m not sure, it’s just a kernel of a feeling for now … will let you know!

There’s plenty of poetry business to keep me out of mischief in January: a trip to the T S Eliot Award readings on 13th – I have poet friend Julia to thank for introducing me to this annual poets’ gathering. Great fun! Also, I’ve lately got involved with Needlewriters here in Lewes, and am pledged to help publicise it – next event is on 16th, with Kay Syrad, Patricia McCarthy and John Usher. Plus there’s Brighton Stanza to think about – next meeting on 20th and some planning to be done before then.

I’m planning also for the Lewes Singers, our occasional choir – two concerts in 2014 and cathedral visits for 2015 and 2016 – yes, they have to be booked that far ahead! The Church of England may be struggling for attendees these days and plenty of the less glamorous cathedrals are desperately strapped for cash, but there will always be a ton of choirs wanting to sing in them.  Sadly, it’s regular church goers and visitors who are needed, for their donations, whereas visiting choirs contribute nothing except their singing. A bit unfair of us really. The unevenness of this reminds me of the situation in poetry, vis a vis readers / writers.

I was very lucky this Christmas, not only did my lovely other half buy me a copy of A London Year, 365 Days of City Life in Diaries, Journals and Letters by Travis Elborough, which I’ve coveted for a while, but Stepson also came up trumps and presented me with the Centenary Edition of William Blake’s Poetry and Prose. Blake! Just the thing I need to clear my brain after a bit of Christmas excess and trashy reading.

This will probably be my last post for 2013, so I wanted to mention some of my favourite poetry blogs/poet bloggers and generous Poetgal supporters … thank you all so much for the wonderful posts, discussion, comments, shares/retweets, camaraderie and support: Josephine Corcoran at And Other Poems, Abegail Morley at The Poetry Shed, Anthony Wilson, Meg Cox, Isabel Rogers, Jean Tubridy at Social Bridge, Jayne Stanton, Elly Nobbs, Hilda Sheehan and Lynne Hjelmgaard. And apologies to anyone I’ve omitted. You are all brilliant and it’s a pleasure to know you (even if virtually).

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and I wish you a healthy, happy and successful 2014! Robin x

Angst/

A literary lunch, a rejection and a Robert Frost mystery

Emerging from the fug of the common cold, what should greet me but a ‘no thanks’ notification from Ambit. It seemed like an automated/standard reply this time, so I think I have to give up on it for now. The last rejection I had from them felt more personal and encouraging.  I think three or four rejections in a row (can’t remember how many it’s been with Ambit, actually) from a mag is a fairly strong indicator that my stuff just isn’t their bag. (Unless I’ve had something published by them before, which is quite different.) So Ambit now joins the ‘probably not’ list. (If the list gets too long I may have to revise my strategy but at the moment it works fine!)

On the positive side, I had a very nice time on Tuesday at the Chelsea Arts Club where my lovely agent (for my non-fiction writing) was hosting a Christmas lunch for some of her authors. A great chance to meet other (far more successful) writers and get enthused about everything from space exploration to Norris McWhirter. Imagine my excitement to meet a fellow poet there by the name of Liz Dean. Liz told me she had a fair amount of work published a few years back, but other projects have taken her away from the poetry scene lately. We talked about magazines, submissions, pamphlets, the way forward and so forth. She made a suggestion which I found intriguing and came away thinking “Yes, I will do that in 2014…” We actually shook hands on it, so indeed I must do it! I won’t say any more now, but all will be revealed here in the fullness of time. Ha ha!

The news that Douglas Dunn has won the Queen’s Medal for poetry had me panicking that I’d not read a thing by him. Well, ‘panicking’ is probably too strong a word, but that general feeling of “oh no! here’s another famous poet I haven’t read or even heard of! what the bloody hell do I think I’m doing, noodling about writing poetry or even having the PRESUMPTION to call myself a sortofpoet when my knowledge of The Canon is so completely inadequate” – that kind of thing.

So partly in a knee-jerk reaction and partly because I needed to return Simon Armitage’s Tyrannosaurus Rex versus the Cordoroy Kid (many gems there) I went to the library and spent an hour or so with the one Dunn book they had which was The Year’s Afternoon (brilliant title poem you can read here). I took it away to read properly, and also a copy of Answering Back, an anthology of pairs of poems, one by a contemporary poet in response to one by a more established/dead one. Edited by Carol Ann Duffy. This looks really meaty and I know I’m going to enjoy it, just from looking at who is responding to who, for starters.

Arrived in the post last week was the latest edition of Rattle, from which I get my regular dose of American poetry and Poems With Titles That Are Quite Often Longer Than The Actual Poems Themselves And Every Word In The Title Is Capitalized (sic). Also by my bed is the Winter edition of Poetry Review which I’ve only skimmed through so far but noticed another enjoyable and cheeky nod to Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping by woods’ – a poem by Kate Bingham called ‘Midnight’. In the last edition we had ‘Floating on Lake Windermere in a Stolen Boat’ by Sean Hewitt, a similar homage. Maybe it will be a recurring theme? Something to watch for!

Competitions/

Submissions, projects, ‘poetry corner’

nobody puts poetry in a corner

Sorry for the silence lately, I’ve been under the weather and only today feeling a tad more human. Then there’s been all the Christmas stuff, you know what it’s like. Anyway, here’s a quick update for now:

No news yet from Ambit or Poetry Review, but I did make a submission to The London Magazine, a bit by mistake – someone I met in Wales told me about about a London-based mag that’s a great one to submit to, and for some reason I thought it was The London Magazine, but actually I think it was South Bank Poetry. But I couldn’t find a website for SBP, and before I knew it I was submitting to TLM, although I’ve never actually read it and to be honest it looks like quite a serious cultural mag. I’m not keen on making ‘drive-by’ submissions, but I had a couple of London-themed poems burning in a hole in my computer so I thought what the hell.

The Magma Poetry comp deadline is today, and although I wasn’t intending to enter, once more in an idle moment and after a glass of wine and in a feverish fug I only went and sent something. When will I ever learn?

As a distraction from the Waiting Game, I’ve also been thinking about poetry projects for 2014. A local group called the Needlewriters has recently recruited me to their committee to help with their quarterly events, and I’m getting my head around where I can add value. Then there’s the Brighton Stanza, which has grown in popularity but I now need to work with my ‘loose committee’ on how to preserve the serious workshopping element while still catering for those who just want to come along and share their poems.

I’ve also offered to compile a regular ‘poetry corner’ piece (working title!) for our community newspaper the Lewes News. No other publication round here publicises local poetry events, or promotes the work of the many wonderful poets in Lewes. So my plan is to redress the balance! We’ll see if that comes off: wish me luck.

Angst/

A reading, not much writing & feeling a bit humble

Poetry reading in Tunbridge Wells

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of taking part in a reading at Tunbridge Wells library, organised by the wonderful Abegail Morley and featuring also Jo Hemmant, Emer Gillespie and Margaret Beston. A lovely variety of poetry and styles, and a good size audience – there must have been more than thirty people there. Margaret runs a Tonbridge Stanza called Roundel and a number of the members came along in support. Also super to see Sarah Salway there.

The weekend prior to that I held a workshop day at my house for a few lovely poet friends. It was so interesting to hear what they were reading and working on, to talk about magazines & publishing, poets and writing. It did make me think of Jo Grigg, whose poetry days at her house had inspired me to do the same – she had planned to come to this one, but it wasn’t to be. Poetry can feel very solitary at times. I suppose that sounds like an obvious statement, but actually it only strikes me that way now and then. I haven’t written anything lately so maybe that’s why it’s feeling like one of those times.

Acceptance/rejection news: It served me right for writing a blog post with the title ‘Nice to end the week with an acceptance!’ – the god of humility struck me down fairly promptly with a rejection from Lighthouse magazine a day or two later. That, coupled with a ‘no thanks’ from Acumen the very next day after I submitted, put me back on terra firma. As result, I have a few poems needing homes, but I can’t seem to bring myself to send them anywhere just yet, although I should, otherwise I’m in danger of not having anything ‘out there’ when the next tranche of yays or nays comes in.

I still have stuff out with Ambit (who apparently have been snowed under since they started using Submittable – interesting!) and Poetry Review, plus a couple of pamphlet submissions, but that’s it at the moment. On the positive side, Morphrog (the online ‘extreme’ sister mag to the Frogmore Papers, and currently seeking submissions by the way) has graciously accepted a slightly mad poem for their January edition.

Mags & Blogs/

Submissions update

Good news and bad news!

Quick update first of all to my October ‘working on, waiting on’ post: Poetry London – standard rejection slip. Shearsman – standard rejection email. The North – a very nice personal reply, but no. Envoi – yes (yay!).

I’ve also just heard that The Interpreter’s House (now edited by Martin Malone and with a shiny new website amongst other things) is taking one of the poems I wrote at Ty Newydd, which I’m very pleased about. It’s a bit of an homage to Ian Duhig. Martin also leaps right to the top of the ‘speed of response’ chart, having replied within a few days. Douze points!

After a sending spree I’ve currently got 6 poems out to Ambit, 3 to Antiphon, 3 to Lighthouse and 3 to Poetry Review. Plus a number of pamphlet submissions. Will post updates to all this as and when.

Mags & Blogs/

First ‘Poetry Unplugged’ experience

poetry unplugged at the Poetry Cafe

So much for my resolve to get out and do more readings/open mics this year.

I haven’t yet plucked up the courage to tackle the Troubadour, although to be honest it’s partly the thought of making my way there (actually it’s the getting back from west London –  late at night – a mission with Southern Rail, believe me) and not knowing if I’m going to make it on the open mic list or not. But I like the look of their Monday evening events, with some impressive guest poets appearing.

Last night however I took part in my first Poetry Unplugged open mic night at the Poetry Cafe in London, accompanied by my up-for-anything friend Lucy. It was about this time last year that I persuaded her along to the Betsey Trotwood for an Ambit launch, where I managed to disgrace myself by drinking too much and she did an impromptu guest spot behind the bar. I’ve never been published in Ambit but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

Anyway, back to last night. It was a reasonably full room – pretty impressive that it’s been going for over ten years and it’s every week – I marvel at the stamina of host Niall O’Sullivan, who keeps time with joviality and a very visible iPad display. Most impressive was his ability to say people’s names both before and after they read, and come up with a little linkage banter that made reference to the poems we’d just heard. What a pro.

The first half was an interesting mix of newbies and (I assume) regulars, ten men plus myself. Lucy and I had looked over my poems in Pizza Express and agreed on the two to read – the one where I channel Calamity Jane and the other one a found poem, one of my few ‘funnies’. I think it did raise a slight titter (thanks Lucy!) – but probably too many references to 70s TV shows and not sure I was on the same wavelength as the earnest-looking (and mostly young) audience. Ah well – I still enjoyed reading.

Someone read a lovely poem about a lady who had suffered from dementia in later years and he felt her funeral hadn’t done justice to the person she once was. Probably my favourite of the night, I wish I could remember the poet’s name. Among the others we had some heartfelt lost love/bittersweet memories material,  one long tale in rhyming couplets which apparently was after Edgar Allen Poe (Lucy had to enlighten me on that), some stormin’ political commentary and some (self-described) ‘anti-feminist’ shouty stuff.

Many performed from memory – something I should try to do I think, but I would have to be absolutely word-perfect – nothing worse than forgetting (and telling the audience you’ve forgotten) for breaking the spell. Having said that, the very first poet up stumbled rather towards the end and eventually gave up in a cloud of “fuck its” but all very jolly about it so no-one minded. The last performer entered just as he was announced, giving the impression that it was some sort of show of superiority, or that he couldn’t be arsed to listen to anyone else. This made Lucy and myself less guilty about leaving before the second half, much as I’d like to have heard some women reading (surely there were some) it’s quite an intimate venue and it would have looked worse to leave halfway through I think. And the 21.47 from Victoria beckoned.

PS I’ll certainly go back some time – anyone like to  come with me?

Mags & Blogs/

Ambit at the Betsey Trotwood

Took Lucy along to an Ambit poetry night yesterday at the Betsey Trotwood pub, a little island of old London tahn amidst the chaos and cacophony of Farringdon Road and on the edge of Clerkenwell Green.

We weren’t prepared for the evening to start on time, but it did, so we missed a little of Kevin Crossley-Holland, and the upstairs room was COSY, but we really enjoyed the evening. Loved Jim Burns. Three headline poets and an entertaining short story from Eley Williams, plus an interesting open mic (with only one woman reading, most unusual).

Lucy did her bit riding the faders and even mopping up someone’s spilt beer (she likes to muck in!) and I bought a copy of Ambit, after hurling all sorts of unveiled hints about when I might hear about my submissions (I should never have had that, um, 2nd glass of wine). With a 9pm end we sauntered back to the station and had a very civilised ride home bypassing Victoria. And I didn’t get rained on. Result!