With a real sense of summer coming to an end, I just wanted to mention a few things before August is up, and that feeling of moving on to the start of a new year. (Still haunted by school terms, decades on…) Excellent Events Back in July, I didn’t manage to make it to TheRead more ⟶
Tag: martin malone
From Picasso to Garsdale: news roundup
Taking a leaf out of Peter Kenny’s book, here are seven items from the imaginary newsdesk at Kenny Houghton Towers (sorry Peter – but as Picasso said – possibly – ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’) Picasso is as good as any place to start, having just visited the Tate Modern exhibition featuring work from a yearRead more ⟶
Poems coming out, new anthology, currently reading etc
Intro/bit of a rant etc (skip this if you’d rather go straight to The Poetry stuff) Where has the month gone? (Rhetorical question.) Why am I being besieged by companies/organisations telling me I must re-subscribe to their emails? (Non-rhetorical question, although I think I know the answer – *some people* are spreading panic about newRead more ⟶
The Reading List week 9: Malone, Maitreyabandhu, Man
This week, three books by men, all with names starting with M, all with (pretty much) monochrome cover art and three of the shortest titles ever. Spooky! This is the latest post in my Reading List project begun in July 2015. Cur, Martin Malone (Shoestring 2015) To read Cur in one sitting is a rollicking ride.Read more ⟶
Readings, launches & seeds of a new project or two
We’ve been in Eastbourne a month. It probably sounds daft but I’ve been struck at how mild it seems to be here compared to Lewes or Brighton. The latter in particular. And yet they’re only a few miles away. Maybe we don’t get those biting Brighton winds here? But today I’ve spent all day atRead more ⟶
Lewes & Oxford readings this week, plus poet friends’ success
Ah, National Poetry Day seems to be the unofficial kickstarter of the poetry season (is that ‘open season’)? Last week saw a flurry of competition results and exciting announcements: Facebook was groaning under the weight of congratulations and almost couldn’t keep up. First of all the Stanza Poetry Competition, won by Graham Burchell to whomRead more ⟶
Time for some good news!
I always seem to be having a moan about submissions-constipation and other niggly stuff on here but I thought I ought to share some of the Big Positives for a change. (I was going to call this post ‘Good news for once’ after one of my favourite Brian Patten poems, ‘On time for once’, butRead more ⟶
A clutch of Spring readings
After reading Jayne Stanton’s uplifting post about all the things she’s got to look forward to and how glad she is to see the back of February, I couldn’t help but agree – Spring is on its way and several treats are on the horizon. Things kick off this evening at The Troubadour, where Anne-MarieRead more ⟶
A writing retreat, and other treats
I always think of January as being a bit dreary, so it tends to be the time of year I make plans for things to look forward to. Number one is a short writing retreat – I did a DIY retreat a couple of years ago and got a lot out of it – not leastRead more ⟶
Poetry competitions: ‘do you not know who I think I am?’
I laughed out loud at Martin Malone’s editorial in The Interpreter’s House 57 on the subject of poetry competitions. “What is wrong with us? […] Are we such fragile approval junkies that we need to feel repeatedly validated by our Highly Commended in the East Jokerville 3rd Annual Arts Festival Poetry Competition?” Er, is thatRead more ⟶