First of all a huge thank you to Matthew Stewart of Rogue Strands who has once again mentioned my blog in his ‘Best UK Poetry Blogs of the Year’ roundup. It’s exciting to be in there with such great company, and always very nice to know this blog is read and enjoyed. I think allRead more ⟶
Tag: poetry magazines
In praise of the ‘zine
I love the idea of giving birth to an arts/literary magazine. I dream about it and go through possible plans for it, in the same way some people do kitchens, or dream homes. Whenever I come across some quirky ‘zine I keep a copy, for future reference, in case there any ideas I can borrow from it.Read more ⟶
Mammoth list of literary journals
Worth bookmarking – the Poets & Writers database of lit mags (litmagz?) Salivate over this if you dare – “listings for 977 journals, providing details about the kind of work sought, authors previously published, submission guidelines, payment policies, tips from the editors, and more” WOW – nearly a thousand mags?? Why does this kind of listRead more ⟶
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 MartinRead more ⟶
Waiting on, working on, poems stock-take
I’m sat here with a number of scribbled-on poems around me, trying to decide which one(s) to resume work on and which to re-file for now. They’ve all been workshopped at some point, some of them to the extent that I’ve fallen out of love with them and not looked at them since. But surelyRead more ⟶
Social media for writers, ‘Orgasm Management’ etc
This is not the blog post I started writing this morning – but that turned into a cod philosophical/ psychological discourse that I eventually decided wasn’t going anywhere. So I’ve saved it for another day when I might be able to better whip my thoughts into a proper shape. Instead, more of straightforward diary entry.Read more ⟶
Submissions: this week’s yays and nays
Oh OK I might as well admit it – there are no new YAYs to report. But issue 62 of ‘Obsessed with Pipework’ arrived, including my poem ‘Calamity’ which just crept in at the back. It’s a bit of a weird one (the poem that is) and I’m grateful that Charles Johnson at ‘Obsessed’ hasRead more ⟶
Where were the ‘Best of British’ poems first published?
Poet friend of mine and soon-to-be-blogger Jo Grigg mentioned she had been reading The Best British Poetry 2012 so I invited her to write about it here. It is Jo’s first guest blog post on Poetgal. The second volume of this British version of a longstanding US anthology has now thundered through my letterbox. Hurrah! ItsRead more ⟶
A triptych of poetry blogs
I love the way you can come across a poetry blog that’s new to you and then suddenly two more jump out – just like a row of Routemasters. So here’s the first of what may become a regular feature – a triptych of enjoyable poetry blogs. Let me know if you have any recommendationsRead more ⟶
It’s my birthday! Hurrah! I think
Children love having birthdays. I quite enjoyed them myself until I got to about 30, then I went through a period of getting a bit grumpy about the whole birthday thing. But these days I don’t mind them at all. So far today: Woke up with migraine that had been brewing up all night –Read more ⟶