Back from a scorching hot week in North Wales, to which we took waterproofs, heavy duty walking boots and woollies, none of which we needed. Thankfully we also took shorts and sunscreen! The Llyn peninsula is a long way to go, further than Land’s End (I looked it up!) but it was worth it. WhatRead more ⟶
Tag: ty newydd
Ty Newydd and the ‘retired hobbyists’ – a few thoughts
Members of the poetry world are aghast at a recently published ‘Independent Review of Support for Publishing and Literature in Wales’. It’s a long document (over 200 pages) but there’s one section in which Ty Newydd, the National Writing Centre of Wales, comes under fire for being allegedly out of touch with its market and being inRead more ⟶
Seven questions for poets #5 – Ian Humphreys
Today’s poet ready for a grilling is Ian Humphreys. I met Ian on the Ty Newydd masterclass we did a couple of years ago. He and I were in a small working group with Lizzie Fincham – which basically meant we holed up in the library, trying to do our homework while comparing notes and reading linesRead more ⟶
Launch of The Rialto 80
It rained. Part of the building had fallen off. The bar was heaving with Carphone Warehouse partygoers. But The Rialto launch last night was a small haven of poetry peace amidst the chaos. Although I got there indecently early (I had the silly idea that it was starting at 6.30) Fiona Moore made me veryRead 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 ⟶
A poem by David Borrott
I think there were only three men on the course at Ty Newydd, so I don’t know how that felt for them. David Borrott consistently came up with fresh, original work, and had a deadpan delivery I particularly enjoyed. Faced with the challenge of writing a poem in which ‘lethargy’ is personified by a seaRead more ⟶
A poem by Jenny Lewis
At Ty Newydd recently I was fortunate enough to be working alongside some wonderful poets, and with their permission I’ll be featuring some of them here. The first is Jenny Lewis. I think Jenny was the most experienced of all of us, with many, many strings to her bow, and yet she wore her expertiseRead more ⟶
At Ty Newydd, part 2
Here’s the longer post I promised about my week at Ty Newydd. First of all, some of the advice and sayings I captured from the tutors during workshops. It’s not a long list, but we were mostly doing exercises, so I just wrote down phrases that resonated with me: Train yourself to remember details SometimesRead more ⟶
Aftermath
Back from Ty Newydd yesterday with a head full of I don’t know what. It wasn’t that I was sad to leave, far from it – I was so in need of my home, my bed, quiet time. I felt like I’d put my finger into an electric socket and then, only then did IRead more ⟶
At Ty Newydd, part 1
We’re halfway through the Ty Newydd poetry ‘masterclass’ with Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke, I’m writing this at 5am because my mind won’t relax, so here are my thoughts so far. Firstly, I have nothing but praise for the staff here – Awen in the office, Gavin the warden and chef and his mother-in-lawRead more ⟶