Mid-week catch up

I thought I’d write a quick blog about what I’ve been up to recently.  I’ve been fairly busy since my book came out in late June, travelling around doing readings, organising Trowbridge Stanza, attending a few poetry readings, reading poems for And Other Poems, writing new poems, entering a few poetry competitions, researching and writing poems using my Local Artist’s Bursary from Ginkgo Projects/Bloor Homes, and being a Mum to two teenagers.  My husband gets a look in sometimes, too!

My writing residency at St Gregory’s School in Bath came to an end in July  and I was really thrilled to hear that two of the students I worked with had poems shortlisted for this year’s Betjeman Poetry Prize.  Their poems will be published in the  Prize Winners’ Anthology.  Huge congratulations to them and to all of the students I worked with last year.  They are such talented writers and extremely lovely young people, as well.  Here is a link to the school website with news of the students’ success.

It feels a little strange not to be in a school in September but it’s also rather pleasant!  I’m really enjoying writing poems about Wiltshire with my Ginkgo Projects/Bloor Homes Bursary.  The brief for this project is fairly broad but I’m responding in poetry to the landscape and heritage of the area in and around Amesbury.  I can’t share any work here yet  (I’ve written a few poems but I’ve sent them out somewhere for consideration so need to keep them under wraps for now).  I’m quite excited, though, that some of these ‘Wiltshire’ poems might also tie in with themes that seem to be emerging in other new poems I’m writing, which are to do with being in a long-term relationship, ageing, the menopause, being an older parent, being a parent to young adults, and other matters.  How to package all of these ideas into a concept that will sound enticing on the back of a book??  I think I need to work on that!

I said I’d keep it short so I’ll wish you all a good mid-week, whatever you’re up to.