September and ahead: some workshops and readings

It’s been an enjoyable and busy few months since my pamphlet Love and Stones was published by Live Canon Poetry at the end of May. I feel lucky to have been invited to read in some beautiful and welcoming places where I’ve made new friends and had fun chatting all things poetry at some great events. Closer to home, the monthly poetry group I organise, Trowbridge Stanza, is going strong and we have new things scheduled. It’s smashing to belong to a group of such lovely and interesting people! On top of all of this, I’m having a good time planning and teaching some new workshops for a fabulous new venue, The Make Space, near the Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon. My next workshops are on National Poetry Day, October 5th.

Looking ahead to later in September, I’m excited to be reading in Liverpool for the first time, at the launch of my new micro pamphlet One Deliberate Red Dress Time I Shone which was one of the winners in the Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast Poetry Prize. Along with two of my fellow winners, Rachel Spence and Ben McGuire (a fourth winner, Sarah Mnatzaganian will launch her pamphlet next year), I’ll read from my new pamphlet on Saturday, 16 September at the Open Eye Gallery, 6pm – 8pm. Tickets are free and bookable here. Come along if you’re in the neighbourhood.

Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast is an initiative created by writer and artist Maria Isakova Bennett who designs and makes limited edition hand stitched poetry journals. This means that my poems will be published within a beautiful handmade cover. Take a look at previous journals Maria has made to see what I mean. I submitted twelve poems to do with clothes and fabric as my competition entry, and the title – One Deliberate Red Dress Time I Shone – is a line from a poem after a self-portrait in stained glass by artist Pauline Boty in which the artist is wearing a red dress. Because of this, I’ve had the idea of wearing a red dress at my launch. I’m not sure how wise this decision is (!) but I’ve found a rather sweet red silk dress from Oxfam Online which seemed to be calling out to me when I viewed it on my computer.

Later in September, I’m looking forward to reading at Uncut Poets in Exeter with my fellow Live Canon Pamphleteers, Isy Mead and Matt Bryden. I’m also reading with them at Taunton Literary Festival in November. In October, I’m reading at Pighog Poetry in Brighton with Alasdair Paterson and Gregory Woods. I’ve put details of all these events on my Readings page. Whether or not the red dress appears at any of these events will depend on the weather and my mood!

Talking about the weather, after what feels like a long and mostly drizzly summer, our garden is now lit up with sunflowers, looking like travellers who’ve been journeying towards us for some time.

Wishing you safe journeys, literal and metaphorical, in all you do.