All Blogposts

  • Guest Blog: Confessions of a Poetry Competition Judge by John McCullough

    Guest Blog: Confessions of a Poetry Competition Judge by John McCullough

    If you’re in the business of sending off your poems to competitions and magazines, these helpful and witty comments by poet, tutor, and competition judge John McCullough could be just for you! They’ve given me a lot of food for thought. Thank you, John, for the post. CONFESSIONS OF A POETRY COMPETITION JUDGE 1) I… Read more

  • Collecting Pantoums

    Collecting Pantoums

    I’m writing in haste as this looks like the day we’re going to tackle our back garden meadow (grass uncut all season) and the sunshine and garden shears are calling me. I’m putting together an informal, low-key workshop for Trowbridge Stanza based on the pantoum, which the Poetry Foundation explains well here and includes sample… Read more

  • The gift of an empty house

    The gift of an empty house

    Sometimes it’s sad when everyone leaves but sometimes it’s just what you need.  It’s not always possible to go away to write, on a course or retreat or holiday.  Even if you can afford it, even if it’s free or subsidised, it’s just not always possible – for many reasons, commitments, time or ability constraints… Read more

  • Some things you might like

    Some things you might like

    Perhaps you already know about the following but in case you don’t: Places of Poetry is open to everyone.  It’s an online place, a map of England and Wales, for you to pin your poem about place, on the place it’s about.  Read more about what the project is about here.  I know that a… Read more

  • A quick update

    A quick update

    I’ve been quiet on the blogging front recently.  I’ve done a few readings and events this year, all noted on my Diary/News page.  My review of Filigree: Contemporary Black British Poetry (Peepal Tree Press, 2018) has been published in the current issue of Under the Radar magazine.  I’m currently reading new collections published by Pavilion… Read more

  • Poetry Reading plus Open-Mic in Devizes, Sunday June 16

    Poetry Reading plus Open-Mic in Devizes, Sunday June 16

    I’m reading poems from my book What Are You After?  (published 2018 by Nine Arches Press) and new poems, on Sunday, June 16th, 5-7pm in the cellar of The Vaults Alehouse.  Here is a link to my event on the festival website. There will also be an opportunity to perform your poems at the open-mic.  This… Read more