All Blogposts

  • National Poetry Day (UK) 2022

    National Poetry Day (UK) 2022

    This year the theme for NPD is ‘The Environment’. Here’s a visual poem I made today, using fallen leaves, flowers and berries from the garden. I’ve made more visual poems like this and posted them on Instagram @andothermaterial and I also blogged about making visual poems with flowers here. Happy National Poetry Day! Read more

  • A Poem in Poetry Ireland Review

    A Poem in Poetry Ireland Review

    I have a new poem published in Poetry Ireland Review, issue 137 edited by Gerald Dawe. The poem ‘High Summer World of Light’ takes as its starting point a 2009 abstract painting of the same name by Gillian Ayres. It’s my first time in the magazine after a few times of trying, and it’s about…… Read more

  • Two New Poems in Magma Poetry and Raceme magazine

    Two New Poems in Magma Poetry and Raceme magazine

    I have new poems out in current issues of two poetry magazines. Magma has published my poem ‘Seen while walking: one high-heeled boot, black suede, in a public flower bed’ in its ‘Solitude’ issue. This is my first time in Magma after submitting multiple times. This poem was one of a series I wrote last…… Read more

  • Two poems from my book

    Two poems from my book

    I’ve shared a couple of poems from my poetry book on Twitter recently because the poems seemed relevant to different items in the news. Like many people, I was irritated by Dominic Raab’s criticism of Angela Rayner (in Parliament, during Prime Minister’s Questions) for attending an opera – Glyndbourne, in fact. For those who don’t…… Read more

  • An awful lot of waiting to hear

    An awful lot of waiting to hear

    As I type this post, there are oxeye daisies, nasturtiums, sweet william, roses, mexican daisies and sunflowers growing in my garden. The hydrangea has turned on its lights again, the dog rose we planted last year to climb up a trellis is satisfyingly rambling. Since my last post, I’ve been up and back to London…… Read more

  • Out and About Again

    Out and About Again

    Although not back to how it was before the pandemic, I am increasingly venturing out in the world to attend poetry events and readings, as well as still going to online things. Trowbridge Stanza, the monthly poetry group I organise, is meeting in person again, not monthly, as we previously did, but every other month…… Read more