All Blogposts

  • Lunar Poetry Podcasts

    Lunar Poetry Podcasts

    There’s an excellent interview with poet and editor Rishi Dastidar at Lunar Poetry.  Rishi talks about his approach to putting together his debut poetry collection Ticker-Tape (Nine Arches, 2017) and explains how he first approached Jane Commane at Nine Arches, as well as his method of editing and ordering the poems.  He also chats about… Read more

  • Ignoring blog comments

    Ignoring blog comments

    Sometimes people find a post I wrote months or even years ago, and  decide to join  a discussion or start one up.  I don’t mind this at all unless the comment is deliberately confrontational, in which case I simply ignore the remark.  Also, some of my older posts are linked to items which are no… Read more

  • At the year’s halfway point

    At the year’s halfway point

    My children’s exams are over.  For my son, a season of campouts and festivals has already begun. My daughter also has exciting, if slightly less grungy, plans.  Four years worth of scrawled-on paper, deep piles of exercise books, text books, files, revision cards, notebooks, stationery, bottles of Rescue Remedy, school uniforms, pots of lunch money… Read more

  • Greetings from the middle of exam season

    Greetings from the middle of exam season

    It’s full on, double whammy, GCSE and A Level year in our house. For visitors who don’t know, GCSEs (General Certificates of Secondary Education) are the first public exams most young people sit after five years of secondary schooling in England and Wales (I think Scottish students sit exams called Standards). ‘A’ Levels (Advanced Levels) are… Read more

  • Hilda Sheehan plus Open-Mic at Drawing Projects UK

    Hilda Sheehan plus Open-Mic at Drawing Projects UK

    Poet, editor, educator, and Director of Poetry Swindon and Swindon Poetry Festival, Hilda Sheehan will read from a selection of her published and new work at Drawing Projects UK (Bridge House – next to the train station) Trowbridge on Wednesday, 14th June, 7pm – 9pm.  This is a wonderful opportunity to hear an exciting, innovative… Read more

  • Reading poetry to shoppers and passersby

    Reading poetry to shoppers and passersby

    Months ago, I received an email, out of the blue, from someone called Louise Betts who was organising acts to perform on the outdoor stages at The Bath Festival.  Would the Town Hall Poets like to appear? When I set up Town Hall Poets (who are also a Poetry Society Stanza) in September 2016, I… Read more