All Blogposts

  • Wishing you a reasonably nice 2016

    Let’s face it, I use ‘wonderful’ far too much. And ‘fabulous’ is often unattainable.  So, to be realistic, I hope the balance of good and bad times weighs in your favour in 2016. When I was a child, on New Year’s Eve, at the stroke of midnight, my black-haired father walked out of our back door and Read more

  • Sharing desk space with the Christmas fairy

    Sharing desk space with the Christmas fairy

    A small miracle occurred this last fortnight since, in between present buying/wrapping/giving/receiving, in between tree decorating, food buying/preparing/eating/clearing-up, a few hospital appointments, Carol Concerts and church services, in between socialising, relation-visiting and charade playing, a new poem emerged. Hallelujah!  There’s even been  a submission or two, some re-drafting, some reading of submissions to And Other Poems, and Read more

  • Top reads at this blog

    Top reads at this blog

    It’s been four years since I set up this blog. For the last two years I’ve been trying to write in it every week but, very recently, my resolve has lapsed. I admire bloggers who never disappoint their readers, a bit like the most faithful members of a sports team who turn up to play Read more

  • Two new reviews for ‘The Misplaced House’

    Two new reviews for ‘The Misplaced House’

    Christmas arrived early for me, this week, since my poetry pamphlet ‘The Misplaced House’ received two favourable reviews. Claire Trévien’s review is available to read at Sabotage Reviews here and Helena Nelson’s review is at the newly relaunched Sphinx Reviews here. Claire is fund-raising for the widely-admired Saboteur Awards by reviewing one pamphlet a day during Read more

  • One year since my pamphlet was published

    It’s one year since my poetry pamphlet, The Misplaced House, was published by tall-lighthouse.  Thank you to everyone who’s bought my book.  According to Gareth Lewis, editor and publisher at tall-lighthouse, The Misplaced House ranks in the top five bestsellers of all poetry titles ever published by the press.  While this news hasn’t sent me Read more

  • Stephen Payne’s publication story

    I wanted to share with you this great post on Fiona Moore’s blog about how Stephen Payne came to publish his debut collection with HappenStance. Pattern Beyond Chance has just been published, nine years after Stephen first emailed HappenStance publisher, Helena Nelson, with a tentative enquiry about critiquing his poems. It’s fascinating to read how Read more