writer and workshop facilitator
In 2017 - 2018 I had a lovely time working in a secondary school in Bath one day work, employed as a Writer in Residence. I used this blog as a notebook to document the workshops, so I thought I'd link to a few of the posts I wrote, for anyone who might find them… Continue reading DIY Poetry Writing Workshops
Paper Nations is an arts organisation which commissions writers throughout the South West of England to create new work. Earlier this year, they ran a scheme called 'Time to Write' and invited writers who face particular barriers (time, money, location, opportunity) to apply for up to £1,000 to enable them to develop a writing project.… Continue reading Paper Nations: Time to Write
Since lockdown started, and both of my children were sent home from their universities, which I wrote about here, I've had less time on my own in the house and less time to focus on my creative projects. When I wake up each morning, the first thing I do is make a mental audit of… Continue reading Still here in June
It's been ten years since I started writing again, after a long spell of not writing. I suppose I stopped writing because I became too busy with life events - marriage, children, moving house, working to pay the bills. I was never properly SAD about not writing but it was wonderful when the desire and… Continue reading Ten Years of Notebooks
Happy New Year to you all. A very low-key New Year's Eve for me, a tiny amount of alcohol drunk, some good food, perfect company in the form of my husband, A., and - for him - a lot of taxi driving for our two young adult children who he ferried around through the night… Continue reading Belatedly, Happy New Year
Like Julie Mellor and many others in the Poetry Blogging Network, I try to put something up on this blog each week. Like Julie, I don't always manage it but, also like Julie, I thought I'd try again this week. I don't always have something to say so I wonder if it's worth blogging. At… Continue reading Notes from a Cluttered Desk
Sleep reports. Notes about dreams. Severe admonishments about time spent on endless scrolling. Headache details. Plans for tomorrow and thinking ahead to the weekend. Scraps of ideas. Statements about sleep requirements. Observations about what is going on elsewhere in the house. Self-congratulations on dishes cooked. Lists of every ingredient. Details about where in the house… Continue reading What I found when I read through my diary
It's been really helpful to read these posts by poets writing about how they find their way into poems: "Writing" Towards Writing by Pam Thompson and fearless creating by Julie Mellor. As well as containing useful and practical advice, the posts are a comforting reminder that I'm not alone in finding writing hard going at… Continue reading Finding your way into a poem
I'm back at St Gregory's Catholic College, Bath, for my final term as Writer in Residence and I thought I'd mention two poems which students have particularly enjoyed. Both are about creatures - one about a wasp, and one about seagulls. The students loved reading the poems and they've written brilliant poems in response. … Continue reading Using Rebecca Perry’s ‘Wasp’ and Brian McCabe’s ‘Seagull’ in a poetry workshop — #writerinschool
Rattling off a post before March ends. I've worked hard on my poetry manuscript since I last mentioned it on this blog. Now for the final stages of editing, tweaking, rearranging lines, titles, and order with my editor, Jane Commane at Nine Arches Press. What have I learned from writing a full collection of poetry? Mostly,… Continue reading End of the month blog
Josephine Corcoran 