A new poem of mine was commended in the Poetry Society's Stanza competition, a yearly event for people who are both members of the Poetry Society and a Stanza (poetry groups run voluntarily by Society members). As I've mentioned before, I organise the Trowbridge Stanza which meets on the first Saturday of every month at Drawing … Continue reading ‘To Bring Me Luck’ – new poem
A new poem of mine has been longlisted in Live Canon's International Poetry Competition. Naturally, I'm sad that it didn't make it to the shortlist and so won't be performed by the amazing Live Canon Ensemble at the Prizewinners' Show (which is always a gorgeous afternoon of poetry and camaraderie and really worth attending - … Continue reading The Circus of the Marvellously Menopausal Woman
I'm pleased to say that I've been awarded a Local Artists Bursary by Ginkgo Projects, funded by Bloor Homes for the Kings Gate Public Art Programme, which I am using to write some new poems in response to the landscape and heritage of the area in and around Amesbury, Wiltshire. I live in the west … Continue reading Local Artist Bursary from Ginkgo Projects / Bloor Homes
As you know, I was Writer in Residence at St Gregory's School, Bath, in the academic year 2017-2018, and I've been using this blog as a place to record my experience, especially workshops I've run. This is a post about using two poems by Katherine Stansfield, 'How to make a good crisp sandwich' and 'Socks … Continue reading Poetry workshop ideas: #writerinschool
Huge thanks to the editors of the website Bookanista for featuring a poem from my book What Are You After? You can read 'Love in the time of hospital visits' a love poem for my husband, Andrew, and for the NHS, here.
I wanted to write a few posts before my residency at St Gregory's Catholic College ends, especially mentioning poems that prompted a lot of animated discussion and produced some exciting creative writing from school students. 'Other Clouds' by Rebecca Perry from her collection Beauty/Beauty (Bloodaxe, 2015) and 'what my mother (a poet) might say' by Mary … Continue reading Poems that find a way to say what isn’t said #writerinschool
Here is a lovely blog by Jayne Stanton about my launch on Saturday and about Nine Arches Press' 10th Birthday Party. A huge thank you to everyone who came to hear me read and helped to celebrate ten years of a wonderful independent press. A reminder that there is free postage on all books at … Continue reading My book is published
It's taken a few years (more like a decade); a lot of poetry submissions, acceptances and rejections; emails, phone calls, meetings; cartridge ink and printer paper; eyestrain, caffeine and the odd glass of wine, swear word, and grey hair (many of these) - but my debut full poetry collection What Are You After? is now … Continue reading Publication Day for my book
I'm very pleased to be featured on Lizzy Turner's 'a poem a week' podcast reading my poem 'History Lesson' from my new book What Are You After? You can hear me reading here. This poem was inspired by the many events staged to mark the centenary of the start of World War I and was … Continue reading a poem a week podcast
A super-quick post to say that I'm enjoying this course, How To Make A Poem, provided by the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University via FutureLearn. Helen Mort, Michael Symmons Roberts and Martin Kratz are the main educators - they feature in videos and in written materials. Here is some blurb from the site about what … Continue reading How to Make a Poem: free online course
