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I enjoyed hearing Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's poem 'Ark' on BBC Radio 4 this week. The poem was written to commemorate the launch of the UK's new polar research ship, the 'Sir David Attenborough'. Here is a clip of Simon Armitage reading the poem: https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1177172927478976513 and here is a link to the poem on… Continue reading Poetry responding to Climate Change: Simon Armitage
Most of you know that I founded and edited a poetry site called And Other Poems for six years and retired the site at the end of 2018. One of my final jobs as editor was to nominate three poems for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem and I'm pleased to say that Sarah… Continue reading Sarah Hymas’ poem at And Other Poems in this year’s Forward Prizes
I wasn't going to blog today but started playing around with words and images after spending some time in the garden. lavender has lost its purple like it's been through a hot wash left out in the rain leaves rust roses have dropped pink litter on burnt grass fat pigeon… Continue reading September
We stood to stare at our planet Some of us knelt, offered up our phones Children said they wanted to go home Words and photos by Josephine Corcoran from an art installation by Luke Jerram, Gaia - The Earth at Wills Memorial Building, Bristol.
Two award-winning poets, Kathy Pimlott and David Clarke, are reading at Drawing Projects UK, Trowbridge on Saturday, September 7 (2-4pm). This event is organised by Josephine Corcoran and Trowbridge Stanza. Everyone is welcome and there will also be the chance to read your own poems at the open-mic. Tickets are £5 on the door. Read… Continue reading Kathy Pimlott and David Clarke reading at Drawing Projects UK, Trowbridge
I'm re-sharing some of my collage poems from the recent past. These were written for an Instagram competition (#aquietpassionpoetrycompetition) run by The Poetry School and Soda Pictures ('A Quiet Passion' was their biopic of Emily Dickinson released two years ago). The judges stated that they wanted to see "poems which use the concentrated visual qualities… Continue reading Collage Poems
Just to let you know that Nine Arches Press is holding a Summer Sale with many books half-price or less including What Are You After? my collection of poems which was published last summer. 🙂
For the August meeting of our poetry group, on August 3rd (2-4pm), Trowbridge Stanza is hosting an informal, fun, informative and enjoyable workshop about the pantoum. We'll read pantoums, write our own, either individually or in collaboration, or both, and hold a low-key, encouraging and friendly performance at the end of the afternoon. Everyone is… Continue reading Pantoum Workshop! August 3 in Trowbridge
If you're in the business of sending off your poems to competitions and magazines, these helpful and witty comments by poet, tutor, and competition judge John McCullough could be just for you! They've given me a lot of food for thought. Thank you, John, for the post. CONFESSIONS OF A POETRY COMPETITION JUDGE 1) I… Continue reading Guest Blog: Confessions of a Poetry Competition Judge by John McCullough
I'm writing in haste as this looks like the day we're going to tackle our back garden meadow (grass uncut all season) and the sunshine and garden shears are calling me. I'm putting together an informal, low-key workshop for Trowbridge Stanza based on the pantoum, which the Poetry Foundation explains well here and includes sample… Continue reading Collecting Pantoums
Josephine Corcoran 