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I had to write a follow-up to my previous post after having a brilliant time yesterday evening at The Torriano Meeting House, Kentish Town, London NW5. Lisa Kelly the incredibly friendly and kind organiser of poetry readings (or at least one of the organisers, I'm not quite sure who organises what and who's in charge… Continue reading I spoke poetry aloud
An imminent poetry reading (Sunday, 2nd March 7pm at The Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Avenue, Kentish Town, London NW5 2RX - come along if you're around) and some comments by Robin Houghton about open-mic slots in her recent blog post have made me think about speaking poetry aloud: how I love some events but… Continue reading Speaking Poetry Aloud
On Wednesday, 19th February there was a day of peaceful, national protests against the French company, Atos SE, a multinational IT services corporation which has received millions of pounds from the UK Government for contracts to carry out public services, including a £500 million contract with the Department for Work and Pensions to carry out… Continue reading A poem of protest
Poetry trickles in between the fault lines of this working and family life; like water it finds openings. (Philip Gross, from an interview in Iota, Issue 88). I've had one of those tricky weeks when I've struggled to find time for myself, especially for reading and writing. It's more than that, though, I'm also craving… Continue reading Poetry trickles in
Last week's post made reference to 'Cut', the poem Sylvia Plath wrote after cutting her thumb, and it made me think that there seem to be poems about every subject. Also, just as some people always say the right thing at the right time, there are others who always come up with the right poem… Continue reading A poem for every occasion?
Can't do a long post this week as I've sliced open the base of my thumb on a glass which spontaneously exploded as I was emptying the dishwasher early on Wednesday morning. I had no idea how vital thumbs were until now. Although I'm right-handed, it's been easier to use my thumb-equipped left hand for most… Continue reading Ouch!
Which surprised me because I thought she was famous. Of course, I've heard lots of people say "nobody reads poetry" and "poetry doesn't sell" but among my friends, certainly those on Twitter and Facebook, nearly EVERYONE reads and buys poetry so my perception of reality is somewhat skewed. But even though Helen Mort was five… Continue reading No-one had heard of Helen Mort at the library
New Year is starting to feel much older now and a weekly routine is emerging. Two things I'm doing more of, so far, in 2014 are driving my car and spending time in public libraries. There are about 140 miles between my house and the four Wiltshire libraries where I facilitate weekly shared reading groups for… Continue reading The joy of reading, libraries and driving
A poetry blog, to many people, is a site for their own poems but my poetry blog, And Other Poems, is different because I post other people's work and invite submissions. I suppose And Other Poems could more accurately be described as a zine or a journal but it's blog technology I'm using and, anyway,… Continue reading A poetry blog, zine or journal: why you should
I've realised that deciding to publish a blogpost every week is much easier than actually doing it. There have been several false starts. I was going to write about waiting, since that is what I'm doing a lot of this week - this month, in fact. I'm waiting to hear about poems I've submitted to… Continue reading Starting and ending meetings with a poem
Josephine Corcoran 