never knowingly without a pen
Although not back to how it was before the pandemic, I am increasingly venturing out in the world to attend poetry events and readings, as well as still going to online things. Trowbridge Stanza, the monthly poetry group I organise, is meeting in person again, not monthly, as we previously did, but every other month… Continue reading Out and About Again
Hats off to anyone who managed an end-of-year post, or any kind of post, in the last few weeks. Hats off to anyone who managed anything this year, or last year. I feel that to have come through the past two years in more or less one piece has been an achievement. I'm counting it… Continue reading Light Ahead (maybe)
My system for keeping tracks of poetry submissions is a spreadsheet-free zone. It involves paper, pen and coloured pencils. It isn't for everyone but it works for me and I thought I'd share it with you. First, I keep track of all of my submissions in a little book. It was a freebie from a… Continue reading My Poetry Submissions System
Last year, I entered poems into more competitions than usual. I wonder why I did this? Perhaps I was trying to win some money in a patchy year or trying to store up funds for whatever lay ahead? I'm not sure, but, in any case, it's a good job I wasn't relying on competition prizes… Continue reading End of month, rainy Sunday blog
I have two new poems coming out in The North magazine, should be very soon. In the same issue, I've reviewed poetry collections by Maria Taylor, Katherine Stansfield and Jackie Wills. I've also had an acceptance for a poem in 14 magazine which will be published later this year. Many rejections which I won't list… Continue reading July Update
A lovely neighbour brought over the gift of a bowl of hyacinths when the year was brand new, and now, in the very last weekend of January, three pale yellow flowers have bloomed gloriously and our hallway is filled with a sweet and spicy scent that we have grown to appreciate (we weren't sure, at… Continue reading Two Chopsticks and a Pencil for the Hyacinths
This week there has been a lot of weeping - proper weeping of the wet face, snotty-nose, aching chest variety. My daughter has moved out of our home and into a house share in South West London, not that far from where she was born, in fact, although she doesn't remember that, being not quite… Continue reading Proper Weeping
Last week started off gloomily with instructions from my local police force - and other police forces - that the UK lockdown meant people weren't allowed to drive even a short distance to find open space to exercise. The thought that I'd be breaking the law if I drove somewhere nearby to stomp through woods… Continue reading Corona Diary: Lockdown Continues
I'm not sure if this strange time had a proper beginning and I certainly can't see its end. This week I haven't wanted to be online much even though there has been an explosion of people offering online workshops, readings and classes. I've been slightly ill and still feel under the weather but I'm sure… Continue reading Corona Diary: Possibly Week 3 – but are you counting?
Things I've done this week for the first time in my life: attended a webinar about what older women want to read (unfortunately I kept losing my internet connection). went to my writing fiction class via Zoom (never heard of it before). Overheard comments: "I should've worn make-up!" "I'm not switching my camera on because… Continue reading Corona Diary: One Week In
Josephine Corcoran 