So tonight we leave the EU. Whilst this is a poetry blog, I don’t write in a bubble, so will occasionally write on other issues. I am deeply saddened by what has happened to the UK since 2016, and very concerned with what comes next. I am sad for the opportunities that I, and more pertinently the younger generations will no longer have due to the loss of freedom of movement. I am sad for…
I’m not very good at memorising my poems, and am in awe of those poets and spoken word performers who can stand on stage and recite their work without having a paper prompt.. Despite having read some of mine 30+ times I remain unconvinced that my memory is good enough, and always have a safety net to hand. I am therefore beginning to regret my decision to be part of an event on March 1st…
I’ve just started reading (and very much enjoying) We Are The Lizards, Margaret Jennings first published poetry collection. Margaret is also published by Dempsey & Windle, and I will be interviewing her as part of Portsmouth Bookfest on February 17th – in fact, it’s the first event of Bookfest this year – no pressure then! If anyone has any particular questions they would like asked, please let me know in the comments below Details on…
I just found an attempt at an environmental themed haibun on the Poetry Magazines website at the South Bank. This was one of a pair that originally appeared in South – this one in issue 41, from April 2010. It’s interesting looking back at old magazines, plenty of familiar names whose work I admire and who are continuing to develop as writers, following their own path. As for the subject matter, irrespective of the merits…
My first reading of 2020 will be in Chichester, on Wednesday 29th January. I’ll be reading mainly from Landings, and the longer time slot will enable be to read poems that don’t normally feature due to time pressures, including potentially the very long title poem. The full blurb for the event can be found below – and there are open-mic slots available. If you are reading this then hopefully I’ll see you there. OPEN MIC…
Places of Poetry was open for writers to pin their poems to places from 31st May to 31 October 2019. It is now closed for new poems but remains available for readers. It welcomed writers of all ages and backgrounds, with a mission of wanting to gather as many perspectives on the places and histories of England and Wales. With over 7000 poems in total, I think it can safely be described as a great…
Darkside Portside is a digital poetry trail celebrating the darker history of Portsea. Fourteen poetry films were selected, all of which can be viewed online. The best way to experience them however is through the Dark Side Port Side Walk. You can find full details here: https://darkside.nautoguide.com/ Thanks must go to John Sackett and Big Adventures for creating and running this really enjoyable project. My poem, of Whales and Mermaids, was turned into a film…
I’ve had poems accepted a number of times by this magazine, which as it’s name suggests, is based in the South of England (though they accept submissions from anywhere). The contents are selected by different guest poets, and all submissions are judged anonymously. Each issue also has a larger selection of poems by a profiled poet, alongside an editorial piece to accompany the poems. I was delighted to be the profiled poet for issue 60.…
Whilst searching for potentially relevant online links for this blog, I found an old interview that I had completely forgotten about, which was conducted for Shaping Portsmouth by Justine Arnold. Shaping Portsmouth’s vision is for Portsmouth to be the best city in the UK to invest, live, work and visit and are organised and focussed on this vision. In partnership with several organisations their primary focus is to grow the number of jobs and increase…
The Fifth, and for now, most recent, review of Landings appeared on the High Window Press Website at the end of last year. Sydney Whiteside completed her review by summarising: Landings gracefully articulates anxieties about the future, though these fears are balanced by an uncompromising sense of hopefulness. Williams grounds philosophical musings in brilliant, concrete detail. He evokes the history and topography of Portsmouth with confidence and honesty. The poems in Landings champion the power of memory, uniquely…