September

I’ve been neglecting this blog: sorry. We’ve all been doing other things over the summer and I bet you didn’t notice. I’m throwing this one in here because – while I’m busy writing Novel 2 before Life, Death and Cellos (Novel 1) comes out next January – there have been a couple of recent poetry news items.

Firstly, in the wake of the very public Eyewear shenanigans, fellow Eyewear poet Ricky Ray has stepped up to support us all. He runs the journal Rascal from his home in New York, and his most recent edition includes a number of Eyewear poets. He has been tireless on social media, bringing attention to the work of some fine poets as the meltdown went on around us over the summer. [My thoughts on that are another post entirely, which may or may not ever get written.] In short: I was honoured to be asked by Ricky to contribute work to Rascal, and you can read my poem Alphabetic order in the latest edition along with some cracking work from others, together with some breathtaking photography. Rascal is multimedia and accessible, so there are also audio files of every poem, read by the poet. If that’s your bag, do check it out.

Secondly, I was chuffed to hear my poem Liminal had been longlisted in Live Canon’s competition, and will therefore be included in their 2018 anthology. Looking down the list, I am in stellar company! I’ve been lucky enough in the past to be shortlisted in this competition, which is brilliant as then you get to hear your work performed on stage by professional actors: always surprising and gratifying to me to hear an interpretation that isn’t my own. Not for me this year, but if you fancy going along to Greenwich Theatre on 23rd September you can hear the 20 shortlisted poems performed and see who wins. Liz Berry judged, and will be announcing the winner.

So, I’ll get back to my Stockwell Park Orchestra world and write some more jokes. Zig is waiting patiently for me to finish so we can go for a walk.

Zig