Links to recent posts on my Substack site: Why writing is like peanut butter "Vinno" The lure of the blank page Is this what guilt feels like? "Anne" Let's talk about typos... Writing until the light goes out
Category: Poetry
“Eleanor Among the Saints”
This will be short. Apologies, but I found Rachel Mann's collection Eleanor Among the Saints obtuse and impenetrable. Untouched, unmoved, disinterested, I gave up about 40% of the way through. Reading list
“The Silence”
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with Gillian Clarke's collection "The Silence". All the poems are entirely competent, 'poetic'. Yet for me they lack any kind of universality, something to which I can relate in such as way as to be moved or inspired or feel the work relevant. Reading them feels a little like skimming … Continue reading “The Silence”
You’ve written a poem? So What! – and other recent posts
Links to recent posts on my Substack site: My Substack site
Poetry Competition – closes in less than a month!
“Crash” – a new performance this year!
Following its debut performance at the 2023 Ripon Theatre Festival, I will be performing my dramatic poem Crash - the last 30 minutes of a life at the inaugural "WordFest" event in Market Rasen this summer. The performance will be on Saturday 6th July at 10:45 in the Old Magistrates Court, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, UK. … Continue reading “Crash” – a new performance this year!
“egg / shell”
I need to be careful... Undoubtedly, there are some good poems in Victoria Kennefick's "egg / shell". Let's start there. The collection concerns itself with two profoundly serious topics: a woman's experience of miscarriage, and the dissolving of her marriage when her husband decides to make the transition away from being a man. I cannot … Continue reading “egg / shell”
Upcoming performances
I have secured two slots to read at the 'Word Fest' event, to be held in Market Rasen on Saturday 6th July. More exciting than that is the prospect of performing Crash again in the autumn! Hopefully checking out a potential venue next week - about which I'm really excited! After that I can start … Continue reading Upcoming performances
“Baby Schema”
I'm afraid Isabel Galleymore's collection Baby Schema just isn't for me. It annoyed me, and I ended up skim-reading the last few poems. Partly this was because of the mono-theme underlying the work throughout (sadly a common approach for some modern collections); the reader gets little relief. Also, in general I struggle with self-indulgent poems … Continue reading “Baby Schema”
Some of last week’s posts elsewhere…
And there are more free posts - including additional draft chapters from 'The French Story'. To find them just click on the link below. My Substack site