“Crow”

I'll keep this one simple. Because I felt ashamed that I had never read Crow in its entirety, I decided I should. Simple as that. But I just couldn't. I really tried, but had to give up. I daresay it was ground-breaking at the time it was written, but now? Isn't it just too dull, … Continue reading “Crow” →

Looking for a last-minute present?

These are some of the great books I've published under my Coverstory books imprint - all of them are available, and none of them are mine! Click on each book for more information and for to links to some major retailers. All print-on-demand, so should be with you in around 7-10 days. Happy shopping!

Last week’s Substack activity

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Digest and links to my posts on Substack this week

“Thom Gunn”

Reading August Kleinzahler's selection of Thom Gunn's poetry (in Faber's 'Poet-to-Poet' series) I confessed I really struggled - not with the selection made, but with the source material. It wasn't just that I felt the poems hadn't travelled well across the years (the selection covers 1954-2000), nor perhaps any translation from California to the UK, … Continue reading “Thom Gunn” →

Two Submission Opportunities

Coverstory books currently has two open submission windows: Pebbles on the Strand - for short stories between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Closing date 30th November. New Contexts: 6 - for poetry and short prose (less than 2,000 words). This will be the sixth edition of the anthology. Closing date 31st December. For details on how … Continue reading Two Submission Opportunities →

Here are some of the posts on last week’s Substack

“Kid”

I don't think it would be inaccurate to say that I haven't quite made up my mind about Simon Armitage. Clearly his 1992 collection Kid isn't entirely representative of what he's writing now, so perhaps it is better to see it as a way-marker on his journey - it was thirty years ago after all! … Continue reading “Kid” →