https://videopress.com/v/0VSYljTb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true "On being thrown over" from Not the Sonnets
Category: Poetry
“This Fruiting Body”
All too often I find that poems concerning themselves with subjects like climate change and sexual identity try to slap you round the face with their message, or smack you between the eyes. A fair number of the poems in Caleb Parkin's "This Fruiting Body" are far more subtle than that; they manage to get … Continue reading “This Fruiting Body”
Putting pen to paper – w/c 18th September
Time to look back / forward. How did I get on last week? Meetings and Events - A 'Cafe Writers' book launch and open mic - YES September's Derby 'Stanza' meeting - YES attending a local poetry group - YES, but the 'group' proved to be just me and the organiser! being interviewed for a … Continue reading Putting pen to paper – w/c 18th September
Taking my own advice?
Today our daughter went off to start her four years at University. Yesterday we had the 'dad talk' - the somewhat self-indulgent attempt at sharing wisdom. The most pertinent piece of advice I tried to give her was to 'make the most of it'; that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; that she will never be … Continue reading Taking my own advice?
Putting pen to paper – w/c 11th September
So, here we go. 'Back in the saddle' as they say. Rather than revert to an entry a day ("been there, done that") I thought I might try and keep myself honest by previewing the week ahead - and then in seven days' time looking back to see how I got on. It's all about … Continue reading Putting pen to paper – w/c 11th September
“Proof of Life on Earth”
There is a tightrope poets walk when they are writing personal poetry i.e. poems which tackle specific instances or relationships in their lives. Because the poet is intimate with their subject, often there are references and images in the poem which work solely because they are privy to the other half of the handshake. So … Continue reading “Proof of Life on Earth”
Getting my act together…
Following on from my recent rumination about time and what to do with it ("Today's the day"), over the last few days I have turned my attention to kick-starting some new Coverstory books publishing initiatives. The first of these is a new short story collection following on from the 2022 volume Making Marks in the … Continue reading Getting my act together…
Yesterday & Today: 30th July
After 211 consecutive daily posts I think current circumstances are conspiring to bring the curtain down on "Yesterday and Today". Not only is the house move beginning to be all-consuming, I have little to report in the way of projects and progress. Yes, I can pad posts out with thoughts on semi-related topics, but it … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 30th July
Yesterday & Today: 29th July
I don't really know what to say. One meagre paragraph of 'Z' is hardly a stellar return, but that was all I managed yesterday. I do have the excuse that the day was astonishingly stressful as we tried to force through the exchange of contracts on the chain in which our house move sits. Some … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 29th July
Yesterday & Today: 28th July
Yesterday was probably my most barren day of the entire year. Apart from plugging some author bio's into New Contexts: 5 and a little more navel-gazing about future projects, there was nothing of note. I'm sure this is in part down to the stress of wanting our house move finalised - which doesn't bode well … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 28th July
Ian Gouge - Writer 