Royal Society of Literature Only Connect
I enjoyed writing a piece for the Royal Society of Literature newsletter Only Connect, choosing a talk from their archive that resonated strongly with me.
Guest at Say it Slant workshop
It will be a small group and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions.
There are full details of the workshop, and how to book, on Sue’s website here: http://www.sueburge.uk/creative-writing-courses/#sis
Reading with Sue Burge and Judy Brown on 20th May
May is proving to be a communal poetry month. On thursday 20th May at 7pm, I’m looking forward to sharing some virtual space with my dear friend Sue Burge, reading from her latest book ‘Confetti Dancers‘, and Judy Brown, whose poetry I’ve admired for a long time.
Continue reading Reading with Sue Burge and Judy Brown on 20th May
Reading with Philip Gross and Jane Clarke 7th May
Continue reading Reading with Philip Gross and Jane Clarke 7th May
Review of Return by Minor Road in The School Librarian
I was surprised and pleased to see Return by Minor Road was reviewed in the journal that school librarians refer to when thinking about what books to stock in schools.
One particular comment from the review has stayed with me very strongly:
A salutary classroom experience would be to read this collection alongside the bald facts given in Wikipedia, perfectly illustrating the difference between cold objectivity and what humanity – and artistry – can add: a practical and vivid answer to the question ‘what is poetry for?’
Continue reading Review of Return by Minor Road in The School Librarian
Return by Minor Road in The Poetry Review
The Poetry Review is the official journal of the UK Poetry Society. It’s a trailblazing journal, currently edited by Emily Berry, that publishes new and exciting work quarterly. It’s an eagerly awaited thump on my doormat. It was especially interesting to see John Greening’s review of Return by Minor Road in the spring edition.
Guardian Poem of the Week and review
Carol Rumens is a poet and critic I respect immensely, so to have work selected by her for her Guardian Poem of the Week column means a great deal to me.
I was very grateful for her insightful take on the poem she selected (‘The rain in the night’) and how she reviews the collection as a whole.
Review in London Grip
Maltese poet and teacher Abigail Ardelle Zammit recently reviewed Return by Minor Road for London Grip.
Her thoughtful and sensitive take on the subject and the collection moved me a great deal.
San Diego virtual reading for Whale Road Review
On Saturday 6th Feb the staff of Whale Road Review, including me, gathered on Zoom from around the world (Nigeria, UK, US) to read poems and short prose together.
Readers included Michael Akuchie, Taylor Crawford, Allen Culpepper, Jen Stewart Fueston, Katie Hamblen, 
Ellen Huang, Monica Kopenhaver, Eve Linn, Katie Manning, Kyle Potvin, Tania Pryputniewicz, Kathryn H. Ross, Ki Russell, Jacob Stratman, and me.
It was a lot of fun, and wonderful to meet the poets and writers I’ve been working with recently to select fantastic pieces from the many hundreds of submissions we received in December.
We each read one piece and managed to keep the recorded event to just over half and hour. Then we switched off record and hung out together chatting. It was wonderful.
You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XjdO3jFT8Y&feature=youtu.be
Jennifer Wong reviews ‘Return by Minor Road’ for Ambit
Poet Jennifer Wong reviewed ‘Return by Minor Road’ for the wonderful literary journal Ambit recently. I was very moved by her writing about the book, and by how she engaged with the collection. It’s heartening to have such a thoughtful reader who understands the connections between and behind the poems.
Continue reading Jennifer Wong reviews ‘Return by Minor Road’ for Ambit