February slump

 I'm in a bit of a slump right now. I don't seem to be able to find a direction. I have pieces ready to send out, but cannot find the right place to send them. Either submission windows are closed or I don't see me in that particular magazine. I'm loath to send to anymore competions at this time. Has anyone else noticed how entry fees have gone up? I did send to one competition this week, but I cannot justfy spending that much every time. I have to weigh up the fee against the prize (and my chances??). 

Even my projects have come to a stand still. However, I am toying with the idea of taking an in depth Flash Fiction course. It's expensive, hence the hesitation.

However, a few good things happened at the end of last month. My poem, How it Began, was published by Amethyst Journal. This poem came out of an article I read which fascinated me. When people ask where I get my ideas from, reading is one of them. It can be very random, and certainly this poem wouldn't have been written had I not read the article.

The other great thing was attending Out-Spoken at the Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre with a friend. We found out that this is a monthly event, and we enjoyed it so much we are going back again this month!

Kim Moore

The evening consisted of three poets and two musicians. I'd particularly wanted to see Kim Moore, whose poetry book The Art of Falling, I have read. This time she read from her latest book, All The Men I Never Married. I loved her quip to the late arrivals, 'Sorry, you've missed the penis poem', or words to that effect! During the interval, I bought her book along with Improvised Explosive Device by Arji Manuelpillai, who was the first reader of the evening. His poetry was like nothing I had heard before and based on extremism, and why people act the way they do. He'd interviewed people including Tamil Tigers and an EDL member, and researched articles.

Arji Manuelpillai

Mark Waldron's started off his session with a poem about a Lawnmower Museum. It was so funny everyone was roaring with laughter. He had a mix of funny poetry and poetry taken from folk and fairies tales. I particularly liked his funny poetry. It makes a refreshing change, as most poetry is serious and often dark.

Mark Waldron

The musicians were Jay Verma, a UK-based jazz pianist, and Jamie Leeming, a jazz guitarist. I'm not a fan of jazz, but I wouldn't have called Jamie Leeming a jazz guitarist. I enjoyed his music, and was fascinated by his use of a loop machine.

Jamie Leeming

I found the evening inspirational and it left me with a buzz. It's good to see what poets are writing these days. 

Finally, I have been asked my Mothers' Union Branch to give a talk on my writing experience, so I have been busy putting together information and making A5 booklets with a combination of flash and poetry I've had published to give away on the night. I should add that I've been a member of this branch since my eldest son was a toddler. I'll tell you how it went next time.

Now back to the slump!