Live poetry, an exhibition and Christmas

I have been without the internet for three days. You never quite realise how much you miss it until that happens. Some workmen drilled through the Virgin Media fibre optic cable, near me, along with some gas pipes and it affected a large part of south west London. The priority was to get the hospital back on line and then everyone else. I'm not sure if everyone has been re-connected but ours came back at eleven o'clock last night.

At one point I used the internet via my son's mobile so I could do some essential things, but his data was going so I was quick. Even our local coffee shop had no wi-fi! While there is something to be said for getting away from social media for a while, the internet has become an everyday essential.

And now I'm back I can do a catch up. Last Sunday afternoon I went along to the Boulevard Theatre in Soho again. This time Live Canon presented an event with Valley Press - four of their poets were reading. I came across Valley Press some years ago and have bought books from them. Recently they started a subscription service and, liking what they do, I have signed up for a year. So I was keen to support them at this event and I got to see the theatre itself. It is a small and very intimate space. I booked a seat in the second row. I hadn't expected to be so close to the stage. This is an excellent space for poetry. Helen from Live Canon introduced Jamie McGarry from Valley Press who then went on to introduce each poet. The four performing were Ralph Dartford, Cherry Taylor Battiste, Adham Smart and Julia Deakin. I had not come across any of these poets before but their poems were powerful and very different. While I enjoyed all the poets my favourite was Julia Deakin for her variety.

I hope to return to the Boulevard in the future and hear more poets. There is something going on there every Sunday afternoon. There is a lovely bar/restaurant area, which was quiet by that time. I had a nice pot of tea, but I had to smile. With all the drinks machines around these days huffing and puffing through frothy coffees and different teas, my tea was made by boiling a kettle. How quaint!

Since that event I have received my first newsletter and book from Valley Press as part of the subscriptions service (you get to choose your books). I have a book of short stories by Judy Darley, and I think next time I will choose Julia Deakin's book.

Now Christmas is upon us and I've been baking biscuits and making my marzipan sweets. It's something I used to do to you use up left over marzipan after covering a Christmas cake. I no longer make a Christmas cake as only I eat it. There is a limit even for me! But I adore marzipan. I cover glace cherries with it and roll them in icing sugar. There are variations and this year I've covered some in chocolate and cocoa.  My elder son is going to make a non-Christmas cake (an orange cake) and I've still to make mince pies.

These Amaretti biscuits are the best! First time making
them. Going fast. Everyone loves them.

Cranberry Thumbprint Biscuits

Marzipan sweets (first layer!)

In between the cleaning, baking and shopping I'm still writing my one-a-day poems. I went along to the British Museum on Tuesday to see an exhibition. Inspired by the East shows how we fell in love with tiles and ceramics and copied them. Paintings, sculptures and sketches of objects and costumes were also on show. While at the museum I looked at an art exhibition in room 90 featuring contemporary art from the 1970's to the present day, with art from Tracey Emin, David Hockney, and a favourite of mine, Anselm Kiefer. I found the day inspirational especially when it came to some poetry writing.

Anselm Kiefer

I also managed to get back to writing group in over in Hammersmith yesterday afternoon. I've really missed it, though it took me a while to get my head into gear. I'd not had a lot of sleep and felt quite tired. But it was fun and good to see everyone. The cafe was almost deserted. I guess everyone was off Christmas shopping.

Finally my new laptop has arrived and my son has been setting it up for me. I used it briefly yesterday but I need to transfer some files over (my writing ones) so today I'm using the old one as it's quicker and easier until I get to grips with the new one and have everything I need on it. I was amazed at how quickly it boots up and shuts off. This one takes about ten minutes!

This will be my post until after Christmas, so I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I do hope you'll come back now and then.

HAPPY  CHRISTMAS

Live Canon at the Boulevard Theatre, Soho

View from the first floor,
Boulevard Theatre

At the weekend I received an invitation from Live Canon to the launch night of four poetry pamphlets. This event happened last night in the bar of the Boulevard Theatre, Soho, and I was pleased to be able to go along. It was an opportunity to introduce myself to Helen who runs Live Canon, and who has been giving me such encouraging feedback on my poetry, and to hear a clutch of poetry readings.

The evening was lovely and had a great mix of poetry from each of the four poets - Miranda Peake, Katie Griffiths, Robin Houghton and Tania Hershman. It was nice to catch up with Robin Houghton who I have met before. You can read her thoughts on last night here.

The bar area of the theatre was a nice space for this event. The theatre has only been open for five weeks and is pretty impressive from what I saw, this includes the ladies (I always rate venues on their facilities and these were excellent).

After a lovely evening it was time to head home. London was still busy with shoppers and the lights sparkled on the wet roads.

Katie Griffiths, Tania Hershman, Miranda Peake and Robin Houghton

Helen from Live Canon

Oxford Street

...

Regent Street

Moving on

I get through a lot of pens and notebooks.
Switching to recycled materials seems logical to me.

Since I last posted here I have had my critique on my novel and a couple of weeks to mull things over. The critique was much as I expected in a way. My doubts about it bore out and I think it is time to put this one to bed for a while now. I've worked with it for too many years and am too close to the character and the story to yet take it apart. Some parts are easier to rectify than others but I am lacking is a hook and a more gripping beginning. That said my character is rather unlikable though I like him immensely! By changing him I'm afraid I will lose who he is. However, there are better things, apparently I'd got his voice and I have a lively way of writing.

The main problem with this novel is that I started it without a plan. When I began writing it I wasn't even sure if it was going to be a novel. Then once I realised it was going somewhere I had to plot. It's all been done backwards in a way. Maybe this is one that will be for my eyes only. I'm certainly not in a position to do anything with it now.

So, what's next on the agenda? Not novel writing. I'm not sure I have the stamina for the long haul and I don't think my ideas are strong enough. I have decided to forget publication as such for a while and just enjoy writing. I love my writing group and enjoy being with them. There is so much laughter between the buzz of timed free writing sessions. And I am still doing my write-a-poem-a-day-for-a-year challenge. Today I move into week twenty-two. And because poetry writing is my first love I signed up to write climate crisis poetry with Live Canon. This is a twelve week online course with a group (like a forum for students to chat and get feedback) and Live Canon will give personal feedback on the poems submitted. I am really enjoying this. It's been a long time since I have had feedback on my poetry and I am finding it very constructive.

Two books I have recently read

I am also going to lots of author events. The first one was in a local library where William Shaw and Mark Hill (both crime writers) were speaking. It was a lovely evening. I have read books by both authors and they obviously know each other very well as they sparked off one another. It was a lovely evening.

On offer on the night....couldn't resist!

October is always Wimbledon Book Fest, two weeks of events. Last night I went along to the opening night at Wimbledon Library to hear Joanne Harris in conversation. I've read all Joanne's books and her latest The Strawberry Thief is the fourth in the Chocolat series. Joanne was very entertaining to listen to and I shall look forward to reading the next instalment of Vianne and her daughters.

I have tickets for three more events which all take place in a number of tents on Wimbledon Common. The next one for me is on Saturday afternoon after which I have to rush off to take part in a charity concert in Kingston. I am going to miss the pre-concert rehearsal but hopefully arrive in time to sing with the choir. I believe we are first on!

Sunday week I'm off to Belfast with my husband for three nights, a break I booked back in November last year as part of a Black Friday deal. Getting quite excited now.

A day late, here is my poem for National Poetry Day. It is based on my writing session with the writing group on Tuesday.

Writing Session

I see the streak of lightning through the café window

and soon rain bounces off the pavement like marbles

while I scribble away in my notebook on the theme

of plasters!

A sticky little number in a heavy atmosphere bearing

down in charcoal clouds, and my head and wrist ache

while minutes tick by amid sounds of pages turning

and words hastily written.

And here I am under the thunderbolts and teeming rain

writing about a cut, a magic plaster and time shifts,

the meeting between dead and alive siblings - one

offering forgiveness.

Yet none of us can plaster the cracks where water

comes in, where drips feed buckets and enter windows;

we have no time for distractions because our characters

are feeding off our darkest thoughts.

Late summer update

Found this on the pier in Worthing this week.
Well, I never knew that!

Well, that's August gone! I completed the Live Canon Poetry Treasure Hunt and have one of their Anthologies winging its way to me. My own poetry challenge has moved into the 18th week. One day I could think of nothing to write at all, so I wrote about that! I sent out the most submissions I've ever done (I think). It was a no from Mslexia (as usual) over my short story for the Journeys theme, and I've had another rejection on another short story. However, I have been published by Visual Verse again this month, and I'm really chuffed about this flash story. You can read it here.

I've been told the critique for my novel will arrive by the 20th of this month, so if you don't hear from me for a while it may well be because I'm crying in a dark room.

Having enjoyed the Live Canon event last month I've signed up for their course on writing climate change poetry which starts in a couple of weeks time. I've been a warrior for the planet since before it became the most talked about thing (apart from Brexit). Back when I was in my twenties I was asking people to sign petitions and doing my bit for a kinder planet. Yet although I have written a few poems about certain aspects of earth's destruction I struggle with how to go about it, especially how not to be preachy. So I will learn from those who have done it and try and write my own. It will be a challenge.

Happy writing folks.

Poetry challange and Live Canon August Literary Treasure Hunt

All the staring out of the window at St Ives
and no inspiration to write poetry.

Having been away to Cornwall for a few nights my poetry challenge took rather a nose dive. I did take a notebook, pens and pencils and one morning I stood at the window of our room in the B&B and tried to find inspiration. I ended up with a rubbish set of words about shimmering water and heat! I gave up.

When I got back to my laptop I realised how behind I was. I know I don't have to write a poem every day. No one is going have a go if I don't get my seven a week, but I needed to get back on track for me. The first few attempts were more notes than fully formed poems. They had the basics that might warrant a proper editing in time.

In the last day the words began to flow again and I've ended up back on track with some poems that really excite me. Two came out of things we did on holiday and have nothing to do with shimmering seas!

I've have entered the thirteen week of this year challenge. Thirteen isn't an unlucky number for me as both good and bad things have happened on the 13th, so I'd never worry or avoid that number. My mother was the superstitious one, which makes me laugh because she was religious and somehow the two don't go together.

I was having a look through some saved items from Facebook yesterday and came across a story writing competition for humorous stories. The closing date was that day. Luckily I had just the right piece (well, hopefully) and submitted it. I've also entered the Winchester Poetry Competition this year too. My submissions have slowed down and I don't think I have anything else out there right now.

I've just joined Live Canon's Literary Treasure Hunt for August. Each day they send you a poem to explore by a different poet and then you search within their work to answer a clue. At the end of the month you have 30 words to solve the final clue. Something like that. I've received the intro letter and await the first poem. I thought it would be good fun, a way to find new poets and discover new work. The cost is £20 for the month. You still have time to sign up if you are quick.