Thursday 31 March 2011

National Poetry Month: I try again

I'm going to make yet another attempt to write thirty poems in the thirty days of April, and as before, I've called for company. Here's the list of who's offered to join me--more are welcome!

1. Hazel Hammond, Bristol
2. John Wheway, Stanton Drew
3. Linda Black, London
4. Lucy Sixsmith, Bath
5. Helen Pizzey, Dorset
6. Claire Crowther, Surrey
7. Zara Preston, Bath
8. Jenny Martin, London
9. J.L. Williams, Edinburgh
10. James MacGregor, Trowbridge
11. Mo Gallacio, London
12. Charles Johnson, Pilton, Somerset
13. Carolyn Jess-Cooke, Gateshead
14. Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Los Angeles
15. Aidan Semmens, Woodbridge, Suffolk
16. Tony Williams, Sheffield
17. Michael Egan, Liverpool
18. Kenny Knight, Plymouth
19. Peter Daniels, London
20. Sarah Wheeler, Bath
21. Kati Rynne, London
22. S.V. Wolfland, Exeter
23. Andrea Porter, The Fens, St Ives
24. Isobel Armstrong, Southampton
25. Charlotte Walker, Manchester
26. Jaime Robles, Exeter
27. Mike Jenkins, Merthyr Tydfil
28. Rob A. Mackenzie, Edinburgh
29. Graham Burchell, Dawlish
30. Diana Gittins, Exeter and Yorkshire
31. Brett Hardman
32. Andrew Bailey, Sussex
33. Sophie Mayer, London
34. Sandra Etter, Normal, Illinois
35. Aisling Tempany, Cardiff
36. Matt Bryden, London
37. Louise Matthias, Joshua Tree, California
38. Catherine Edmunds, Bishop Auckland
39. Fay Baker, Salford
40. Mimi Thebo, Keynsham
41. Susan Taylor, Dartmoor
42. Valeria Melchioretto, London
43. Frank Dullaghan, Dubai
44. Val Roberts, Cheshire
45. Wendy Webb, Norfolk
46. Joanne Limburg, Cambridge
47. Tamar Yoseloff, London
48. Alan Summers, Bradford on Avon
49. Karen Hoy, Bradford on Avon
50. Cat Conway, London

Tomorrow it begins!

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Musée Rodin, Paris, 27 March 2010

Please click on the images below to see them in more exquisite detail.



"Eve"



atop "The Gates of Hell"



"The Burghers of Calais"--
the force and individuality of the figures is overwhelming



"Balzac"

Tuesday 29 March 2011

"McLean County Highway 39,"

from Divining for Starters, is now up on Michelle McGrane's Peony Moon, at her request. It tries to evoke taking a bike ride through the prairie near where I grew up.

Friday 25 March 2011

StAnza: Scotland's Poetry Festival, 20 March 2011



My reading in St John's Undercroft, St Andrews





Rob A. Mackenzie and I read out one of each other's poems in each other's accent--one of my favourite moments from the festival. I just wish we'd gone on longer--it was such fun.

Thanks to Kenny Campbell for the photos.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

BBC Radio 4 on Bob Cobbing

BBC Radio 4 has made a wonderful programme on British sound poet Bob Cobbing, available to listen to online for another twelve days, titled "Make Perhaps This Out Sense Of Can You." Highly recommended.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Poetry communities

My post on my own early experiences of poetry communities and what I've learned of the Scottish poetry community are on the blog for StAnza, Scotland's international poetry festival, at which I'll be reading and giving a talk this weekend.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

The Centenary of International Women's Day

is marked by the Guardian with its list of the top 100 women, with 16 in writing and academia. Bath Spa University, where I teach, is in the midst of a week of interesting events, including two Women's Poetry Hours I organised. One will be at Bath Central Library tomorrow at 6 p.m., with myself, Dikra Ridha, Linda Saunders, and Ruth Sharman reading, Nikki Bennett hosting; the second will be held Friday at one p.m. in the Michael Tippett Centre foyer on the Newton Park campus, with a mix of local, MA, and staff poets: Daisy Behagg, Nikki Bennett, Zoe Howarth, Dikra Ridha, and Mimi Thebo, and myself hosting. Both readings are free and open to the public.

Saturday 5 March 2011

My review of Peter Reading's Vendange Tardive,

a book I highly recommend, appears in today's Guardian. At the editor's request, I originally submitted a review nearly twice the length and am happy to share it with anyone interested.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Another splendid review of The Son

appears in Shadowtrain's November/December 2010 issue, written by Rupert M. Loydell. I don't know how I missed it, but I'm glad to have found it in the end.