Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Hanne Bramness's No Film in the Camera (trans. Frances Presley, Shearsman, 2013)
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Current Issues
When I returned from Oxford yesterday, I had a happily large stack of post waiting, and this book was the most exciting piece. Last year, working with co-editor Jeremy Noel-Tod, I composed six entries for this new edition of The Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry: Andrea Brady, Forrest Gander, Laura Kasischke, Tim Liardet, Frances Presley and Catherine Wagner. Summing up a career and describing a probably evolving poetic style (as all these authors are alive and wonderfully active) in a few hundred words proved more arduous and time-consuming than I anticipated. At the same time, I enjoyed improving my knowledge and understanding of their work.
The experience of writing the entries also gave me one of my most rewarding exchanges with an editor. Noel-Tod provided an ideal balance of guidance and leeway (for lack of the better word escaping me), and while I expect editing such a large work with so many entries and contributors will dissuade him from any more editing for a while, I hope another, perhaps smaller opportunity to work together in this capacity will come again sometime.
I think I've been put off from doing many of these 'Current Issues' entries by people posting news of their acceptances for publication on Facebook. I understand so well the excitement and pleasure such an acceptance brings and often feel the impulse myself to make such posts, but I feel uneasy with self-promotion that I force on people's notice. Here on the blog, I figure only those interested will come by to read what I'm up to, but even so, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging. *sigh*
So I'll thank the editors of Ambit, Molly Bloom, New Walk, Poetry Wales and Shearsman for their support of my work by choosing poems of mine to appear in future issues. I'm most grateful.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Poetry Picnic at the Porlock Arts Festival, Saturday 11 September 2010
I can't attend, but dearly wish I could! Poets due to read include Tim Allen, Lyndon Davies, Giles Goodland, Alasdair Paterson, Frances Presley, Gavin Selerie, Sam Smith, Steve Spence, and many others. The organiser is Tilla Brading.
POETRY PICNIC PROGRAMME
Saturday, September 11th 2010
at the PORLOCK ARTS FESTIVAL
in Jubilee Garden or (if wet) Small Hall
Entrance at gate £3.50 Poetry book stall
TIME | EVENT |
11.00 – 11.15 | Music: Eileen Ann Moore & Jim Parham - Folk Songs & Guitar |
11.15 – 11.40 | FIRE RIVER POETS |
11.40 – 12.05 | INDIVIDUALS Jo/Chris/John/Rosemary/Jillian |
12.05 – 12.15 | Music: Eileen Ann Moore & Jim Parham - Folk Songs & Guitar |
12.15 – 12.40 | UNCUT POETS |
12.40 - 1.05 | POETS FROM LONDON ETC.. |
1.05 – 2.00 | Lunch, Music (1.30-40) followed by Open Mic (1.40-2.00-sign up!) |
2.00 – 2.25 | POETS FROM WALES |
2.25 – 2.50 | PLYMOUTH LANGUAGE CLUB |
2.50 – 3.00 | Music: Eileen Ann Moore & Jim Parham - Folk Songs & Guitar |
3.00 – 4.00 | GUEST POET: Harriet Tarlo |
http://www.porlockfestival.org/
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Women's Innovative Poetry & Cross-Genre Festival, 14-16 July, London
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Dublin reading podcasts
Friday, 26 February 2010
Infinite Difference, sampler no. 5: Frances Presley, from "Alphabet for Alina"
a
leans her aap pull an apple an
ape sun ap rise across a cross be
tween cox and box her sunset keep
her kept such red to last such red to read
a tart start heart wood this year
the sun gone set or unripe apples
for supermarkets not my favourite
checks to come and live in caravans
pays less than factory work leaf eaters
whose apples who eats this
apple do not snow white do not
white out my reading burst let her
breathe let her choose between apple
and mirror of the apple her s/own character
Frances Presley