The Poetry Book Society Bulletin on Linda Lamus's A Crater the Size of Calcutta (Mulfran, 2015)

"Published posthumously following her death from cancer in 2008, Linda Lamus' debut collection affords us an all-too ephemeral glimpse of a nascent talent tragically lost to us. Edited by Carrie Etter and with a foreword by Tim Liardet, these are intricately crafted poems, distilled impressions of her world travels in crystalline snapshots of people and places which linger long in the memory. It is down to the sterling work of Carrie Etter and Mulfran Press that we can hear Lamus' startling voice: 'Look. I am the shadow watching from the stars.'"

Imagined Sons launched at the West Barn, Bradford on Avon, 28 March 2014

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a wonderful night!

The launch viewed from outside the glass at the West Barn

My reading from Imagined Sons after an outstanding introduction by Claire Crowther

Blurry, but still great! Gerard Woodward, me and Tim Liardet, three of Bath Spa's faculty poets

Josephine Corcoran and Tania Hershman pose with their copies of Imagined Sons

Thanks to Reiss McGuinness for taking the photos.

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.

100,000 Poets for Change in Bath on Saturday, 29 September

Here is the final schedule for Bath's day of readings as part of the international 100,000 Poets for Change, this Saturday, 29 September at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute on Queen Square, with all money raised going to support Julian House, Bath's charity for the homeless. We'll be in the large Elwin room. Here's the schedule:

2:30-3 p.m. Bath Poetry Cafe, with readings from David Cohen, Teresa Davey, Rose Flint, Rosie Jackson, Jill Sharp and Sue Sims

3:10-3:40 p.m. A Pamphlet Party, with poets reading from their pamphlets: Seren Adams (Small History, Shearsman), David Hale (The Last Walking Stick Factory, Happenstance), Dikra Ridha (There Are No Americans in Baghdad's Bird Market, Tall Lighthouse), and Robert Walton (Waiting for the Wave, Pighog)

3:50-4:20 p.m. Bath Spa University MA Poets Past and Present: Graham Allison, Daisy Behagg, Matthew Haw, Caroline Heaton, Alan Summers, Natasha Underwood, John Wheway and Andy Wright 

4:30-5 p.m. Swindon Artswords Presents, with readings from William Bedford, Emily Harrison, Cristina Newton, Bethany Pope and Hilda Sheehan

5:10-5:40 p.m. Bath Spa University Undergraduates

Dinner break

7:30-8:05 p.m. David Briggs and Kelvin Corcoran

8:20-8:55 p.m. Claire Crowther and Tim Liardet 


There will be drinks and books tables throughout the event (manned by Bath Spa student volunteers), and donations will be requested for Julian House. There is no entry fee as such. I am most grateful to Bath Spa University for its support--paying for the room, readers' travel expenses, etc.--so that all donations can go directly to Julian House.

100,000 Poets for Change day of readings in Bath

As part of the international 100,000 Poets for Change, I've organized a day of readings on Saturday, 29 September at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute on Queen Square, with all money raised going to support Julian House, Bath's charity for the homeless. We'll be in the large Elwin room. Here's the schedule:

2:30-3 p.m. Bath Poetry Cafe, with readings from David Cohen, Teresa Davey, Rose Flint, Rosie Jackson, Jill Sharp and Sue Sims

3:10-3:40 p.m. A Pamphlet Party, with poets reading from their pamphlets: Seren Adams (Small History, Shearsman), David Hale (The Last Walking Stick Factory, Happenstance), Dikra Ridha (There Are No Americans in Baghdad's Bird Market, Tall Lighthouse), and Robert Walton (Waiting for the Wave, Pighog)

3:50-4:20 p.m. Bath Spa University MA Poets Past and Present: Graham Allison, Laura Burns, Matthew Haw, Caroline Heaton, Alan Summers, Natasha Underwood, Andy Wright and several others

4:30-5 p.m. Swindon Artswords Presents, with readings from William Bedford, Emily Harrison, Cristina Newton, Bethany Pope and Hilda Sheehan

5:10-5:40 p.m. Bath Spa University Undergraduates, with readers to be confirmed

Dinner break

7:30-8:15 p.m. Emerging Poets, with readings from David Briggs, Rory Waterman and possibly one other poet to be confirmed

8:30-9:15 p.m. Kelvin Corcoran, Claire Crowther and Tim Liardet 


There will be drinks and books tables throughout the event (manned by Bath Spa student volunteers), and donations will be requested for Julian House. There is no entry fee as such. I am most grateful to Bath Spa University for its support--paying for the room, readers' travel expenses, etc.--so that all donations can go directly to Julian House.

Bath Spa University's Stand Up Poetry Reading Series, 2011-12

If you live in or near Bath, please take note of the following dates for the Bath Spa University Stand Up Poetry Series this year. In five years, we've never repeated a reader, and I hope that will continue. The organizer of the series is Professor Tim Liardet (with assistance from yours truly) and its manager is PhD poetry student Andy Turner. All readings are held at 8 p.m. at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath. I believe the cover charge is £7, though it's free for Bath Spa students.

6 October (yes, already gone!): Dennis Nurkse

10 November: Ian Duhig

8 December: Julia Copus

12 January: Lytton Smith and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch

9 February: Geraldine Monk

8 March: Neil Rollinson

19 April: Jill Bialosky

10 May: Vahni Capildeo and Ahren Warner

Unfortunately I'll miss 10 November and 8 December as I have readings in Cardiff and Swindon, respectively, on those nights, but I expect to make it to the others. I hope to see some of you there!

Pamphlet review in TLS

A roundup review of pamphlets in today's TLS includes favorable reviews of both Claire Crowther's Mollicle and Tim Liardet's Priest Skear. Read it here.

Moments from the AWP in Chicago, February 2009

Phoebe Woodward's exquisite dessert at The Park Grill

Molly Peacock and Tim Liardet at The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Joe Liardet and I, across the table from Molly and Tim

After a conversation about insomnia, Molly shares her iPod with Tim 

(I think it was an audio book she uses to get to sleep)