Even Supposing-- and the new issue of Blackbox Manifold

Some months ago (I believe it was April), I spoke of a new project I'd embarked on, an erasure of Esther Summerson's chapters in Charles Dickens' Bleak House, which I've tentatively titled Even Supposing-- (both Esther's last words in and the last words of the novel, including that splendid dash). The first chapter from that project appears in the new issue of Blackbox Manifold, and I have wonderful company, with Ray DiPalma, Anne Gorrick, Paul Green, W.N. Herbert, Tony Lopez, Erin Moure, Ian Seed, Aidan Semmens, and John Wilkinson, among others, as well as a special feature on Peter Robinson. I'm delighted to be a part of it. 

NaPoWriMo: Done. Dusted.

In the thirty days of April, I wrote 16 independent, prose-poetry sections (of which we used 14) for the commissioned piece, "Meditations," on Peter Coker's 1958-9 painting, "Sunflowers," eight sections taken from the words of Esther Summerson's first chapter in Charles Dickens's Bleak House (I didn't realise till today I'd completed the chapter!), and five independent poems. Thus it turns out that for all my activity in April, I missed the 30 in 30 goal by one, but I'm nonetheless delighted. I think "Meditations" has turned out well (if not excellent, as I'd hoped) in spite of the time pressure I faced, I'm excited about the Bleak House project, and several of the independent poems I think are good. So hurrah! How did others fare? 


Thanks to everyone who joined me. Stories of your own experiences consistently encouraged me to strive for my best and to make the most of the time, and I dearly appreciate them. Thanks so much. 

A Mutual Friend: Poems for Charles Dickens

As a former Victorianist, I'm delighted to have a poem in this new anthology, edited by Peter Robinson and published by Two Rivers Press. There's a wonderful array of poems here by the likes of Moniza Alvi, Alison Brackenbury, Fred D'Aguiar, Maura and Tim Dooley, Jane Draycott, Ian Duhig, Peter Finch, John Greening, Philip Gross, Alan Halsey, Alan Jenkins, Jamie McKendrick, Paul Muldoon, Richard Price, Justin Quinn, Deryn Rees-Jones, Peter Riley, Anthony Rudolf, Lesley Saunders, Elizabeth Smither, Julian Stannard, C.K. Stead, George Szirtes and others--how's that for range?

You can purchase a copy directly from the publisher here.