'Remembrance 100' and 'With Remembrance in MIND'

I have been running and judging a poetry competition in and for my local community as part of the programme of 'Remembrance 100' events in our church to mark the centenary of Armistice Day. The image above forms part of the cover of our competition pamphlet of poems. I have added a blue border to this screen image as, not surprisingly, white failed to show up on white!

The winners have been announced, and I am greatly looking forward to our Prize-giving Reading later this month.  

I shall be at a different church tomorrow evening, reading my Christmas Truce poem from Towards the light (Kapaju Books, 2018) ...

2017 - New Year News

 Happy New Year 

2017

The Tawny Owl in the photo above is known as Mabel. She is well known to those of us who live in the Ipswich area as she frequents the town's Christchurch Park and has for many years returned to the hollow branch of the tree in the picture. 

I was delighted to begin the year with a cheque representing the fact that my Barn Owl poem had been voted 'Second' in the readers' votes for the December issue of Reach Poetry, one of three flagship magazines from Indigo Dreams Publishing. 

I heard today that my entry for the Indigo Dreams Pamphlet Competition had gained a 'Commended'. More good news, but of a kind that leaves little room for complacency as it would be good to see the poems published as a batch. Unlike Mabel, I intend to keep my eyes wide open.

As for specific 2017 writing goals, well, I have an 'illumination of ideas' but am still at the formulating stage. I wonder what goals you have in mind?

Media Mix (2): Poetry in the news...

I am grateful to Matt Merritt of Polyolbion for alerting me to a recent (if downbeat) article in The Times (30 May 2009) by Giles Coren. I suppose it just goes to show that there are always two sides to a coin.

On a more positive note, today's Guardian features Elizabeth Burns, winner of the £5000 inaugural Michael Marks Poetry Pamphlet award.