Time Out

I'm taking a few days off. See you soon. Write well.

Words of Ruth

There's a really interesting judge's report from Ruth Padel on the Mslexia website about the entries from the Poetry Competition. (Did I win? Did I 'eck as like)

One thing she mentions is to look again at the treacherous adverbs and adjectives and think what the poem would be like without it. (Same applies to fiction and non-fiction I suggest) I'm off to frisk my entries.

She also mentions over reliance on short lines. I put my hand up for this one.

Note: none of the winners were written to form. Again.

Cinnamon Press Microfiction Submissions

What's the difference between flash fiction, micro fiction and short stories?

Cinnamon Press is looking for pieces of microfiction - short short fiction or flash fiction, and pieces of prose poetry that tell a story in under 600 words.

Deadline: 15 Aug 2009
Fee: can't find any mention of a fee
Prize: Published in anthology (see fee)


You may submit as many pieces as you wish, and those selected will appear in a new Cinnamon microfiction and prose anthology to be published in late 2010, co-edited by Holly Howitt and Jan Fortune-Wood.
Submission Guidelines:
- Each piece must be no longer than 600 words. There is no minimum length.
- Pieces can be on any subject and you may send several pieces, but please submit them as a single Word attachment using a .doc or .rtf format
- Submit pieces to both Holly Howitt cinnamonanthology@googlemail.com and Jan Fortune-Wood jan@cinnamonpress.com with the words Microfiction Anthology in the subject line.
- In the body of the e-mail please type your name and location.

What do you think of online Poetry Journals

Southword has gone exclusively online. I think it's a terrible idea. It lumps it together with many many other journals whose reputation and choice of published pieces range from substandard to highly questionable through dire, woegeous and pathetic.

And who reads online journals anyway? Not very many poets. Only those who waste valuable writing time surfing.

I had a virtual flick through it and I know I'm not going to read them all. It's much easier to stop reading a webpage than a book. A book sits on the floor, table, in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen until you either shelve it or pick it up and continue to read it. As for a webpage, you have to decide to go back to it deliberately.

Are the writers paid? I don't think so. Update - they are paid in Southword. How does their cashflow work then? Advertising?

Did they select my poem? No (!) I think I would have withdrawn anyway.

Having said all this, there's a quality list of poets ...

What do you think?

The SHOp

SO I'm in the summer 2009 issue of the Shop. (Please buy one, they're struggling for funds. Actually it doesn't show up on the website yet so you can get this as BREAKING NEWS.

Anyway, they noted that they received few submissions of poems on dark but important matters such as terrorism, torture, political corruption, slavery, child labour, people trafficking, denial of women's rights (surely loads of those?) religious persecution.

They had an "abundant response"

The trouble is, mine's included and that's not what it's about. My poem is reportage from a lady I knew, of where she put the blame for the Irish tendency to swear a lot. But if you read my poem alongside some of the others, you could interpret it as agreeing with her. And it is all the fault of the squaddies. I don't. That's the point.

Other poets included are:

Gerald Dawe, Eva Bourke, Paddy Bushe, Harry Clifton, Derek Mahon, Gabriel Rosenstock, Matthew Sweeney and lots of names unfamiliar to me for now.

Best Beach Books

NPR , National Public Radio, slightly higher brow than Radio 4 I'd say, via Nathan Branford literary Agent are collating the best beach books ever. With a US bias but no harm there. The criteria are for a good read that takes you out of your environment, keeps you turning pages, doesn't disintegrate if you drop it in the pool, has handy ridges for collecting sand and is both olive oil and sun cream factor 40 proof. And fiction only so one of my favourite's Bill Bryson has to be left behind at home, waving sadly out of the window as we drive away.

You can vote for 10 of the 100 shortlist at NPR. The results are shown 29th July.

What's on your list?
What's on your list that's not on their list?

What about of the top of my head:
Bernard Cornwell, William Boyd, Marian Keyes, David Mitchell, all gripping reads

Poetry Divas I

The legend that is the Poetry Divas rides again this summer, not once, not twice but thrice. Too much, I hear you cry. But no. You can never get too much of a Poetry Diva. Plus we're slightly different every appearance, never the same twice, let alone thrice, that's us.

Think Poetry.
Think Performance.
Think Sequins and Wellies.
Think.

Where: Castlepaooza Festival, Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Nominated for thebest European Festival 2008, no mean feat.

When: August 1st and 2nd, Bank Holiday Weekend

Tickets: a paltry 89 Euro, camping included.


Supporting Acts for the Poetry Divas include: Rain Forest Day Spa, Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Music:
* 8ball
* Angiel Pier
* Channel One
* Dark Room Notes
* David Kitt
* Glint
* Land Lovers
* Lauren Guillery
* Le Galaxie
* Nell Bryden
* Noise Control
* Not Squares
* Patrick Kelleher
* Project Jenny Project Jan
* Robotnik
* RSAG
* Scribble Sound Soundsystem
* Skibunny
* The Followers of Otis
* The Hot Sprockets
* The Lost Brothers
* The Lowly Knights
* The Spikes
* Toy Horses
* Ynvgve and the Innocent
* 2025
* DJ BAZ
* DJ Steve Reddy
* DJ Tu-ki