4.3.14 I have just been asked to be part of “the bloggers tour”. Wonderful ! And I have been meaning to have a blog too! I have also been meaning to improve the fair acre press website, so I have decided to create this makeshift blog page, until I have sorted the whole website out. Nadia
13.3.14 The blogging tour
I would like to begin by thanking the mysterious person who started this blogging tour off. I have read some of the more recent blogs and have found them fascinating. I will delve further back in the chain, as well as moving forwards, within it.
I am delighted that Keith Chandler www.keithchandlerpoet.com/ asked me to be part of this. Thanks Keith !
Keith Chandler is actually one of my favourite poets of all time. He has such a light touch – he brings humour into his poems but always faces the dark head-on. His poems are easy to read, and difficult to forget…. and I am not alone in my response to his work (he came 4th out of thirteen thousand or more in the National Poetry Competition 2013, and has been published by Carcanet, and others)
I have been asked to pass the baton on:
I am very proud to be able to pass it on to Liz Lefroy – ANOTHER of my all-time favourite poets! She too has a lightness of touch, a keen eye, a truthfulness and an open heart.
her blog is www.someonesmumsays.blogspot.com
Liz Lefroy is a poet, new to blogging. She is moved by the interactions of everyday life – between lovers, parents, children, friends, strangers. Her work has appeared in Mslexia, Magma, Shoestring, The Frogmore Papers and Wenlock Poetry Festival Anthologies 2012 and 2013 and two pamphlets – Pretending the Weather and The Gathering (Long Face Press). Mending the Ordinary (Fair Acre Press), will appear in 2014. Liz runs the monthly Shrewsbury Coffeehouse Poetry evenings.
And now to the four questions we are all being asked….
What am I working on ?
As I write, Anna Dreda www.wenlockbooks.co.uk/ and I are halfway through touring the Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014 anthology, around nine venues in Shropshire. I also edited and published the anthology. Anna is a joy to work with. She is an energy that is open to writing and writers, readers, and those yet to indulge.
I have just picked up my most recent collaborative pamphlet, from the printers. It’s called through the woods – Peter Tinkler (artist www.petertinkler.com/ ), David Calcutt (www.davidcalcutt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ ) and I have all individually responded to the title; but they form a whole greater than its parts. I am very proud of it.
Thanks to Jonathan Davidson’s help through Room 204, Writing West Midlands I have recently been awarded an Arts Council England grant for a collaborative project with Giancarlo Facchinetti (musician www.myspace.com/gocranial ), Emma Purshouse (poet www.emmapurshouse.co.uk/ ) Professor Trevor Ponman (astrophysicist at the University of Birmingham) and myself – which will culminate in a performance about the history of the Universe. The performance will be held in a mobile planetarium dome (www.facebook.com/DomeClubUK ).I am so excited about this. I have already blown my mind several times in reading/ researching the subject, and just know the ingredients are there for something rather special to develop.
Later in 2014 I will publish a pamphlet by Liz Lefroy. You know – generally I am not too interested in “people” poetry.. but Liz’s poems…. well, if you don’t know her work yet, I so recommend it
I will also be publishing a finely bound book with an incorporated CD of Horse – a collaborative radio poem by Katrina Porteous (faint! www.beadnell.demon.co.uk/ ) and Peter Zinovieff – ask Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Paul McCartney about him…. and a wonderful artist Olivia Gill (www.oliviagill.com/ )
I have plans to write a novel with Tom Wentworth, and a radio piece with David Calcutt – but these are very early in their development, so I won’t say more than that.
Meanwhile I write poems, and most recently flash fiction – thanks to Pauline Fisk (www.mytonightfromshrewsbury.blogspot.co.uk/ ).
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
What an impossible question ! But an interesting one…. I think I can only tell you my aims. I have to leave it to you/others to decide if I am achieving those aims, in any way.
I would say the core of my writing is about the Natural World. Of course, I also know that Man is PART of nature, not APART from nature… so there is always a human element involved, whether I like it or not !
I like reading poems that are easily understandable but when I get to the end of the poem I immediately want to read it again and again; and on each reading something else is revealed. And then, on putting the page down, the poem continues to travel with you in its words or filmic images. I aim to write like this.
I am very keen on bringing science and art back together again. I believe a mathematician is the most imaginative of artists. A good poet or writer dissects, observes, records and theorises.
I love collaborating ! My first book was called: Shropshire Butterflies – a poetic guide to the butterflies of Shropshire – this involved 67 poets, writers, nature experts, artists. But I was very much in control of that one.
When I came up with the idea of Road Kill for David Calcutt (who I had only just met) to write a pamphlet that I would publish, and he suggested we wrote it together, I was aghast at the thought of working with somebody. But the experience turned out to be so exciting. I wrote much better poems, because of the collaboration, as I didn’t want to let him down. My performing was transformed, thanks to David. AND I gained a lovely silly friend.
Why do I write what I do?
Because without it I shrivel.
How does my writing process work?
I don’t think I have a writing process..
I do like sitting in an old armchair, sometimes cross-legged. I do usually handwrite a poem, but – am more recently discovering that I can type faster than write and so it can keep up with my thoughts better… which is perhaps more important in prose. I always take a poem onto the netbook, on my lap, and play with it there – saving every draft, so in theory I can go back to it. This gives me the courage to cut huge parts, move stanzas around, be much less precious with the original poem. Getting the first draft of a poem down gives me a surge of something that is both gratifying and addictive.
It is absolutely exhilarating.
Then I look at it and see the reality. That it is awful but hopefully – there is a kernel in there.
Then it’s like sculpting… take a bit off here, add a bit there, knowing the sculpture is in there, complete, I just have to find it. I love the editing process. Lucky really – it takes much much longer than that initial rush of the first draft; but would be nothing without the heart that is (hopefully) in that first draft.
I have bits of paper, various notebooks, stuff in my diary.. all depending where I have the idea. Listening to poets and science programmes often trigger something, walks, looking out of the window, car journeys (sometimes pulling in to a layby). Oh and reading. My favourite poets are those who trigger a poem from me – completely unrelated (luckily). But I read short stories, flash fiction, science fiction, factual books…. the pile beside my bed is like a game of Janga
I love researching. Writing about something that I have observed, and then reading up around the subject, then trying not to tell the reader all the fascinating information I have just learned, but enriching the original poem, hopefully.
Is that a writing process? More a way of life? I feel happy and whole and am grateful to so many people along the way..
Wow.
And THIS has been fun ! Thank you mysterious person for starting the blogging tour off. Nadia x
20/ 02/ 2014
Nadia has just finished editing and publishing the Wenlock Poetry Festivaal 2014 anthology, and, with Anna Dreda of Wenlock Books is running a tour of the anthology within Shropshire, in the run up to the Wenlock Poetry Festival in April:
Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014: The Anthology Tour
As far as we know, Wenlock Poetry Festival is the only festival that also publishes an anthology each year.
Now, for the first time, we are going on the road with the anthology !
Come for a free taster.
Meet and hear some of the poets.
Buy the anthology even!
At £4.99 it is a chance to see poems by big names such as Carol Ann Duffy, the Festival Patron, and Simon Armitage next to poems by the region’s Young Poet Laureates and many many more.
Anna Dreda of Wenlock Books, and Nadia Kingsley of Fair Acre Press welcome everyone.
THE WENLOCK POETRY FESTIVAL 2014 ANTHOLOGY TOUR:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4th March (Tues) LUDLOW : with huge thanks to Deb Alma and Jean Atkin, our hosts –
The Sitting Room, upstairs at Thai Box takeaway, 4 Upper Galdeford, Ludlow SY8 1QD
7:30pm to 9:30pm with half hour break at 8:30 pm
POETS: Anna Saunders, Jean Atkin, Jeff Phelps, Paul Francis, Tina Cole
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6th March (Thurs) SHREWSBURY: with huge thanks to Liz Lefroy, our host –
Shrewsbury Coffee House, 5 Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY21 2AE
starts 7:30pm
POETS: Mia Cunningham – Shropshire’s first Young Poet Laureate, Nick Pearson, plus Anna Dreda reads from the anthology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10th March (Mon) MUCH WENLOCK: George and Dragon pub, 2 High Street, Much Wenlock TF13 6AA
7:30 pm to 9:30pm, half hour break at 8:30pm with music
POETS: Andrew Fusek Peters, David Bingham, Jean Atkin, Jeff Phelps, Tina Cole, Paul Francis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12th March (Wed) CLUNGUNFORD: Clungunford House (Jane Roberts’ home), Clungunford SY7 0PN
8pm to 10 pm, half hour break at 9pm with music
POETS: Simon Fletcher, Nick Pearson, Paul Francis, Nadia Kingsley, plus Anna Dreda reads from the anthology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17th March (Mon) BRIDGNORTH: upstairs at Shakespeare pub, 54-55 W Castle St, Bridgnorth WV16 4AD
7:30pm to 9:30pm, half hour break at 8:30pm with music
POETS: Mark Niel, Jeff Phelps, Nick Pearson, Paul Francis, Dwane Reads
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
19th March (Wed) WHITCHURCH: The Bulls Head pub, 24 Watergate St, Whitchurch SY13 1DP
7:30pm to 9:30pm, half hour break at 8:30pm with music
POETS: Nick Pearson, Paul Francis, Nadia Kingsley, Dwane Reads, plus Anna Dreda reads from the anthology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
24th March (Mon) – OSWESTRY: Highwayman pub, Shrewsbury Rd, Oswestry SY11 2RT
7:30pm to 9:30pm, half hour break at 8:30pm with music
POETS: Gladys Mary Coles, Simon Fletcher, Mark Niel, Nick Pearson, Nadia Kingsley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
31st March (Mon) – CHURCH STRETTON: Housmans Bar
27 High St, Church Stretton SY6 6BX
7:30pm to 9:30pm, half hour break at 8:30pm with music
POETS: David Bingham, Andrew Fusek Peters, Mark Niel, Jean Atkin, Nick Pearson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12th April (Thurs morning) – MUCH WENLOCK: Thanks to Anna Dreda, our host
Poetry Breakfast, Tea on the Square, Much Wenlock
9 am to 10 am with a coffee and croissant break
(costs £6)
POETS : Andrew Fusek Peter and Mark Niel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entry is free to all, but poetry breakfast (which costs the audience £6 – this includes 2 cups of coffee and a hot croissant!) Come along !
Now in its fifth year, 2014’s Wenlock Poetry Festival is the largest to date. Over 70 events will take place during the weekend of 25-27 April 2014, including live performances, readings, workshops, literature, art, music and film.
Wenlock Poetry Festival has become recognised as one of the country’s most noteworthy literature festivals, attracting some of the best poets and performers writing today. The Festival was founded in 2010 with the support of Patron and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, who has named Much Wenlock as “the perfect place for poetry”.
Wenlock Poetry Festival is supported by Arts Council
Full programme and ticketing information can be viewed at www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org or call 01952 726829. The Box Office in Much Wenlock will be open for sales and information from 3 March (Thursday and Friday only).
For more information contact Helen Stallard, PR on behalf of Wenlock Poetry Festival:
T: 0774 033 9604
Comments are closed.