June 14, 2013

June 14, 2013
New poetry in Push Magazine

Very pleased to have poems published inPush # 3and# 4.This excellent new print zine is edited by Joe England and interestingly is sold outside of West Ham United FC home games and in the wider locale. Good work Joe.

May 20, 2013
‘Radio Mast Horizon’ featured at Peony Moon

Very pleased that Radio Mast Horizon is featured over at Peony Moon. Thanks to Michelle McGrane. The site is here.

April 28, 2013
New poem published

Pleased to have a new poem ‘Tell Me of the Boulevards’ published at the new print zine 1/25. For further information visit http://1of25.tumblr.com or www.facebook.com/1of25 Thanks to Craig Scott.

March 15, 2013
French translations

Delighted to have three new poems translated into French over at Recoures au Poemes. Many thanks to Matthieu Baumier and Elizabeth Brunazzi for the translations.

February 8, 2013
Reading dates

In support of my debut collection of poetry ‘Radio Mast Horizon’, I will be reading at the following venues. For more information about the book visit the Shearsman site here.
 
February 16th 2013 Nottingham Festival of Words, Nottingham Trent University, with David Miller, Sarah Jackson, Rory Waterman and Greg Woods. More info here.
 
February 23rd 2013 The Ship and Mitre pub Liverpool. Launch for ‘Radio Mast Horizon’ and Patricia Farrell’s ‘The Zechstein Sea’, both published by Shearsman. More info here.
 
March 1st 2013 The Fall is Dead Long Live The Fall (an evening of The Fall related poetry), Mascara Bar, Stamford Hill, London. More info here.
 
March 12th 2013 Edge Hill University, with Tim Allen, Patricia Farrell and Lindsey Holland. More info here
 
August 21st 2013 The Blue Bus, The Lamb 94 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1, with Chris McCabe and David Miller. More info to follow.

January 30, 2013
Interview

I was asked by Shannon Tharp (her collection ‘The Cost of Walking’ (Skysill Press) was one of my favourite finds of last year) to answer some questions. Shannon blogs here and Skysill Press can be found here. Thanks to Shannon for asking me to participate.

What is the working title of the book?

 

The book is called Radio Mast Horizon though its working title was In Search of a Symphony.

 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

 

I thought after several pamphlets that it was time to make the leap to a full collection, and gather some of the work together with newer poems. So, it’s kind of like a selected poems with new poems collected all together.

 

What genre does your book fall under?

 

Poetry.

 

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

 

Ha ha. No movie rendition!

 

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

 

With a voice fresh and responsive, these poems’ chiselled lyricism is firmly located in terms of time and space (and often place). This is by the poet Robert Sheppard and appears as a blurb on the rear of the book.

 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

 

Well some of the poems are eight years old or so. But once I had had the idea accepted by the publisher (Shearsman) I spent a good six months re-reading and re-drafting the poems and then locating them into a manuscript that I liked. Then, I sat on it for six months and sent it on. So probably a year was spent in getting the manuscript ready. It was too short so I spent another few months working material into the manuscript at that stage.

 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

 

Being taught at post-graduate level by the poet and critic Robert Sheppard helped! Robert also supervised my PhD and spent a long time with the poems. He made me believe in myself as a poet and that I could eventually successfully publish the work. There are also plenty of individuals who have played a role in the writing of the poems merely because they exist. Or sadly in a few cases, existed.

 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

 

It has a lovely photograph of a radio mast in Tokyo on the cover. It also has a nice typeface.

 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

 

It is published by Shearsman and is widely available in good bookshops and on-line.

 

 

 

 

 

January 15, 2013
Today is the launch date of my debut full collection of poetry, Radio Mast Horizon published by Shearsman. Many thanks to those who have made this book possible, you know who you are. More information here including an extract from the book.

Today is the launch date of my debut full collection of poetry, Radio Mast Horizon published by Shearsman. Many thanks to those who have made this book possible, you know who you are. More information here including an extract from the book.

December 20, 2012
Stuff of the year

Music and Books
James Murray - Floods (album)
Ombre - Believe You Me (album)
By the Sea - By the Sea (album)
Mark Eitzel - Don’t be a Stranger (album)
Nils Frahm - Felt (album)
Greg Haines - Digressions (album)
Nils Frahm - Screws (album)
Martin Rossiter - Drop Anchor (track)
Chelsea Light Moving - Burroughs (track)
First Aid Kit - First Aid Kit (album)
Battleships - Your Words (track)
I am Oak - Palpable (track)
Daughter - Youth (track)
Simone Felice - New York Times (track)
John Murry - Southern Sky (track)
A Whisper in the Noise - Your Hand (track)
Pet Shop Boys - Tonight is Forever (live with the BBC Philharmonic)
Sharon Van Etten - Serpents (track)
Father John Mistry - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings (track)
Spain - Sevenfold (track)
Bon Iver - Bon Iver (album)
Sebadoh - Keep the Boy Alive (track)
Calexico - Splitter (track)
Dinosaur Jr - Don’t Pretend you didn’t Know (track)
Thee oh Sees - Lupine Dominus (track)
Eva Petersen - Emerald Green Eyes (album)
Shannon Tharp - The Cost of Walking (poetry)
John James - Cloud Breaking Sun (poetry)
Sarah Crewe - Flick Invicta (poetry)
Chris McCabe - The Restructure (poetry)
Jo Langton - Poetea (poetry)

December 18, 2012
Pushcart Prize Nomination

Very honoured (and humbled) to have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize by the kindly folks at In Other Words: Merida. The poem nominated is called ‘Radio’ and can be found here. More about the Pushcart Prize can be found here.

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