I’m really pleased to have three poems in the Spring 2016 edition of The Lonely Crowd, as well as an essay on the composition of the poems and recordings of them online. There are several readings planned to showcase the issue – one has already taken place (unfortunately on the same night I was reading forContinue reading “May”
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Being Mutant
In October 2014 I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder caused by a mutation in one or several of the genes responsible for collagen production. Unless you’re reading this because you or a friend or family member have EDS, it’s likely that you’ve never heard of it before. You’re notContinue reading “Being Mutant”
Shunting in reverse through the steps of a dance/nobody else can join in with.
This week I got the news that a poem of mine, ‘Begin’, was chosen as one of the runners-up for this year’s Fish Poetry Prize, judged by Nick Laird. This is what he says about it – Begin by Polly Atkin The poem had impressive, confident turns, and I admired the way its syntax brokeContinue reading “Shunting in reverse through the steps of a dance/nobody else can join in with.”
Dark Days for White Moss/WWWD.2
White Moss common is once more under threat, as the application to ‘improve’ it into a visitor hub has been renewed with (very minor) adjustments (the cafe is slightly smaller). You can see the plans here and here. This comes as the Lake District National Park Authority are also selling off large swathes of the LakeContinue reading “Dark Days for White Moss/WWWD.2”
What will be found in England’s lost corner?
Tomorrow I’m making the excessively convoluted journey from Cumbria to Norfolk, for the Cafe Writers Poetry Prize reading. The night before New Year’s Eve I got the news my poem ‘Tiny Glass Horses’ had been placed third, with first prize going to Jonathan Davidson’s paean to ‘Brickwork’, and second to Jo Bell’s take on AContinue reading “What will be found in England’s lost corner?”
Shadow Dispatches 