It has been a fantastic month, busy, successful and beginning to live the life I dream of living.
I have a final submission to edit and send before Midnight and work tomorrow. When I get home my 1st priority will be to update this post with a review of March.
Come back tomorrow and have a read 🙂
Review March 2014 
March started out with me missing a few writing deadlines, February had been busy and I often scribble opportunities in my writing diary that don’t work out due to other commitments or a lack of muse. When they are an annual event I try to make a note of them at the front of the diary – in the hope that I might work on a piece later in the year which would be suitable, or to bear them in mind before the deadline next year.
I often leave things a little late – not just in the world of writing!
PUBLISHED
One deadline I did meet was submitting poetry about the fur trade for an upcoming Born Free Anthology, my poems (2 of them) are due to be published later this year. Many of my poetry friends also have work in this book, so it will be a special one to keep for more reasons than just to support the Charity, although it’s good to do that too.
I look forward to promoting this publication soon. 
My poetry was up on display in a local library, thanks to the Arts Network and information about this group being shared in a Stanza (Poetry Society) meeting last year.
It was exciting for me to go and fetch it all back a few days ago and look inside the suggestion box to see what ideas other people had left me. Hear more about these poems later in April.
PAMPHLETS
I found out about Flarestack and Cinnamon call outs for pamphlets at the beginning of March and thought I might be ready to produce one – this was a 2014 goal… aside from missing one of the deadlines I have found that 15+ poems is not a place I am in right now, besides my chances of publication/ acceptance would be improved if I could place more work and build up my writing CV first.
YOUNG WRITER
I am finding this a frustration. When I left the writing world (unintentionally) I was a Young Writer, a successful, published one at that. I ran (and made money) facilitating workshops, I had portfolios of work, I was a well established performance poet (or stagey page poet) in my local region, I ran an open mic night, I managed a writing website… things were busy and for a while I worked as a freelance writer 
(I had no other income) – it all worked well. I wasn’t rich but I was making waves and getting places. I often wonder where I would be now if I hadn’t bailed out.
However, I did, life happens, I had commitments, ambitions, a career, a good income etc. and eventually the winding path I trod brought me back to the little sign that says ‘This is who you are… DO IT!’
Regrets are a waste of energy – I have to accept I am back on square one, but with age (and maybe wisdom) I have made an impact in 6 short months and things have started to shift in the right direction! 
SUBMISSIONS AND SUCCESSES
At the end of February I submitted a poem for the Wenlock Poetry Trail – part of the Wenlock Poetry Festival.
To my delight this was accepted (the same week as Born Free poems), my poem is now on display in the window of Croft Designs, in Wenlock AND it was liked so much the owner has published it on the shop’s website!
I tried to get tickets for a workshop at the MAC. It was for What’s the Agenda? A community arts project organised by the Cannonhill Collective. I couldn’t get the website to accept the registration page. In the end I sent an email directly to Hayley Frances, who was running the workshop. She said I should have just turned up- but it is a long way to go if there hadn’t been spaces. I got the brief on email – which was a good job because the promotion at the beginning of the month that I had seen – just said communication & isolation in a digital world. This is very different to Hikikomori, the subject.
I started researching this condition which originated in Japan and is fast becoming a worldwide phenomena which needs supporting/preventing. Eventually reading interviews and articles turned into a freewrite following Hayley’s brief and this writing on the theme of isolation, eventually worked into a poem. The Japanese connection meant that Hayley wanted Haikus. I wrote them a week later, in a spare hour between work and Confab Cabaret! I had envisaged sending out 3 or 4. I submitted 21, not expecting them all to be accepted but I think Hayley used most of them in the end.
Mr G and I were lucky enough to catch a part of the What’s The Agenda? Festival weekend – a performance of poetry about divorce for 3 parts and also the Hikikomori room, which we were invited into. A great art instillation/ mixed media piece. Hayley was kind enough to show us round her piece in a quick break in between shows. It was great seeing and hearing how passionate she is about this project and its message.
I entered my first EVER Poetry Competition!
And dressed as a Flower fairy at work to celebrate World Book Day!
I missed the opportunity to read / perform my poetry to camera, a Birmingham University student, opened his doors to all poet’s for a weekend – I would have loved to have been living in that house! I had a busy schedule and wasn’t able to fit any slot in – I know lots of people who did get themselves filmed for his project (but they got a free copy of the film). I emailed Ben and he hopes to do something like this again in the future. I will be prepared for then, I just hope I will also be free!
I had a great time at The Hive, 
working as an Assistant Writer for the Write On! Young Writers’ programme. Although I will never take public transport again, it took so long being delayed it was as stressful as driving! I was delighted to share my poetry news with the group and share 3 young writers’/ poetry competitions with them. One of which I had entered the adult round for.
Emmapress had a book launch for yet another anthology my poems were rejected from – Motherhood – I know some prolific writers’ who are in it and would have loved to go and support them at the launch in Birmingham, it was a day I was already busy.
I only had a couple of days off for writing this month as I have accepted lots of overtime (to pay for solicitors and house sales!) and have struggled to fit everything in. My writing diary has become so full the post it note lists have multiplied onto extra pages being stuck in.
I missed some great events due to clashing dates and tiredness, as I have found out you cannot commit to doing every event and also work a day job, manage a house and keep up healthy relationships. The events I did manage were superb.
I caught up on 52 poems although I haven’t managed to post them all onto the Social Media page. I am finding this challenge results in interesting work and is a great way to virtually meet more poets (and raise the profile of your own name!)
I signed up to a poetry network.
I also signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo and NaPoWriMo the week before the end of the month. I did both of these challenges last year and thoroughly enjoyed them. The main lesson I learnt last year was that this writing has to be of use. I am using the camp to get short stories written and the Poetry to create extra work for a pamphlet in the future.
It was both Oxford Literary Festival, Cheltenham Poetry Festival and Otley Word Feast Weekend. I had hoped to get to this event over the weekend, but by the evening I was far too tired. 
I started rehearsing on a collaborative set for the next Mouth & Music. Should be fun – we get to share the stage for 10 minutes next month!
I also had the exciting opportunity to perform in the local arts centre in the summer along as part of a Poetry Army, more on this soon.
Worcestershire hosted the next poet laureate competition, I know several contenders in it this year. I decided after some thought to give this a miss this year as I work on my writing, I will have a clearer picture of missions for the future by then as well as a more developed profile locally.
EVENTS
The Ort – Spoken Word event. A great event, where I got to see The Night Watchmen, now on Tour and currently *this past weekend, played at The MAC, Birmingham.
Poet’s with Passion – The Sahara – A relaxed affair, poet’s sharing words on the theme of home.
Mouth & Music – BHG – 
Current Affairs theme – I wrote about the missing Malaysian flight… it was a great night and I had the chance to watch Brenda Read-Brown perform again and was wowed by 
The Very Grimm Brothers.
© 2014 BBC
SpeakEasy – only just managed to turn up in time to race to the mic for my booked 6 minute slice 
and I had had THE MOST STRESSFUL work day… if I hadn’t have been booked this is one evening I would have missed due to exhaustion! It was good to see The Very Grimm Brothers again though and also Bobby Parker.
Confab Cabaret – A great night celebrating there 1st birthday with performances from The Decadent Divas and Men in General. It was so good that in the enthralling atmosphere, I had almost forgotten it was a work night! 
Hit The Ode I didn’t perform this month but went to support my friend Andrea Shorrick a.k.a Swingerella. I saw 3 amazing headliners and spent my last pound coins on a poetry pamphlet!
It was a great night! I really enjoyed it. I hoped to perform there again in April, but they have some amazing poets and people have already signed up and filled the slots. It is a great night though and I am more than happy to watch top class entertainment like the people who grace the stage at The Ode.
The Quiet Compere – MAC – 
A bunch of us poets – went to support the 10 poets taking part in Sarah L Dixon’s Tour of the North with a jaunt into Birmingham. It was a superb night out! 
Poetry Bites – In support of Sarah James who had a guest spot alongside Helena Calcutt. I had an open mic spot and shared new poems to the public. It was a packed night – entertaining – lovely atmosphere and great to meet Jacqui Rowe properly.
Drummond 42 – 3rd Anniversary – where I shared Zombie poems I had written especially for the event. 
Stanza – I missed 1 event and an open mic night to be there, having missed last month’s due to Najma Hush’s exhibition performance, I wanted to go to this meeting. It took a while to feel comfortable in my editing hat, but I was glad of the meeting. I wrote a poem especially for this meeting, one that I hope to do something with next month.
What’s The Agenda Festival – MAC – Watched performance and saw the gallery pieces for Hikikomori. 
Here’s looking at April! (Pop over to the Write Year Page to see the Year so far!)
LINKS TO FOLLOW
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… STARTS AT MIDNIGHT (I hope to be in bed asleep by then!)
Are your bags packed? Have you got your cabin mates?
awritersfountain 