Published: Thumbnail Nature ~ London Wildlife Trust

Nature, Framed – an anthology of nature writing

This is a collection of ultra-short Thumbnail Nature pieces from a February workshop ‘Nature Writing Through the Window’ which Amanda Tuke co led with Helen Jones, an inspirational disabled nature writer.

It was a great workshop and the last from this particular Arts Council funded project. It has been a pleasure to get to know Amanda and delve into thumbnail nature. I am delighted to have pieces in all the anthologies of workshops I was able to attend.

Angi Holden also attended the workshops and been published in the anthologies. It is always a great delight when you see friends sign up for the same events. An extra delight in February was spotting Elizabeth Uter in attendance. Liz and I met at the Poetry in Motion classes 2020/21 with CelenaDiana Bumpus, Liz still attends classes with Inlandia. Her poem is above mine, it’s so lovely to share the virtual page with her again.

Thanks again to Amanda Tuke for these incredible workshops and for giving my first thumbnails a home.

Amanda Tuke – workshop co-leader and Great North Wood nature-writer-in-residence in partnership with London Wildlife Trust.  Once covering a large area of south London, today the Great North Wood consists of a series of small green spaces – all of which provide a home for nature within a modern urban landscape. The workshop was made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

https://suburbanwild.wordpress.com/

https://freelancenaturewriter.com/author/rockinmumma/

Song of Ice and Footprints

The latest anthology of nature writing is live on the London Wildlife Trust website – with thanks to Amanda Tuke/ Goldcrest Projects.

A great collection of thumbnail nature from a workshop Amanda co-led on 18 December 2021 with Rebecca Gibson, wildlife writer and photographer. These workshops fill me with joy and are precious spaces of calm in this distressed world of ours.

Go take a breath!

https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/blog/amanda-tuke/song-ice-and-footprints-anthology-nature-writing

2020 Writing from Inlandia Book Launch

During the 1st UK Lockdown, (which for me lasted 6 months before I was back to face to face work), I signed up to many workshops and writing classes. It was not just a way of navigating the pandemic, coping with mental health or a way to travel when grounded, it helped me find community.

The pandemic came after 15 months of ill health, in which I barely worked or lived and was, aside from hospital appointments and the occasional tea out with friends, pretty much locked down. I had been back at work for a few weeks and was trying to find my writing mojo again. I managed to edit my collection on morphine (not recommended) and through the kindness of friends was able to attend Stanza meetings and the join the Worcester Poetry Film Collective, I even made one event at the Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe in 2019. But I struggled to be at the desk and it was a long journey back to creating. The realisation of the global pandemic hit and … those of us lucky to have story, have story.

Poets in Motion was a great class with US/NZ/UK participants, a real international mix and a range of lives and stories. CelenaDiana Bumpus was a joy, there is no other word to describe her. Sadly, Celena passed away in 2020, before she had chance to make many of her plans realities. She is missed dearly and I am so grateful that we were able to write a class poem in her honour, which appears in the anthology too.

The day I received my book in the post I was so excited, I knew Inlandia Institute had planned a LIVE USA launch event and I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to read, then they announced an online launch event.

I am a panelist this evening AND so are some of my much loved and missed class members. It will be a great event, it is a splendid Anthology and I am blessed to have some words on the pages.

It’s free to come and watch – 9PM GMT.

Register HERE

Join Inlandia Institute for a special online reading of selected works from 2020 Writing from Inlandia! This yearly anthology has been published since 2011 and is an Inlandia tradition, with contributors from sixteen of Inlandia’s creative writing workshops in the 2020 edition. Packed with over 300 pages of stories, poems, and essays, 2020 Writing from Inlandia explores the experience of being alive through memoir, food writing, reflections on the COVID pandemic, and more. Participants will read their work aloud in reflection of the myriad challenges – and rewards – of being human. Don’t miss it!

In memory of Candace Shields, Morris Mendoza, and CelenaDiana Bumpus.

ORDER your copy here.

The Writing from Inlandia series was created to celebrate the participants in our creative writing workshops program and to serve as a record of who we are at the present moment. May these writings pay tribute to a year unlike any other.

© 2021 Inlandia Institute

Review August 2018

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Well this is the first post this month online but August was packed, PACKED with poetry. I am still catching up on some blog posts from June-July and now will be adding August to the pile.

Here’s the month in snapshot!

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Before Perth Poetry Festival I blanked my diary out as much as possible and missed some fine Midlands poetry events.

Week 1: 

I did a lot of research for Perth Poetry Festival and signed up to an anthology which I was lucky enough to be online for when the thread was posted, a project that is so popular it has a reserve list (more on this later).

The main event this week was a Book Launch in Cheltenham for a charity anthology that I was fortunate to have the shortest poem (apart from short form) I have ever written included in it. The event at Hatherley Manor was dreamy and wonderful and the book raises funds for the cat rescue charity New Start Cat Rescue Centre, Huntley, Gloucestershire.

I will be creating a full blog post soon (and link back here when I am done).

This anthology ‘All a Cat Can Be’ was the brainchild of Sharon Larkin and I am privileged to be involved. It would make a great Christmas gift for any cat lover.

 

https://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/products/all-a-cat-can-be

“This book is as gloriously varied as the beloved cats it celebrates. Here you will find poems which are witty, thoughtful, moving, and light-footed. ‘All a Cat Can Be’ offers something to please every reader, while helping cats desperate for a good home. And the photographs are irresistible!” – Alison Brackenbury

Edited by Sharon Larkin and Sheila Macintyre.

I also sent a poem to Lucy Dougan for her Monster Field Workshop.

Week 2 & 3

I started working on INKSPILL – annual online writing retreat right here on AWF. More on this soon. Secured this year’s Guest Writers and started research.

I worked tirelessly for a fortnight attempting to get the final issue of Contour Poetry Magazine live before flying off to the Southern Hemisphere. I was at this point still waiting for copy, so did what any good editor should do and contacted the poets who had successfully made publication and shelved the remaining editorial until my return.

COMING SOON!

And then I flew to Perth, WA.

Where I had an incredible time (lots of posts to follow). It was an amazing festival and I did as much of it as I could!

 

Week 4

Was mainly jet lag and editing… not a workable combination.

I managed to get myself back into Birmingham – it has been too long – over 12 months I think. I went to the Big White Shed Brum night and it was packed with poetry – wall to wall and heart through heart.

I am going to write the evening up over the weekend if I have a chance but it was a special night. The fusion of East & West (Midlands). There is a cracking poetry scene in Nottingham and this evening was proof of fine work happening in the region.

A soft spot for me as I started Spoken Word in the East Midlands in Leicester.

https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/cheltenham-big-white-shed-brum/

And I tie August up nicely with a night at Stanza.

I cannot believe the summer holidays are nearly over!

‘Gas Street Basin’ Published: Birmingham Book Club – Birmingham Bound Anthology

Back in April I made a submission to this anthology – Birmingham Bound – they had so much interest that they emailed us all to tell us that the results would be announced next month, which is now this month!

I am delighted to say that my poem ‘Gas Street Basin’, based on part of the canal network (more waterways than Venice) was originally written for a performance commission I had at Birmingham Literature Festival last year, organised by Naked Lungs.

 I am so glad to be included in this anthology, I feel like it is a minute token for a city that has given me so much poetry – but a little thank you to our wonderful 2nd City, a place I am proud to suggest is almost home – Midlands based at least!

PUBLISHED

I have been slack with submissions this year, my focus has been on writing and editing poetry. I am delighted to receive news of current submissions and successes.

I am keeping my fingers crossed to hear more on current submissions later this month.

When I found out I was preparing my headlining set for tonight, Permission to Speak, with Rob Francis at the Scary Canary. Performing poetry is something else that has been addressed this year. There was no way either myself or my car was going to make it to another 107 events! I do enjoy performing though and look forward to any bookings!

Short break momentarily to dance around my living room doing a little happy dance.

Once this period of writing is behind me I intend to get on with some serious submission. I miss knowing my words are out there waiting.

 At the end of April Reuben Woolley published three poems I submitted to ‘I am not a Silent Poet’

Bomb Damage

Girls on the Ground

Weapons of War Ghanda’s Story

They were written for 16 Days of Activism Event last Autumn and performed at the Library of Birmingham.

Reuben deals with the darker side of human existence – many poets write about things that otherwise have no voice.

Tuesday evening I found out the submission deadline for a Seamus Heaney Anthology had been extended. I had great fun listening to Seamus as I penned poems of him.

I had news earlier this morning that the editors, Grant Tarbard & Bethany W. Pope, have accepted one of poems for publication.

More news on this soon.

‘Don’t Be Afraid: An Anthology to Seamus Heaney’

Excited! First Event of December – West Midlands Readers’ Network Short Story Commissions

Excited! First Event of December –

West Midlands Readers’ Network Short Story Commissions

This event has SOLD out, I was invited back in November – it has just take 10 minutes to find ticket confirmation.
Should have printed it out or pinned the email. Didn’t fancy driving all the way into the city and finding I had no seat! I was invited to be in the audience and am honoured that I have a seat, sadly many people don’t, including a couple who had a story written for them. What a shame.

Roz Goddard (who I met doing the Writing Picture Books course at the Custard factory in the summer) is the co-ordinator of the West Midlands Readers’ Network, part of her role with this commission was to link regional writers with readers’ groups across the Midlands with the aim of facilitating exciting new writing.

The short-story commissioning strand does just that. In the Spring of 2013, numerous reading groups around the region applied to have a bespoke short story written for them – and after a long selection process, six were chosen to work with a writer who I felt would be a good match for the group. At the first meeting readers and writers met to discuss a list of possible narrative ingredients – then over the long, hot summer the writers tapped, scribbled, crossed-out and eventually produced six excellent short-stories which will be showcased during a special event.

Roz’s most recent Twitter feed reads;

Fairy lights, baubles, gerberas, jazz and short-story anthologies all packed for a sell-out story event tonight.

bring on the Showcase Copyright © 2013 Roz Goddard.

AND I have just found out they are giving the anthology away for free.

Looking forward to the first night of many this week with writers’ and readers’. Congratulations to all the writers who were commissioned to take part in this project.

I look forward to blogging about these talented writers.