Saturday, 21 February 2015
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Adieu
To the many many people who have helped me so much over the last few years I just wanted to say thank you. Including Chris Forde at Preston College, the LWH, the critique group especially Alan Whelan, John Rutter, Heather Carey, and Tim Gavell. Chorley and District Writers with Dea and
David, Preston Poets (all of you), Penwortham Live, the New Continental and everyone who helped make the two Word events so successful.
I'm heading back down to Portsmouth so I just wanted to make sure I said something in case I don't get a chance to see you in person before I go. If I haven't mentioned you by name, but you have had the dubious pleasure of my company, I apologise.
Once again, my huge thanks to all those who have made my writing experience here in Preston, you cannot believe how much you have all helped me, both in skill (I hope) and confidence.
Here is my final offer to you, may you find favourable winds (and a half decent publisher!)
Adieu
Avast! Me hearties, I’m windbound no more,
My trunks are packed and I have a full store,
Primage is paid, the snotties have boarded,
My course is laid in, the path recorded.
High tide has turned, and my sails have been set,
The anchors lashed tight against the cathead,
A black moggy stalks, to protect our souls,
The pilot’s aboard, to slip past the shoals.
So as Preston’s waters slip out of sight,
And I travel southward into the night,
A tear fills my eye as I think of those,
Who took time with me and my salty prose.
To the poets, pirates, and roguish crew,
Who’ve critiqued, and survived, my fulsome spew,
Thank you for the work you’ve put into me,
May our paths cross again, at land or sea.
Thank you so much everyone.
David, Preston Poets (all of you), Penwortham Live, the New Continental and everyone who helped make the two Word events so successful.
I'm heading back down to Portsmouth so I just wanted to make sure I said something in case I don't get a chance to see you in person before I go. If I haven't mentioned you by name, but you have had the dubious pleasure of my company, I apologise.
Once again, my huge thanks to all those who have made my writing experience here in Preston, you cannot believe how much you have all helped me, both in skill (I hope) and confidence.
Here is my final offer to you, may you find favourable winds (and a half decent publisher!)
Adieu
Avast! Me hearties, I’m windbound no more,
My trunks are packed and I have a full store,
Primage is paid, the snotties have boarded,
My course is laid in, the path recorded.
High tide has turned, and my sails have been set,
The anchors lashed tight against the cathead,
A black moggy stalks, to protect our souls,
The pilot’s aboard, to slip past the shoals.
So as Preston’s waters slip out of sight,
And I travel southward into the night,
A tear fills my eye as I think of those,
Who took time with me and my salty prose.
To the poets, pirates, and roguish crew,
Who’ve critiqued, and survived, my fulsome spew,
Thank you for the work you’ve put into me,
May our paths cross again, at land or sea.
Thank you so much everyone.
Monday, 2 June 2014
BBC News - Is it possible to be a millionaire poet?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27621529
Since February, global audiences of up to 70 million have tuned in to watch Million's Poet, in which men (there were no female contestants this year) in traditional dress take turns to deliver self-penned verses of a type of colloquial Arabic poetry called Nabati. A panel of judges delivers feedback, the Emirati royal family puts in an occasional appearance, and the contestants are gradually whittled down.
If this format seems alien to the business of poetry, described by Wordsworth as "emotion recollected in tranquillity", then the prize money may also give us pause for thought. When 27-year-old Saif al-Mansuri won the sixth season of the show last week, he took home five million UAE Dirhams - that's $1.3m or £800,000. As literary prizes go, the only thing that comes close is the Nobel Prize for Literature, which stands at eight million Swedish kronor ($1.2m or £700,000).
That impression, he says, was fixed by the large number of great poets in history who happened to be very poor.
In the mid-19th Century, visitors flocked to the cottage of John Clare, to stare at the "peasant poet" who lived and worked in grinding poverty. There was bohemian poverty too, the type where a poet's last pennies were spent on absinthe or opium rather than bread. Charles Baudelaire was born to a wealthy family but squandered his inheritance and sank into debt. He said: "Any healthy man can go without food for two days - but not without poetry." Arthur Rimbaud, living a scandalous life with his lover Paul Verlaine in London in 1872, passed his time in the Reading Room of the British Museum, to use their free heating and ink.
The associations between poverty and poetry did not disappear in the 20th Century. "Like many of my fellow poets, we grew up reading the Beat generation - Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac," says the Friesian poet Tsead Bruinja. "And they were into the hobos, and all that train-hopping stuff. I think it's the idea that truth is where sadness is, where poverty is, where the booze is. And not where the money is."
The American poet Frederick Seidel is perhaps unique among contemporary English-language poets in his willingness to discuss the trappings of wealth, from fine dining to his love of Ducati motorbikes. He was born into a family that had become wealthy in haulage, and has lived a comfortable life - "I live a life of laziness and luxury" he begins one poem. But his poetry hasn't always been well-received, with one critic calling him a name-dropper.
O, how I long to be agen
That poor and independent man,
With labour's lot from morn to night
And books to read at candle light;
That followed labour in the field
From light to dark when toil could yield
Real happiness with little gain,
Rich thoughtless health unknown to pain:
Though, leaning on my spade to rest,
I've thought how richer folks were blest
And knew not quiet was the best.
From Approaching Night, by John Clare
Don Share says a common experience in the development of a young poet is for someone - a parent or friend, perhaps - to take them aside and warn them that there is no money in what TS Eliot described as the "mug's game" of poetry.
Why is this? Unlike visual artists - who can become very well-off indeed - a poet's product is immaterial, and therefore harder to commodify. Poems can be everywhere at once, and there is a sense in which they belong to anyone that can read, says Share. "What we love about poems is that they become ours. One thing that seems to be very important is for people to feel a poem has a value that is incalculable."
But he also thinks poetry is undervalued because it is not seen as proper work. As the Serbian-American poet Charles Simic once quipped, most poems are too short to be seen as valuable. "They give the impression it took no time to write them. Ten minutes tops. To write a 600-page novel takes years."
I was promis'd on a time
To have a reason for my rhyme:
From that time unto this season,
I receiv'd nor rhyme nor reason.
Patronage of the arts has not disappeared from the West, although it tends to operate on a corporate or civic level, rather than a personal one. An exception to this is the "adopt a poet" scheme operated by the Poetry International Foundation. The foundation's director, Bas Kwakman, laments that it is almost impossible to survive as a poet nowadays, but he doesn't begrudge al-Mansuri his $1.3m prize.
"I wouldn't care if he adopts a rapper's style with beautiful cars and expensive sunglasses, driving by the beach with beautiful girls," he says. "Let him be a bigger rapper star. And afterwards, at night, let him write beautiful poetry."
Last week, an amateur
poet won more than $1m on a TV talent show in the United Arab Emirates.
But what does an injection of cold hard cash on this scale do to a
poet's creative impulses?
As poetry readings go, the setting was unique. The Al Raha
Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi boasted light-up floors, backdrop projections
and a light show of a kind that would be familiar to fans of Pop Idol, X
Factor or America's Got Talent.Since February, global audiences of up to 70 million have tuned in to watch Million's Poet, in which men (there were no female contestants this year) in traditional dress take turns to deliver self-penned verses of a type of colloquial Arabic poetry called Nabati. A panel of judges delivers feedback, the Emirati royal family puts in an occasional appearance, and the contestants are gradually whittled down.
If this format seems alien to the business of poetry, described by Wordsworth as "emotion recollected in tranquillity", then the prize money may also give us pause for thought. When 27-year-old Saif al-Mansuri won the sixth season of the show last week, he took home five million UAE Dirhams - that's $1.3m or £800,000. As literary prizes go, the only thing that comes close is the Nobel Prize for Literature, which stands at eight million Swedish kronor ($1.2m or £700,000).
Al-Mansuri's winning poem was called Golden Papers, and it was about his experience on Million's Poet
All this raises questions about poetry and our preconceptions
of poets. As Robert Graves put it, "There's no money in poetry, but then
there's no poetry in money, either." Tsead Bruinja Poet"I think it's the idea that truth is where sadness is, where poverty is, where the booze is. And not where the money is.”
"Ordinarily, poetry does seem to
be the opposite of show business, and we probably just prefer our poets
not to be celebrities in that particular way," says Don Share,
Chicago-based editor of Poetry magazine and a poet himself. "It doesn't
sit well with us, and it's very hard to explain that. Money is felt to
be contaminating and to be antithetical to the values that we expect
from poetry and literature and art."
But, he says, it's very unfair to resent poets and novelists
who become rich, since pop stars, movie stars and even politicians are
much wealthier. It's a good thing, in his view, if Million's Poet is
providing counter-examples to the "stereotype of the starving artist,
the poet in the garret".That impression, he says, was fixed by the large number of great poets in history who happened to be very poor.
In the mid-19th Century, visitors flocked to the cottage of John Clare, to stare at the "peasant poet" who lived and worked in grinding poverty. There was bohemian poverty too, the type where a poet's last pennies were spent on absinthe or opium rather than bread. Charles Baudelaire was born to a wealthy family but squandered his inheritance and sank into debt. He said: "Any healthy man can go without food for two days - but not without poetry." Arthur Rimbaud, living a scandalous life with his lover Paul Verlaine in London in 1872, passed his time in the Reading Room of the British Museum, to use their free heating and ink.
The associations between poverty and poetry did not disappear in the 20th Century. "Like many of my fellow poets, we grew up reading the Beat generation - Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac," says the Friesian poet Tsead Bruinja. "And they were into the hobos, and all that train-hopping stuff. I think it's the idea that truth is where sadness is, where poverty is, where the booze is. And not where the money is."
But Bruinja says that he no
longer has such a narrow conception of his art-form, and thinks verse
can be hammered out of all kinds of life experience. "There's poetry
everywhere," he says.
As a civilised art, verse has been composed by aristocrats,
including Byron and Pushkin, as well as kings and rulers. Japan's
Emperor Meiji wrote thousands of 31-syllable waka poems, which are still
available in anthologies today. A number of Arab emirs have become
masters of the Nabati poetry form featured in Million's Poet, including
the late ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, and the
first ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Jasim bin Mohammad al-Thani.
The artists and philosophers of Puccini's La Boheme burn a manuscript by Rudolfo, a poet, to stay warm
There is no reason why rich poets can't feel the hope, love,
loss and wonderment they need to create their work, says Judith Palmer,
the director of the Poetry Society. "Money solves a lot of problems but
it doesn't stop you going through emotional trauma or suffering
bereavement - I imagine that feeling is the same." The American poet Frederick Seidel is perhaps unique among contemporary English-language poets in his willingness to discuss the trappings of wealth, from fine dining to his love of Ducati motorbikes. He was born into a family that had become wealthy in haulage, and has lived a comfortable life - "I live a life of laziness and luxury" he begins one poem. But his poetry hasn't always been well-received, with one critic calling him a name-dropper.
That poor and independent man
That poor and independent man,
With labour's lot from morn to night
And books to read at candle light;
That followed labour in the field
From light to dark when toil could yield
Real happiness with little gain,
Rich thoughtless health unknown to pain:
Though, leaning on my spade to rest,
I've thought how richer folks were blest
And knew not quiet was the best.
From Approaching Night, by John Clare
It might also be difficult for
poets to adjust to the new rhythms of life that coming into money
thrusts upon them. A lot of people find that when they have the time to
write they suddenly can't, Palmer says. On the other hand, coming into
money may help a poet. Bruinja says the added attention might mean a
poet's output changes slightly, but he or she can also buy a nice house
and enjoy peace and quiet. Seamus Heaney said that he felt more pressure
after winning the Nobel Prize in 1995, but described his cottage in
Wicklow, Ireland as a "haven".
Bruinja is one of just a dozen or so poets in Holland who
live by their pen, but this involves a lot more than just writing. He
covers his mortgage with a hotchpotch of readings, special commissions,
sitting on committees, creative writing teaching, writing a column in a
newspaper, and a helpful government grant. The income from sales of his
poetry books, he says, is negligible - a couple of hundred euros a year.Don Share says a common experience in the development of a young poet is for someone - a parent or friend, perhaps - to take them aside and warn them that there is no money in what TS Eliot described as the "mug's game" of poetry.
Why is this? Unlike visual artists - who can become very well-off indeed - a poet's product is immaterial, and therefore harder to commodify. Poems can be everywhere at once, and there is a sense in which they belong to anyone that can read, says Share. "What we love about poems is that they become ours. One thing that seems to be very important is for people to feel a poem has a value that is incalculable."
But he also thinks poetry is undervalued because it is not seen as proper work. As the Serbian-American poet Charles Simic once quipped, most poems are too short to be seen as valuable. "They give the impression it took no time to write them. Ten minutes tops. To write a 600-page novel takes years."
A plea for money?
One story relates that a poet, possibly Edmund Spenser, presented this quatrain to Elizabeth I, when he failed to receive a £100 payment he was promised - she got the message and paid him immediately.I was promis'd on a time
To have a reason for my rhyme:
From that time unto this season,
I receiv'd nor rhyme nor reason.
Share relates a recent
conversation amongst his poet friends on Facebook, after one of them was
invited by a neighbour to give a workshop in a school. When the poet
asked if she would be paid, the neighbour was appalled. "The idea was
that she should share her expertise and her work for free, and that it
was outrageous to ask for money in return."
One way to look at Million's Poet is to see it as a product
of a tradition of patronage. The show was the brainchild the crown
prince of Abu Dhabi and the contestants' poetry is often, although by no
means always, in praise of the Gulf's leaders. Perhaps this kind of
poet is more immune to sudden wealth than a poet of the purely romantic
kind. After al-Mansuri won Million's Poet he told the audience it was
the start of a journey and they would see much more of him in the
future.Patronage of the arts has not disappeared from the West, although it tends to operate on a corporate or civic level, rather than a personal one. An exception to this is the "adopt a poet" scheme operated by the Poetry International Foundation. The foundation's director, Bas Kwakman, laments that it is almost impossible to survive as a poet nowadays, but he doesn't begrudge al-Mansuri his $1.3m prize.
"I wouldn't care if he adopts a rapper's style with beautiful cars and expensive sunglasses, driving by the beach with beautiful girls," he says. "Let him be a bigger rapper star. And afterwards, at night, let him write beautiful poetry."
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Book Launch - 'Increasing the Denominator' by Martin Domleo
The launch of Martin Domleo's new collection, Increasing the
Denominator, is to be held at the Korova Arts Cafe, Preston, on Wednesday,
4th June, start time, 7-45pm.
Guest poet is the highly talented Will Daunt; the MC, Terry Quinn. Floor
spots will be available.
Map for Korova Charnley Street, Preston, Lancashire PR1 2UR
Friday, 4 April 2014
Venue Change for the April Meeting
This is to confirm we have a venue for our PPS meeting on Thur 17th April.
We’re booked into Committee Room D at County Hall, Fishergate Hill [near the
railway station], at no charge.
We need to finish at 9.30pm. The receptionist at the main entrance will
direct members to Room D.
See you there around 7.30pm
Postcode: PR1 8XJ
Map: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/contact_us/location.asp
Thursday, 20 March 2014
JRR Tolkien's Beowulf translation to be published
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26662761
JRR Tolkien's translation of Beowulf will be published in May
The new work Beowulf: A Translation And Commentary has been edited by his son Christopher Tolkien.
It is the latest posthumous publication for the author, following his poem The Fall Of Arthur last year.
'Illuminating commentary'
Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest.
It tells the story of a struggle between the hero, Beowulf, and a bloodthirsty monster called Grendel.
Tolkien completed his translation in 1926 - and the new publication will be accompanied by further thoughts on the text, which Tolkien prepared for a series of lectures given at Oxford during his academic career.
The author died in 1973, having seen The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings achieve literary success, but leaving behind many unpublished works.
Christopher Tolkien said: "The translation of Beowulf by JRR Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926.
"He returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication.
"This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s, and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form also a commentary on the translation in this book."
JRR Tolkien's Beowulf translation to be published
JRR Tolkien's translation of Beowulf will be published in May
A
translation of the Old English poem Beowulf by author JRR Tolkien is to
be published for the first time, nearly nine decades after it was
completed.
The Lord Of The Rings author's estate has signed a deal with HarperCollins to release it as a book in May.The new work Beowulf: A Translation And Commentary has been edited by his son Christopher Tolkien.
It is the latest posthumous publication for the author, following his poem The Fall Of Arthur last year.
'Illuminating commentary'
Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest.
It tells the story of a struggle between the hero, Beowulf, and a bloodthirsty monster called Grendel.
Tolkien completed his translation in 1926 - and the new publication will be accompanied by further thoughts on the text, which Tolkien prepared for a series of lectures given at Oxford during his academic career.
The author died in 1973, having seen The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings achieve literary success, but leaving behind many unpublished works.
Christopher Tolkien said: "The translation of Beowulf by JRR Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926.
"He returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication.
"This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s, and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form also a commentary on the translation in this book."
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
'Lost' novel by war poet FW Harvey 'a jewel of a find'
As we'll be focusing on war poets next year I thought this was interesting on the BBC News website:
'Lost' novel by war poet FW Harvey 'a jewel of a find'
Frederick William Harvey is remembered for his poetry and acts of bravery during the Great War, when he was captured and attempted daring escapes.
Full Article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-24865702
'Lost' novel by war poet FW Harvey 'a jewel of a find'
A previously unknown novel by a celebrated World War One poet has been described as a "jewel of a find".
Frederick William Harvey is remembered for his poetry and acts of bravery during the Great War, when he was captured and attempted daring escapes.
Full Article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-24865702
Monday, 23 September 2013
Updates - Calendar and Shop Links
Hi all,
a couple of quick updates. I have started to update the Calendar to include events where our members are performing. If you have something to submit please do so.
I have also added a Shop section to the Links page which gives you links where you can buy work from our members. Please let me know if you have amendments/updates.
From Terry:
a couple of quick updates. I have started to update the Calendar to include events where our members are performing. If you have something to submit please do so.
I have also added a Shop section to the Links page which gives you links where you can buy work from our members. Please let me know if you have amendments/updates.
From Terry:
The
Korova Arts Café is starting a continuous three month cycle of Storytelling,
Poetry and Prose to take place on the first Tuesday of each month. It’s kicking
off with Storytelling in October and Prose will be in December.
November will be Poetry and I’ve been asked to arrange
the evening which happens to fall on the 5th and that’s too tempting
to ignore.
But
what is it we’re celebrating on Bonfire Night? Is it Guy Fawkes? I’m saying that it isn’t and that what we’re
celebrating is what civilisations over the years have always celebrated which is
Fire or the Night.
So,
I’m asking you to bring a poem which makes sense now. A new reason to have a
Bonfire Night.
This
is part of a poem written some years ago to give a sense of where I would
go:
Gagarin
Night
Guy
Fawkes is dead,
born
Fifteen Seventy,
died
thirty years ago,
sometime
in late September.
Over
the road they’re having a bonfire,
November
the twelfth,
the
only day they’re free
and
the Council prefers Friday,
something
about transport.
So
what’s the point?
Wrapping
up, roasting chestnuts,
remember,
remember, the 5th of November,
gunpowder,
treason and what
is
the point of the night?
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Preston Arts Festival (Provisional Events)
Preston Arts Festival starts on the 20th September.
Here are some of the events Preston Poets will be performing in and attending:
Event No 1
Light Night Friday September 20th at the Mystery Tea House 6 to 9 pm (time
TBC)
Poetry reading – music from Preston Flute group - possibly another act.
This is very informal.
Event No 2
Tuesday 24th Sept 7.30 to 10 pm Central Methodist Church, Lune Street
Poetry and Melody – Alternate interludes from Preston Poets’ Society and
musicians from Penwortham Girls High School.
Event No 3
Friday 27th Sept 7.30 to 10 pm St George’s Church Hall, Lune Street
A Celebration of Words and Music
Preston Poets’ Society and Preston Recorded Music Society
members will each read a poem of their own choice on any theme and bring a piece
of recorded music with some connection to the poem.
Friday, 23 August 2013
Local Events
Harris Flights, Preston Flag Market,
Saturday 24th August
4Poets and Special Musical Guests
11:00 – 11:30 4poets The History of Lancashire
12:00 – 12:45 Crossbill - 3 piece alt/folk band
13:00 – 13:45 4poets Around the Lancashire Landscape
13:00 – 14:45 Tom Metcalfe -singer/songwriter
15:00 - 15:45 Tom Woolsgrove - violinist with Blackpool Symphony Orchestra
16:00 – 16:30 4poets Finale
Brockholes, PR5 0AG
All Day Event Monday 26th August
http://www.brockholes.org/how-find-us
Music (Free) On Concourse
11:00-11:45 Crossbill
11:45-12:30 Tom Metcalfe
15:45-16:30 Sweeney
Astray
11:00-12:30 Talks (Free) In Woods
Peter Dillon-fairy tales
Frank Pierow-nature
12:30-13:30 Magic (ticketed) Conference Centre Magi’Chris
14:00-15:30 Poetry (ticketed) Conference Centre
14:00 Abdul Dawood
14:15 Nick Williams
14:30 William Michael Neary
14:45 Lorna Smithers
15:00 Dean Fraser
15:15 Terry Quinn
Followed by book
signing by Terry Quinn
Saturday 24th August
4Poets and Special Musical Guests
11:00 – 11:30 4poets The History of Lancashire
12:00 – 12:45 Crossbill - 3 piece alt/folk band
13:00 – 13:45 4poets Around the Lancashire Landscape
13:00 – 14:45 Tom Metcalfe -singer/songwriter
15:00 - 15:45 Tom Woolsgrove - violinist with Blackpool Symphony Orchestra
16:00 – 16:30 4poets Finale
Brockholes, PR5 0AG
All Day Event Monday 26th August
http://www.brockholes.org/how-find-us
Music (Free) On Concourse
11:00-11:45 Crossbill
11:45-12:30 Tom Metcalfe
15:45-16:30 Sweeney
Astray
11:00-12:30 Talks (Free) In Woods
Peter Dillon-fairy tales
Frank Pierow-nature
12:30-13:30 Magic (ticketed) Conference Centre Magi’Chris
14:00-15:30 Poetry (ticketed) Conference Centre
14:00 Abdul Dawood
14:15 Nick Williams
14:30 William Michael Neary
14:45 Lorna Smithers
15:00 Dean Fraser
15:15 Terry Quinn
Followed by book
signing by Terry Quinn
Monday, 15 July 2013
Events This Week
We have three events to look forward to this week in Preston. Here is a quick summary for you:
Tuesday 16th July - Korova Arts Cafe, Wilfrid Street, Preston, 7.30 p.m.
Here is a Map
Thursday 18th July - Penwortham Library, 6.00 p.m. to 6.50 p.m.
4 Poets & A Stage
Irene Flack, Dean Fraser, Lorna Smithers and Nick Williams. performing FREE for your entertainment
Here is a Map
Thursday 18th July - 7.30 p.m.
Preston Poets Society Meeting
St George's Church at the bottom of Lune Street
Here is a Map
Also Upcoming:
Competition Deadline: Closing : 31.7.13.
Liverpool International Open Short Story, Poetry & Playwriting Competition 2013. The catchy title says it all: the contest is for short stories, poems and plays. It is brought to you by the University of Liverpool Creative Writing Society for Lifelong Learning. As this is Liverpool’s ‘Year of Dementia’, the competition is in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society (£1 per entry will be donated). Stories should be limited to 2,000 words, poems to 40 lines and plays to 20 minutes.
Prizes (in each category): 1st - £200. 2nd - £50. 3rd - £20 in book tokens.
Entry Fee: Poetry and Prose - £4 for the first, £3.50 thereafter. Plays - £6 for the first, £5.50 thereafter.
Click Here for Details
New Event - September 21st - Astley Hall, Chorley
The Word
The Word have confirmed they are organising a second event to follow on from last years event. The line-up this year includes Carol Birch, Peter Moore, Zoe Lambert, Ned & Ed Book Designers.
Here for Details
Tuesday 16th July - Korova Arts Cafe, Wilfrid Street, Preston, 7.30 p.m.
Here is a Map
Thursday 18th July - Penwortham Library, 6.00 p.m. to 6.50 p.m.
4 Poets & A Stage
Irene Flack, Dean Fraser, Lorna Smithers and Nick Williams. performing FREE for your entertainment
Here is a Map
Thursday 18th July - 7.30 p.m.
Preston Poets Society Meeting
St George's Church at the bottom of Lune Street
Here is a Map
Also Upcoming:
Competition Deadline: Closing : 31.7.13.
Liverpool International Open Short Story, Poetry & Playwriting Competition 2013. The catchy title says it all: the contest is for short stories, poems and plays. It is brought to you by the University of Liverpool Creative Writing Society for Lifelong Learning. As this is Liverpool’s ‘Year of Dementia’, the competition is in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society (£1 per entry will be donated). Stories should be limited to 2,000 words, poems to 40 lines and plays to 20 minutes.
Prizes (in each category): 1st - £200. 2nd - £50. 3rd - £20 in book tokens.
Entry Fee: Poetry and Prose - £4 for the first, £3.50 thereafter. Plays - £6 for the first, £5.50 thereafter.
Click Here for Details
New Event - September 21st - Astley Hall, Chorley
The Word
The Word have confirmed they are organising a second event to follow on from last years event. The line-up this year includes Carol Birch, Peter Moore, Zoe Lambert, Ned & Ed Book Designers.
Here for Details
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Google Alerts - Free and Simple
Have you won a competition and want to keep watch on the news headlines for mentions of it? Do you have a particular poet or author you which to keep track of, and not just from their official website?
Do you want to scan the internet for your own name, or website, on a regular basis, just in case?
Using the free Google Alerts service you can set up email alerts that will notify you on a regular basis on the search criteria you specify.
For example, you could set-up an alert for Preston Poets in a couple of clicks.
If you go to: http://www.google.co.uk/alerts you will see 5 boxes that you need to fill in. The first box is the search term, and this works in exactly the same way as a normal Google Search works (put quotes in for an exact phrase, use the plus and minus signs to include and exclude keywords).
In the second box you specify if you want to search the whole internet, or just News headlines. In the third box you set how often you want the alert to come to you (daily, weekly, monthly), in the fourth you specify the number of results you want to see in your email and finally you tell it which email address you want it to send the results to.
The important part is you do not have to have a GMail account, you can send alerts to any email address. There is no login, signup or anything like that required.
To stop receiving alerts each email that is sent to you has a Cancel link in it.
If you ware worried about receiving lots of emails please note you will only receive an email if a search result if found. If no news is published for "Preston Poets", or whatever your search term is, you will not receive an email until a day when it is triggered.
It is a very simple but very useful tool.
http://www.google.co.uk/alerts
Do you want to scan the internet for your own name, or website, on a regular basis, just in case?
Using the free Google Alerts service you can set up email alerts that will notify you on a regular basis on the search criteria you specify.
For example, you could set-up an alert for Preston Poets in a couple of clicks.
If you go to: http://www.google.co.uk/alerts you will see 5 boxes that you need to fill in. The first box is the search term, and this works in exactly the same way as a normal Google Search works (put quotes in for an exact phrase, use the plus and minus signs to include and exclude keywords).
In the second box you specify if you want to search the whole internet, or just News headlines. In the third box you set how often you want the alert to come to you (daily, weekly, monthly), in the fourth you specify the number of results you want to see in your email and finally you tell it which email address you want it to send the results to.
The important part is you do not have to have a GMail account, you can send alerts to any email address. There is no login, signup or anything like that required.
To stop receiving alerts each email that is sent to you has a Cancel link in it.
If you ware worried about receiving lots of emails please note you will only receive an email if a search result if found. If no news is published for "Preston Poets", or whatever your search term is, you will not receive an email until a day when it is triggered.
It is a very simple but very useful tool.
http://www.google.co.uk/alerts
Friday, 28 June 2013
Book Launch - 16th July, Korova Arts Cafe
Terry Quinn, winner of the Geoff Stevens' Memorial Prize, will be launching his latest collection, The Amen of Knowledge, in Preston in July.
Date: 16th July
Time: 7-30pm
Venue Address: Korova Arts Cafe, 15-16 St Wilfrid's
Street, Preston, PR1
2US
Friday, 21 June 2013
Saved by Dropbox* (*Other software is available)
Just a few weeks ago I was all set for just my fourth public
performance. I had a wad of poems printed off ready to read, all themed around
slightly adult issues. French Kissing, Losing my Virginity, The Perils of Binge
Drinking, all masterpieces in their own right.
I stepped up to the stage, carefully double-checking the
order of my poems, then looked up to my expectant audience. I was somewhat
surprised to see that the front two rows were sitting cross-legged, chin on
hands, and looking as if they had just been beamed in from a school hall. Kids,
and small kids at that. I’m left on the stage in limbo, all my material is
unusable and I’m not quick enough to edit as I read.
Without Dropbox this is where I would have had to walk off
the stage muttering apologies. With Dropbox I was able to whip out my phone,
find a suitable poem and then download it in seconds, read it, find the next
poem and repeat. My work may not have been the best but at least I was able to
deliver something to my audience.
Every piece of work I have created I have available on
Dropbox and I can access it via my laptop, tablet, phone, even from an internet
café or a hotel. It is simple to set-up, use and maintain and works across
different platforms.
I installed the software on my laptop where I keep all my
work. It creates a folder, anything you drop into that folder is then copied up
into ‘The Cloud’, that storage place in the internet that exists nowhere and
everywhere at the same time.
I moved all my work into the folder then went for a few
drinks whilst it was synched with my internet connection. Now, after this
simple step any time I edit or add a file on my laptop then it automatically
copies the changes up to the cloud.
The next step was to add my tablet. Again, a simple step.
Install the software, tell it my username and password, then leave it connected
to the internet for a while to synchronise. Now I can edit a file on either
device and the changes are replicated between them.
Then I added my phone, an Android based one, and using
OpenOffice on the phone I can read and edit my Microsoft Word documents.
Finally, once you have signed up you can access your
documents anywhere from an internet browser. Hotels, cafes, airports, all are
now available to me to be creative and keep my work secure. You get a chunk of
free space which is more than enough for a few thousand Word (or similar)
documents. I have 3.300 files in my dropbox comprising of documents, a couple
of movie clips, lots of pictures I have found interesting on the internet and
plenty of photos I have taken.
Naturally you should still take backups of your work, either
onto USB sticks or onto DVD’s and store them safely, but Dropbox as a tool for
someone who likes to be able to read and write anywhere has transformed my
writing life.
(There are now many
similar pieces of software that will do the same as Dropbox, but I do love the
simplicity of it.)
you can find it at: www.dropbox.com
PS - If you have received multiple notifications of this post huge apologies. I'm tucked up in a nice little cottage in Wales with about half a bar signal on my phone, which reminds me. Download your content from Dropbox first when you have a good internet connection, otherwise it is painful if you struggle with a signal.
PS - If you have received multiple notifications of this post huge apologies. I'm tucked up in a nice little cottage in Wales with about half a bar signal on my phone, which reminds me. Download your content from Dropbox first when you have a good internet connection, otherwise it is painful if you struggle with a signal.
Monday, 17 June 2013
Blue Plaques in Preston
You may not be aware of all of the Blue Plaques that are dotted around Preston.Here are a couple for local poets:
Robert William Service
Francis Thompson
The official Blue Plaque site needs some work on it so here is a useful site that lists the Blue Plaques by major locations:
http://openplaques.org/places/gb
And here is a direct link straight to those in Preston
http://openplaques.org/places/gb/areas/preston
Robert William Service
Francis Thompson
The official Blue Plaque site needs some work on it so here is a useful site that lists the Blue Plaques by major locations:
http://openplaques.org/places/gb
And here is a direct link straight to those in Preston
http://openplaques.org/places/gb/areas/preston
Monday, 10 June 2013
Live Venues
There seems to be a revival currently in Preston of performance venues, where you can both hear and take part in readings and open-mic sessions.
Here are a few venues you can check out. If you have any suggestions for others then please let me know.
Here are a few venues you can check out. If you have any suggestions for others then please let me know.
Fanaki’s
62 Friargate, Preston
Korova
15-16 St Wilfred Street, Preston, PR1 2US
The Continental
South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JP
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Book Launch - The Amen of Knowledge by Terry Quinn
You can find Terry's blog here: http://terryquinnpoetryuk.blogspot.co.uk/
Entry:
free
Open
Mic Event
Contact:
tsqdor@hotmail.com
Winners
of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize Julie Maclean ( When I saw Jimi ) and Terry
Quinn ( The Amen of Knowledge ) launch their collections on the 8th June at The
Barlow Theatre. Julie lives on the Surf Coast, Australia but was born and grew
up in Bristol and this retrospective collection sparks through those times.
Terry lives in Preston, Lancashire and his everyday language covering ordinary
subject matters have a subtext which has become the hallmark of his
poetry.
Together they will attempt to find common ground when they tackle similar issues from their books but will also read separately and there will be open mic slots throughout the afternoon.
The prize was instigated by Indigo Dreams Publishing in commemoration of Geoff Stevens, editor of Purple Patch ( national treasure, the Guardian ) Black Country poet and artist and after a break for refreshments Geoff’s poetry and artwork will be on display with selections from his poetry being read. There will also be an open mic for his poet friends to add to their memories with poetry readings.
The event starts at 2-00pm (doors open at 1-00pm) with the evening session beginning at 7-00pm.
Together they will attempt to find common ground when they tackle similar issues from their books but will also read separately and there will be open mic slots throughout the afternoon.
The prize was instigated by Indigo Dreams Publishing in commemoration of Geoff Stevens, editor of Purple Patch ( national treasure, the Guardian ) Black Country poet and artist and after a break for refreshments Geoff’s poetry and artwork will be on display with selections from his poetry being read. There will also be an open mic for his poet friends to add to their memories with poetry readings.
The event starts at 2-00pm (doors open at 1-00pm) with the evening session beginning at 7-00pm.
Venue
Details:
at
Barlow Theatre - 2.00pm
Address:
3, Spring Walk, Olbury, B69 4SP, GB
Friday, 17 May 2013
Contemporary Poets
Last night we were introduced to, or reminded of, some contemporary poets by our fellow members:
Martin presented us with David Horner, a children's poet and educator.
Lorna presented us with Robin Herne and Charlotte Hussey, contemporary using bardic traditions.
Terry presented us with Alice Oswald, a British poet who won the T.S. Eliot prize in 2002.
Vince presented us with Christopher Reed, twice nominated for the Whitbread Awards.
Mike presented us with Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States 2001 to 2003.
Many thanks for their input and please use the links above to find out more on these poets.
Martin presented us with David Horner, a children's poet and educator.
Lorna presented us with Robin Herne and Charlotte Hussey, contemporary using bardic traditions.
Terry presented us with Alice Oswald, a British poet who won the T.S. Eliot prize in 2002.
Vince presented us with Christopher Reed, twice nominated for the Whitbread Awards.
Mike presented us with Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States 2001 to 2003.
Many thanks for their input and please use the links above to find out more on these poets.
Friday, 1 February 2013
Quick Message
Hope the New Year has started well for you all.
The new calendar is now available at the top (under the logo) for you to peruse.
Also please remember that we have now started meeting on the 3rd Thursday at St George's Church.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Poetry Competition for the Younger Muses
The Word (Writers in Lancashire - check their website out here even if you aren't interested in the competition)
will judge a great new poetry competition for children who love Preston North End.
Aged between 5 and 15 years old and always wanted to try your hand at poetry?
In conjunction with the Preston North End South Ribble Supporters Group we’re looking for the top poets in Lancashire in three age groups
- 5 to 7 years
- 8 to 11
- 12 to 15
Closing date – January 11th 2013
Winners announced – January 28th 2013
Full details including prizes and entry details can be found here.
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