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Although I’ll never get used to a hot Christmas, I do prefer January here than in the UK, but regardless of where I am it’s still a good time to review what’s important and declutter.
One of the first things I did was unsubscribe to a myriad of poetry/books/writing newsletters. I figure if I want something, I’ll look for it, rather than trawling through emails to the point where I just hit delete. I also want to explore my creative side more, hence my plain writer’s diary that I decorated with stickers above (loved doing this!) and learning to play the piano, something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve also started burlesque classes for something a little different as I do like to dance.
But back to writing. So my year kicked off attending Clare Shaw’s and Kim Moore’s January Writing Hours where over the course of an hour via Zoom, we look at different poems and are given prompts to get us writing. I signed up for a week and it’s a fine way to generate words, until I realised my problem is not not being able to write but not having the time and/or head space to write, which is where some fabulous news comes in…
I’ve won a fellowship to develop my next collection! Through Writers SA, the week-long residency is at Varuna National Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains, a place completely dedicated to writers, their writing and everything in between to support them. I’ve booked to go in May and plan to take some time either side to get organised and come back down to earth, as I know my head will be buzzing when I return.
I’ve also signed up to do another online course through the Poetry School – Darkness into Light: Poetry for the Waxing Year with Jessica Traynor – to draft further poems for my new collection that’s slowly taking shape. Targeting where I submit my work is another approach I’m taking, speaking of which I’ve got two submissions due in the next couple of days, so best get on with these and finish this post!
Workshops, courses and newsletters are brilliant ways to develop your poetry and stay in the loop, so just thought I’d share a few I’ve completed and signed up for.
The Poetry School has an amazing program each term and I’m halfway through Myth, Magic and Monsters: Ancient Stories, New Truths with fabulous UK-based writer Catherine Smith. This fits perfectly with the poems I’m working on at the moment for my next book and I love Catherine’s work, her short story collection The Biting Point being one of my favourites.
Earlier this month I attended Sophie Mackintosh‘s Modern Fairy Tale and Speculation workshop facilitated by Red Room Poetry. Held in two parts online and aimed at writers rather than poets, the topic was too timely to pass up and generated many ideas. Another UK-based author, Sophie’s The Water Cure was nominated for the 2018 Man Booker Prize I have yet to read.
As for newsletters, I’ve recently signed up to Fly on the Wall‘s one, an indie press based in Manchester ran by Isabelle Kenyon, which is how I discovered the stunning work of Scottish poet Morag Anderson. These are sharp poems with sharp things to say – “concealed violence, love and everything in between” – leaving their teeth marks long after I’d finished them.
UK-based poets Clare Shaw and Kim Moore have started their own newsletter sharing process, thoughts and prompts to keep the conversation going. Science Write Now is also worth noting with a focus on science-inspired creative writing headed up by Australian-based writers Amanda Niehaus, Jessica White and Taylor Mitchell. Another favourite is Katrina Naomi‘s Short and Sweet that offers hints and tips and recommended reads, with Katrina’s next collection Battery Rocks due out soon.
Other workshops coming up include Pascale Petit‘s Into the Wild via The Poetry Business next week and Rules in the Poetry Game with Kate Potts on Cath Drake’s Verandah in July. I’m also planning a writing retreat at Island View Writers’ House in August offered by the fantastic Heather Taylor Johnson, more on that to follow.
J V Birch 