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On artists' residencies

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This summer, I’ve been working as artist in residence at the National Civil War Museum in Newark. The museum has an amazing collection of artifacts from the English Civil Wars, as well as objects from the entire history of Newark – from pre-historic times right up to the twentieth century. And my job, as artist in residence, was to RESPOND TO THE COLLECTION.  But what does that actually mean? Well, my residency was all about uncovering hidden histories, imagining alternate lives for the objects, and just being a bit cheeky and playing with the concept of stories in general.  I wrote loads of poems, inspired by the objects and architecture of the museum. In fact, I was so inspired by chatting to the staff and volunteers about their favourite museum objects, I started a suggestion box!  I asked everyone who came into the studio to tell me the object they most loved in the museum. Then, I challenged myself to write a poem or story about that object. In the end, I wrote over ...
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On going to the moon

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I've published a new collection of poems, so I thought I'd share one from the book here.  This poem is called  Only twelve men have ever walked on the moon and one of them was allergic to moondust  - probably my longest ever poem title (so far). The poem is about societal expectations, the adversarial nature of hetrosexual intimacy, and the ways billionaires seem to be trying to go to the moon rather than seeking to forge connections with the people around them.  I wrote it in response to a prompt from my poetry writing group, and the theme was the haibun, a type of poetic form that uses haiku and prose poetry to create something with a conversational tone between the lyrical and the prosaic.   You can buy a copy of my book, Ophelia of the Bathtub, here .  Only twelve men have ever walked on the moon and one of them was allergic to moondust Imagine striving skyward, only for your destination to so thoroughly reject you. Imagine seeing it as a challenge...
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On the view from a window

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 I'm currently working as artist in residence at the National Civil War Centre , a lovely little museum in Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire.  I'm in the studio at the museum for three days a week, chatting with members of the public, leading creative activities, and writing poems and stories about the museum's collection. One of the first things that struck me about my new workspace was how beautiful the view from the window was! I can see out over the rooftops all the way to the church and across the treetops in the park. It's gorgeous. So, I decided to ask museum visitors to help me write a poem all about the view. I asked everyone who came to the studio to write down three words to describe what they saw from the window, then used those words to build a poem.  Here's my first draft. The words in bold (including the title) are the ones suggested by visitors.  Chim-chiminey From these heights,  everything looks different: squat square chimneys share space...
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On Abecedarians

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I'm so lucky that I get to work with children and young people as part of my day job. I teach creative writing, which is the best subject, and I won't hear a word said against it!  And I'm good at it, too.  But, I'm often reluctant to do anything too tricky or "formal" with my young writers, because  A. I want them to really enjoy the sessions, and  B. the contemporary poetry scene is not that enthusiastic about formal poetry structures.  That being said, I've been working with a particular group of teenagers for a while now, through my freelance contract with Writing East Midlands and, a few months' ago, we got to talking about constrained writing techniques.  They seemed keen, so I thought I'd set them a challenge!  So, I brought in an Abecedarian poem called Hummingbird Abecedarian by Aimee Nezhukumatathil .  An Abecedarian is a type of poem where each line starts with a different letter of the alphabet: the first line starts with the letter ...
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On Wordy Walks

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I’ve been trying to find more time for my writing. Being a full-time freelancer means I have to prioritise work that pays the bills – teaching, project management, commissions and performances. The actual WRITING of the poems often gets pushed to the bottom of the list. But, writing poems is my favourite part of what I do, so I’ve been trying to re-prioritise it over the last few weeks.  Last month, I conducted an experiment.  I was going on a walk anyway. I love a nice, long walk, and I LOVE an urban walk too.  Most people I talk to prefer a walk in the woods, or in the Peaks or on the beach – and don’t get me wrong, I love those kinds of walks too – but my inherent nosiness is always delighted to go poke around in the city.  If I’m going into Nottingham, and I don’t have a time limit, I like to walk the four miles from my house to the city centre. Walking is my favourite self-soothing activity, and the only sport I’m really, truly great at! So, this random Wednesda...
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On Personal Trainers

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 A silly little poem about trying to get fit: Personal Trainer  I’m getting to an age where I  should focus on my health, and so, I booked an expert who would help me push myself. She didn’t speak much English but she led by precedent, and she had a score on Yelp reviews of two-hundred percent! I’d never met a trainer  quite so flexible and bendy; she knew her way ‘round Yoga and Pilates – very trendy!   Her emphasis on stretching was a skill I mastered fast: she taught me how to curl up so my nose was by my arse. She had to change the timing  and adapt to fit my body. I told her I had two legs and she stared at me quite oddly… And she was keen on running through the fields, not wearing shoes. I kept my Puma Kicks laced up, but still, my feet were bruised. She often used small rodents as a way to set the pace. A run can be enhanced, she thought, if it involves a chase.  And, speaking of nutrition,  she endorsed a raw food diet: poultry, game ...
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On performing at a festival

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I’ve performed at my fair share of festivals in the past. I’ve done smaller local festivals like Strawberry Fair in Cambridge, Folk East in Lowestoft, and Gate to Southwell in Nottinghamshire, as well as bigger festivals like WOMAD and Bestival on the Isle of Wight.  It’s always a really nice atmosphere performing at a festival – everyone’s having a good time, and the vibes are (usually) immaculate. Naturally, most people go to music festivals for the music, but I’ve been to festivals that have had morning yoga workshops, space science lectures, vegan cooking demonstrations and even line dancing classes! And, of course, a little bit of spoken word.  Shambala festival started life in the 1990s, when five friends met at uni and decided to put on weekend music events for their mates. By the early 2000s, the events were attracting a couple of hundred likeminded people each year, and by 2007, the festival was a full-time job for its organisers.  The name Shambala derives from ...
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