I love browsing Poetry Archive - an archive of recordings of major poets reading their own work.

It's fascinating listening and I really like listening to Kathleen Jamie read - she's got a lovely voice and it's nice to have the affirmation of hearing a Scottish voice. Here she reads a beautiful poem called 'The Wishing Tree', it's really worth listening to.
I also love hearing Edwin Morgan read, his voice is very distinctive and once I've heard him read a poem I hear his voice in my head everytime I read that poem.
Unfortunately they don't have Kenneth White whom I heard at StAnza and whose voice sometimes pops into my head at any random point during the day!

The on-line literary magazine Qarrtsiluni (no I don't know how to pronounce it!) have accepted my poem Looking Beyond! Also they requested a sound file of me reading it so I read it into the microphone on my MP3 player and transferred it onto the computer. An interesting experience, I tried reading it a dozen times before I finally decided which one to send in! So keep an eye out on the website for my poem.



Black Tulips

The waxy strap leaves supplicate

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I've just finished reading Janice Galloway's acclaimed novel The Trick is to Keep Breathing and I'm in two minds about it.

To give you an idea of what it's about here's a snippet from an Amazon review: "Galloway is writing in a long-established tradition of confessional fiction with mentally disturbed women at its centre". It's been compared with Plath's The Bell Jar which, surprisingly enough, I've yet to read.

'The Trick...' certainly was a good read, in fact I read it in a day. But the ending seemed a bit staid for me. Perhaps I was looking for a suicide or an otherwise dramatic turnabout. The lack of visual imagery didn't lend itself to me either, I think it was on Galloway's website that I read she just doesn't find the Scottish landscape inspiring.
The biggest problem for me was that I didn't warm to the protagonist which begs the question of whether it is necessary to like the main character in order to enjoy a novel.

I don't think it's necessary to like every part of the protagonist, I'm currently re-reading The Awakening and there's certainly a lot to point the finger at about the main character, Edna, but overall I have a fondness for her an a certain level empathy. With Galloway's protagonist, 'Joy', I had no sense of empathy and thus no sympathy for her either, I just didn't connect with her on any level.
As a side note, I'm also reading Virginia Woolf's
To The Lighthouse and pleasantly surprised to come across a character called 'Sorley' which is a novelty!

The Graveyard of the Sea

Through centuries of salt earth
the North Sea seeps

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Whoopee!!

Grateful thanks to Rachel for spotting my poem in the Glasgow Herald's poem of the day today. What a nice surprise - sending husband out for a paper right now!!!!!!

Immigrant

Immigrant

1
Oceans drip
from her fingertips,

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I've been walking around all day today feeling pretty pleased with myself as the latest Poetry Scotland, which had been overdue, finally came in today with my two poems in it - what a nice feeling! Then tonight I get an email to say I've had a poem (When I Became a Wave) accepted for the poetry webzine Snakeskin which you'll find here! I don't think I'll sleep tonight!

With one day left to go, well done to all those who napowrimo'd all through April!

Two weeks of it was more than enough for me! I did think about joining in for the last week or so but I'd lost the momentum with the circumstantial interruption and when I tried writing again I was boring myself senseless with what I was coming up with and didn't see the point in inflicting it on you.

However I'm more than pleased with the 14 poems I've now got to work on and the whole thing made me realise how much more I can squeeze out of a temporary muse if I force myself to.

Though I live in a beautiful place it's practically impossible for me to make it to any poetry readings. Living on a peninsula and not being able to drive means I'm dependant on ferries.
I'd love to go to The Great Grog poetry readings run by Rob MacKenzie which always has a good line up of poets but being held in Edinburgh in the evenings makes it impossible for me.
Also, even though I'm not really that far from Glasgow I can't even make it to the vitalsynz poetry readings because they are always held on a week night and there are no late ferries during the week. Tonight they have Andrew Greig speaking 'the unofficial Poet Laureate of the mountaineering community' whom I would have loved to have heard.

Going to StAnza 2008 really made me realise how important it is for my own writing to be part of the poetry scene beyond the computer screen. Unless they start holding poetry reading during daytime it looks like I'll need to learn to drive!

No More NaPoWriMo

With a sick baby, a house that won't clean itself and visitors due to arrive I'm afraid NaPoWriMo is done with for this year.

Thanks to all those who followed my posts and encouraged me to keep going over the last fortnight.

NaPoWriMo 13

Debris

A fishing boat and a yacht
share the open sea

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Interlude

Only nearly halfway through the month and I feel like my ears are bleeding with poetry.

NaPoWriMo 12

Looking Beyond

A rook flies
over sand banks,
over us

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NaPoWriMo 11

Undercurrent

Clouds nestle
in the Kilcreggan hills.

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NaPoWriMo 10

Areopagus at Sundown

At my back in neon purple
floats the Parthenon temple

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NaPoWriMo 9
A pitiful offering today but it's all I had time for.

Haiku (supposed to be anyway!)

Damp city streets

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Oh no not another poem about the sea...yes I'm afraid so!

NaPoWriMo 8

Let us Walk the Highway to the Sea
(villanelle)

Let us walk the highway to the sea.
Do not stop, there is no turning back.

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NaPoWriMo 7

Keepsake

Above my head a tower
of sandstone ashlar leans

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NaPoWriMo 6

Mourning in Spring

Wenn's regnet und die Sonne scheint,
so schlägt der Teufel seine Großmutter:
er lacht und sie weint*
( German Proverb)

The Clyde is alive with light.
Blue-grey waves ride into sun-glazed white.

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NaPoWriMo 5

A found poem from here.


Living off the Wreck
MV AKKA, 1956

Come, swim along her corridors
with cabins leading off.

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NaPoWriMo 4

Today was a struggle to come up with anything and it's only day 4...not so certain I'm going to last the course.


Walking you to the train station

The grass is clean with dew.
A pool of green surrounds

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