Amy Jo Philip
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Some kind of note on the Arvon course of a few weeks ago is certainly overdue. Matthew Hollis and Colette Bryce both gave useful and encouraging feedback and advice alongside interesting, stimulating workshop discussions and exercises. As the course was billed as being about working towards a collection, it is a tad irritating that they…
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I have it: a draft collection-length manuscript with an order I think works! Now to garner a few second opinions before I start seriously thinking about what to do with it. Rob Mackenzie and I will be swapping back on Monday, so I’m looking forward to reading his comments on my work.
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I’m planning to take part in the Scottish Poetry Library’s courtyard readings tomorrow, Monday and probably Tuesday. Like all open sessions, they can be extremely hit and miss but they’re good fun and an interesting opportunity to read to an often entirely new audience. It’ll be a good opportunity to plug Postscript as well.
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It’s August, there’s a downpour a day and Edinburgh has brigadooned into the Radio 4 consciousness once again. Must be festival time. Of course, by “festival” I mean not only the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, but the Festival of Spirituality and…
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Wednesday’s interview for the Scottish Book Trust mentoring scheme seemed to go well, but I’m not really one to read aright the entrails of a 40-minute chat with two strangers, so who knows what the outcome will be? Two SBT staff grilled me in the nicest manner possible about my “project”, my expectations of being…
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Just back home today from a few days with the in-laws either side of the course at Lumb Bank. A fine week, but more about that later. At the moment, I’m trying to apply my rather travel-weary mind to the fact that I have an interview for a place on the Scottish Book Trust‘s mentoring…
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I’m off to a course with Matthew Hollis and Colette Bryce at the Lumb Bank Arvon centre tomorrow, so this online tongue will stop wagging for the next five or six days at least. Still, there’s a reasonably amount for you to enjoy in the virtual cupboard under the stairs. It should be a fun…
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Today’s Sunday Herald contains reflections by John Burnside stemming from the recent floods in England and Wales. It’s a typically intelligent, meditative piece written in the considered, weighed and weighted voice that admirers of Burnside cherish. There’s no hint of hysteria, not even green hysteria, in his futurology* simply a measured meditation on what the…
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As you’ll know if you’re a regular visitor to these virtual parts, Rob A Mackenzie and I swapped manuscripts nearly a fortnight ago. I’ve had a read-through of Rob’s MS and will comment properly on it in due course, but suffice to say for the moment that it’s very good and a lot of fun…
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In the absence of the inclination or opportunity to say anything else at this moment, due to a bout of summer indolence, I’ll highlight a couple of additions to Tonguefire: A list of the poems of mine that are published online. A poll on the Forward best collection prize shortlist (top of the sidebar). Additions…
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Having lauded Fiona Sampson’s Guardian Unlimited workshop (which I have failed to complete), I thought I should mention her choice of the resulting poems. It forms a nice little compendium of significantly different approaches to the practice of listening–a clear demonstration that the workshop exercise is a good one, I think. There’s much to learn…
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It looks like my dulcet tones will be gracing the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time ever* this year: I have a 10-minute reading slot in the Postscript show at Diverse Attractions on Monday 20th August and Wednesday 22nd August. The show starts at 7.15pm and lasts roughly an hour and a half, but…
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Here’s the Shore Poets programme from September 2007 to June 2008 (guest poets in bold, Shore poets in italics and new poets in plain text). Don’t forget our special Orkney event on Sunday 29th July. 200730th SeptPolly Clark, Ian McDonough and Gilly Garnett 28th OctGillian Allnutt, Christine De Luca and James W Wood 25th NovDavid…
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America: the dead People die, but there are no dead in America. The dead are those who are exhumed a year after burial, their bones washed and placed in catacombs or in a special niche in the house, their skulls painted, with jewels set in the eye sockets, their skulls set on spikes around the…
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Salt has started a blog of coverage, readings etc connected to its Forward shortlisted authors. Can’t help but be chuffed to see they’ve linked to my comments on the shortlist. I’ll add the blog to the sidebar. Keep an eye on it: there seems to be something new every half hour or so! The latest…
Amy Jo Philip 