The North End of the Possible
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I know, I know – I haven’t said anything about how well the recent(ish) readings went. (Very well indeed, thanks.) I’ve been busy with family, writing and sending out poems (a rejection – the third out of the four submissions I’ve sent this year so far – arrived this afternoon and I’m actively planning more
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I missed it until alerted through Facebook today but, yesterday, The North End of the Possible was reviewed in The Independent alongside Helen Mort’s debut collection, Jean Sprackland’s new book and books by Christopher Meredith and Tara Bergin plus a Salt pamphlet by Edward Mackay. The comment on my book is brief but favourable. I
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A huge thankyou to everyone who came to the Linlithgow launch of The North End of the Possible last night. It was a great turnout and, from my and Holm’s point of view, an enormous success. Here are a few photos of the evening, courtesy of my good friend Thomas Ritchie: Stewart, Frank and I
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Thanks to Robert Peake, I’m in the Huff again. That is, his interview with me and Rob A Mackenzie is now available in the culture section of the Huffington Post’s UK edition. I am hugely grateful to Robert for taking the time to ask us some penetrating and stimulating questions. In other news, I’ll be
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This morning was spent planning my sets for the Linlithgow launch of The North End of the Possible on Saturday this week. I’m excited about this event, because it’s not only a chance to give an extended reading from the book but to work with the violin and electric guitar duo Holm. It’s not just
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I got sight last night of the edition of The Scotsman containing “Bereavement fir Dummies”, thanks to friends who bought it for us while we were away at a wedding a week past Saturday. (Cheers, Judy and Paul!) I still haven’t been able to find it in the online version of the paper, despite just
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“Bereavement fir Dummies”, a Scots poem from The North End of the Possible, is poem of the week today in The Scotsman. It doesn’t seem to be online, otherwise I would link to it, but I might post a pic of the poem in the paper once I have my mits on a copy.
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The wonderful Michelle McGrane has featured several poems from The North End of the Possible on her blog, Peony Moon. Michelle is a heroine of the poetry blogosphere, quietly supporting poet after poet after poet with her site. Make sure you linger in her virtual salon and sample some of the other work she has
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I’ve generated a Wordle of The North End of the Possible. Here it is for your entertainment (click on the image to see it full size): It’s quite appealing, don’t you think? The muckle name in the middle is no surprise, and I love the way that “now” is tucked in the C of “Mac”,
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I was shocked and saddened, like the Scottish literary world in general, to learn back in February that Gavin Wallace, the head of literature at Creative Scotland, had died. I didn’t know Gavin well, but I can say with certainty that The North End of the Possible would not be the book it is without the
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It’s exactly a week until the launch of The North End of the Possible and Rob A Mackenzie’s The Good News at the Scottish Poetry Library! If you’re within striking distance of Edinburgh on Saturday 4 May, come on down for 1:00 pm to savour some readings from me and Rob, enjoy a glass of
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A quick post to remind anyone withing striking distance of Newcastle that I’m reading from The North End of the Possible at the Lit & Phil on Monday evening. The event is free — which leaves you free to spend your pennies on a sparkling, hot-of-the-press copy of the book — and starts at 7:00pm.
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What a week it has been! The retreat, the review and almost the revealing of the new book. And, to boot, the sun was blazing all day yesterday. I returned home on Sunday from the retreat tired and not exhausted but enriched. It felt like a significant weekend in ways that are hard to articulate
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What a delight to find not only that the first review of The North End of the Possible has gone live on the website of The List but that it’s a four-star verdict! I’m particularly pleased that the reviewer, Colin Begg, says, “Humour and invention are mainstays of Philip’s work”. Those aspects were overlooked a
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You can now download the Scots glossary for The North End of the Possible from the Writing page on this website or directly from this link.
Amy Jo Philip 