past readings
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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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Yes, it was a busy weekend. After the Golden Hour kneesings-up, it was off to Glasgow on Saturday for the Merchant City Festival writing conference. I wasn’t able to catch much of the event outside of my workshop and reading, but I did hear some of the panel discussion and contribute to the ensuing lively
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It was a week for anthologies last week, what with the Forward book arriving in the post and the launch of The Golden Hour Book Vol ii at Blackwell’s on South Bridge (the old James Thin shop, for those who remember that much-lamented Edinburgh institution of yore). The GH book is a triumph, I have to
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Blackwell’s on Thursday was a good night. A really varied bunch of perfomers — poetry, fiction, non-fiction and folk music — in a great venue, despite the traffic noise. It was a good audience, too. Heartening to see a mix of kent faces and new. Good on the bookshop for putting on such a good
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Despite holidaying in Eyemouth, on Thursday last week, I joined most of the other contributors* (inlcuding one of the translators) at the Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh to launch 5PX2: Five Italian Poets and Five Scottish Poets. The evening was slightly chaotic but enormous fun. A good-sized audience, too, for a Thursday in holiday time
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Summertime (officially), and the temperature’s freezing. That’s Scotland’s wind chill for you. Otherwise, it’s a glorious morning; a fitting follow-up to a good night at the Black Bitch, with Herbie Hancock‘s Maiden Voyage playing in the background. I lost count, but I think there were close to 30 people there. It was mostly Linlithgow folk,
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What can I say about Wednesday night’s launch of The Ambulance Box and The Opposite of Cabbage at the Scottish Poetry Library that isn’t already in the reports by Peggy at the SPL (who does the name dropping for us), Colin Will and Rob himself? Rob is right to say it couldn’t have gone any
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Last night’s launch at the SPL was a huge success. We ran out of seating and wine glasses though not wine, I’m glad to say. Or books, I’m equally glad to say, despite the goodly number sold. Really, though, I’m far too tired to give you a proper account tonight. I had an unavoidably a
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Thursday’s reading at St Mungo’s Mirrorball with Rob A Mackenzie and performance poet Robin Cairns was a good night. As usual, Mr Mackenzie has got in ahead of me and blogged about it already. As he says, it was a varied evening but the audience was happy to switch mood and style along with each
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The Month of Book Launches is nearly upon me! First up is a triple launch: myself, fellow Scottish Salter Rob A Mackenzie and performance poet Robin Cairns. An eclectic mix, hosted by St Mungo’s Mirrorball in Glasgow. If you’re in the vicinity, come along. The reading is free, and there will be books to buy.
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The West Lothian Writes event at Bathgate’s Regal Theatre a week past Friday was a really good evening, very ably compered by Ellie Stewart. There was a mix of poetry, prose and even film script (!), with several really good pieces of writing and several strong performances, as well as one or two that weren’t
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It’s really been a week for new audiences. Wednesday morning was filled with meetings about a Scots language poetry project in Bo’ness Academy. They lasted longer than I anticipated and ended up running into the afternoon but some extremely useful and exciting stuff came out of them. The project gets going in earnest on Monday;
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Got back on Saturday from a much-needed family break in Northumberland, then it was off to St Andrews on Monday for my Inklight reading, stopping off en route in Edinburgh for lunch with fellow HappenStance poet James Wood. With a bit of time to kill between lunch and my train to Leuchars, I popped into
Amy Jo Philip 