poetry
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At last you can see me haver briefly about The Ambulance Box in the video that Jen Hamilton-Emery took before the Northern Salt reading at the Manchester Literature Festival. Here it is in all its autumnal Manucunian glory: Over at the Salt blog, you can also see new videos of Tony Williams (whose book was…
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I’m a bit slow on this one, others having blogged it already, but there’s free shipping on all UK orders until Christmas from Salt’s online shop! Not only will it make your present buying easier, but you’ll make Chris, Jen and the rest of the redoubtable Salt team — not to mention the authors — very…
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Following on from yesterday’s complaint against the lack of poetry in the shortlists for the Saltire Society literary awards, it occured to me that, if a specific poetry award is the solution, perhaps StAnza might be the organisation to oblige. Of course, the funding and administration of such an award would need to be sorted…
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I didn’t want to sully my celebration of the wonderful news that Alison Lang has been shortlisted Saltire Society literary awards with this gripe, so I’ve held it over for today: where on earth are the poetry books on the shortlists? There’s Crawford’s biography of Burns, but that’s the closest we get. No Hunt in…
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In the latest Scottish Poetry Library podcast, you can hear me discuss my writing, the poets I carry with me and read “Summa” from The Ambulance Box. There’s also piece about the Southbank Centre’s new project, the Global Poetry System plus an interview with my fellow Salt poet Julia Bird. Rather than discussing her writing,…
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Surprise, surprise: St Andrews was damp and cold when I arrived there yesterday for Distant Voices. How many StAnza memories are wrapped in that grey mizzle? Still, the Byre Theatre was as inviting as ever. After the five or six festivals I’ve been to, it’s becoming something of a home from home. A small crowd…
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I’m delighted to be reading at Distant Voices, the StAnza Virtual Poetry Festival on Saturday 14 November. It’s a free event linking up poets and poetry from 12 cities and towns across the world, from Mumbai to Sacramento, and streaming them live into The Byre Theatre, St Andrews — StAnza’s usual hub venue — and…
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Yesterday, the winner of the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize was announced as JO Morgan for Natural Mechanical. It’s a fine book and a deserving winner. A book-length narrative poem that so deftly handles shifts in time, perspective and voice would be an impressive achievement at any point in a poet’s writing life, but to produce…
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Feels like I’ve hardly had time to breathe since last week’s reading in Aberdeen, where Rob A Mackenzie and I read for Dead Good Poets. In Books and Beans, they certainly have a good venue: a good space with a clear acoustic and a great chai latte! The evening kicked off with half an hour’s…
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It’s just over a week to Linlithgow Book Festival 2009. The festival has managed to attract another great line-up on the usual funding shoestring, so please support it. I’ll be running a workshop on the Saturday morning, compering the open mic event on the Sunday evening and reading along with Jane McKie, Alistair Findlay, Douglas…
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I’m particularly pleased that my next reading will be in the city of my birth and of my father’s family, Aberdeen. Come and join me and Rob A Mackenzie at Dead Good Poets in Books and Beans on Belmont Street on Thursday next week (29 October). Times and entry details are here. I lived in…
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Got back a couple of days ago from a week away near Manchester, which happened to coincide with the Manchester Literature Festival. There was a fair bit I’d have loved to have seen, but one I certainly couldn’t miss was the Northern Salt reading with my fellow Salt authors Elizabeth Baines, Robert Graham, Mark Illis…
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An even happier national poetry day than normal here, as I can reveal that The Ambulance Box has been shortlisted for the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize! I’m joined on the shortlist by Forward nominee and fellow Salt author Siân Hughes, Forward nominee J O Morgan, Templar poet Dawn Wood and a name new to me:…
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My contributors copy of The Edinburgh Review 127 arrived in the post on Thursday. This issue is dedicated to Iraq and includes five of my Scots translations of poems from Sinan Antoon‘s The Baghdad Blues. I had the pleasure of meeting Sinan when he was in Edinburgh for the Reel Iraq festival. I’ve not had…
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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…
Amy Jo Philip 