bits and bobs
. It is said the maximum temperature will reach 15 degrees today. It's cold outside. Last Wednesday (my birthday - I hate the heat) it was nearly 40 degrees.
. Annette told me that last night she dreamed she was awarded a residency to write a book of poetry. There were other curious aspects to the dream which I won't go on about, but it strikes that she'd do it well. I was jealous, of course. I've never had a dream like that. Or, indeed, a residency during waking time.
. I've been reading Japanese poetry this weekend. Modern free-form rather than traditional. And I was thinking a lot about 'image' while sitting in the backyard looking at the sky, the patterns of jacaranda branches, a small cloud and listening to many different bird calls. OK, I'm not proud or tired (old 60s reference I'm sure everyone's forgotten).
. There's one bird which has been visiting our street that makes a very repetitive two note call at around 4am (grrr). I've found out it's a koel. Now I know what it is, it doesn't annoy me as much, well, not quite as much. And I haven't heard it for a day.
. Had continual problems with internet connections over the weekend. I was trying to update my old website. It was out-of-date but is now a bit of a dog's breakfast due to the fact it was almost impossible to upload all the changes I wished to make and to correct some formatting mistakes I made.
. I feel I'm at a bit of a turning point regarding my work. And in need of some time to gaze at the poetry navel. I'm thinking about a book, and how one makes a book. I'm thinking shorter rather than longer. I'm thinking about loosening up but am not sure if that means longer lines or shorter ones. It depends (as always) on how you do it. I'm thinking of resurrecting some older work and wondering if this is a really dumb idea or whether it is better to do that than keep poking around words trying to make something happen new and now.
. A small bit of shameless self promo. One is that a poem of mine is featured in a new anthology In the Criminal's Cabinet from the good folks at nth position. It includes poems and short stories from writers all round the world including Caroline Bergvall, Charles Bernstein, bill bissett, Maxine Chernoff, MTC Cronin, Jennifer K Dick, BR Dionysius, Isobel Dixon, Peter Finch, Brentley Frazer, Paul Hardacre, Paul Hoover, Halvard Johnson, Jill Jones, Jayne Fenton Keane, Roddy Lumsden, Alexis Lykiard, Nessa O’Mahony, David Prater, Peter Riley, Peter Robinson, Rebecca Seiferle, Ron Silliman, John Hartley Williams, Harriet Zinnes and many more. I also went to the launch of The Perfect Diary last Saturday evening because a poem of mine is featured in it. It was a difficult reading mainly because the sound system was muddy and there were a lot of very young children generating a lot of noise and movement, as bored kids will. We couldn't stay as Annette needed to be somewhere quieter and safer for her foot. But the Diary is great (it supports writers and artists whilst providing a good diary, including a pen). Sadly, after ten years, it will be the last one for a while.
. Annette told me that last night she dreamed she was awarded a residency to write a book of poetry. There were other curious aspects to the dream which I won't go on about, but it strikes that she'd do it well. I was jealous, of course. I've never had a dream like that. Or, indeed, a residency during waking time.
. I've been reading Japanese poetry this weekend. Modern free-form rather than traditional. And I was thinking a lot about 'image' while sitting in the backyard looking at the sky, the patterns of jacaranda branches, a small cloud and listening to many different bird calls. OK, I'm not proud or tired (old 60s reference I'm sure everyone's forgotten).
. There's one bird which has been visiting our street that makes a very repetitive two note call at around 4am (grrr). I've found out it's a koel. Now I know what it is, it doesn't annoy me as much, well, not quite as much. And I haven't heard it for a day.
. Had continual problems with internet connections over the weekend. I was trying to update my old website. It was out-of-date but is now a bit of a dog's breakfast due to the fact it was almost impossible to upload all the changes I wished to make and to correct some formatting mistakes I made.
. I feel I'm at a bit of a turning point regarding my work. And in need of some time to gaze at the poetry navel. I'm thinking about a book, and how one makes a book. I'm thinking shorter rather than longer. I'm thinking about loosening up but am not sure if that means longer lines or shorter ones. It depends (as always) on how you do it. I'm thinking of resurrecting some older work and wondering if this is a really dumb idea or whether it is better to do that than keep poking around words trying to make something happen new and now.
. A small bit of shameless self promo. One is that a poem of mine is featured in a new anthology In the Criminal's Cabinet from the good folks at nth position. It includes poems and short stories from writers all round the world including Caroline Bergvall, Charles Bernstein, bill bissett, Maxine Chernoff, MTC Cronin, Jennifer K Dick, BR Dionysius, Isobel Dixon, Peter Finch, Brentley Frazer, Paul Hardacre, Paul Hoover, Halvard Johnson, Jill Jones, Jayne Fenton Keane, Roddy Lumsden, Alexis Lykiard, Nessa O’Mahony, David Prater, Peter Riley, Peter Robinson, Rebecca Seiferle, Ron Silliman, John Hartley Williams, Harriet Zinnes and many more. I also went to the launch of The Perfect Diary last Saturday evening because a poem of mine is featured in it. It was a difficult reading mainly because the sound system was muddy and there were a lot of very young children generating a lot of noise and movement, as bored kids will. We couldn't stay as Annette needed to be somewhere quieter and safer for her foot. But the Diary is great (it supports writers and artists whilst providing a good diary, including a pen). Sadly, after ten years, it will be the last one for a while.
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