So, this really is goodbye…

Hello – yes, I know I said I’d stop blogging, but I can’t. I might be addicted to the internet. However I do need to cut own the time I am spending on all my different platforms and applications so while this blog will always remain here (sometime we can visit it together and feel nostalgic for the old days) really I will be updating on alumpinthethroat.tumblr.com .

The reason I’m moving to Tumblr. is mainly it’s brevity, which like poetry form, actually gives you more creativity, and I feel I can be a bit more experimental with updates than I am in the traditional blog format.

Also, in other news. I am tweeting the whole of my first pamphlet of poetry This is a Poem under the hashtag #tiap at the moment. If it goes well I will also tweet A Violation of Expectation. I more than welcome virtual interaction, so do come and play…

Enough With Scratch Cards: How to Enter and Win Poetry Competitions

Poet Russell Jones, is becoming a bit of a dab hand at getting a good result out of a poetry competition.  Here he shares his tips with us.

Enough with Scratch Cards:  How to Enter and Win Poetry Competitions

Poetry competitions are strange beasts: half soul-sapping, half ego-boosting, half not good with fractions. While some writers find the concept of competitions to be “against the purposes of art” (and I tend to agree but my moral faculty is a bit inconsistent) they can offer impressive wads of cash to penniless poets, as well as gaining them some recognition amongst The Powers That Be in the publishing world. I started entering poetry competitions three years ago and have either won or been runner up in 12, making approximately £1500 profit from prize money. This article is a guide, of sorts, to entering and (hopefully) winning poetry competitions.

Finding suitable competitions

Competitions are often advertised in libraries and in writing magazines. A quick internet search will also bring up a face-mashing number of results. In particular the Southbank centre poetry library has an extensive list of reputable competitions with links and details for each. It is therefore best to be selective, choosing those which have themes that would suit you (if there is a theme). Another sneaky little trick is to check who the judge is and to see whether the kind of poetry you write is the kind of poetry they like to read (often there will be a comment from the judge on what they’re looking for).

Cost and winnings

Entering most competitions costs money so you have to be prepared to fork it out, Moneybags. Most cost four or five pounds per poem, with a discount offer for submitting several poems to the same contest. The payouts for winning vary from thousands of pounds (Bridport Prize, Manchester Poetry Prize, Eric Gregory Award) to a basket of cheese and condiments (yes that really was the prize for one I entered…and lost). Obviously the competitions which pay out more cash will have more entries and will likely be more difficult to win, so there’s a careful balance between chance, payout and cost. Some competitions offer online entries and payment, others will require postal entries so keep your chequebook handy.

Picking the “right poem”

This is a tough one. Tough as nuts. I’ve already mentioned spying on the judge and checking the theme but there are general tips to follow. Firstly, try reading the work of past winners (often on the websites of the competition) to gain an understanding of the sorts of things which have won. Generally speaking short poems do not win; I think they’re looking for value for money per word or some similar nonsense.  Secondly – and this may seem obvious – but pick your best poems and make sure they adhere to the rules. Some competitions don’t allow “bad” language or “adult themes”, it also seems a waste of time or money to send in poems which haven’t been revised to a point where you are completely happy with them. Very experimental poetry doesn’t seem to do too well in my experience, particularly if it requires difficult formatting or special fonts. Try choosing pieces that stand out as well-written and unique, but not too alienating.

Follow the rules

They all have rules, mainly about not including your name on the poem. If you break a rule your poem won’t count and you might still be charged. Get it right. Be meticulous. Keep a record of the poems you’ve sent out and the dates they’re being judged. Many competitions don’t like receiving previously published poems and they especially dislike it if you submit the same poem to several competitions at the same time…if they find out.

Don’t reach for the bread knife too soon

Competitions get thousands of entries, it might be that you’ve written the finest poem of the 21^st century but that the sub-human letter hound who first saw it put it in the “no” pile because it wasn’t their cup of Bovril. Keep trying; see it as a positive thing if you even get a mention in the results, likelihood is that the poem is good enough to win a competition out there if someone else rated it highly enough to be in the final stages.

Lastly

Only enter your worst poems to the competitions I enter, I need the money, I yearn for the fame. Thanks muchly.

Published and er, well..?

Today I had the happiness to come home to an email from Crafty Green Poet, Juliet Wilson, letting me know that one of my new poems Talking About It has been published on her blog Bolts of Silk.  Juliet uses Bolts to publish poets whose work she enjoys, and contains a large selection from all over the world.

The pleasant and relatively simple experience I had in submitting to Bolts is a vast contrast with another I had recently.  I submitted to an anthology which is going to be published in aid of a well-known charity.  Shortly after submitting I received an email from the editor who called my poem “very poignant” explaining that it would be included and asking me to write a dedication to my husband and also how I wished my name and copyright to appear.  I found it a bit odd to be asked to write a dedication to my husband, after all he  had cancer, it isn’t like he died from it, and I also found it odd to be asked about copyright, as no other editor I had worked with ever had.  However I submitted the dedication which was pronounced “perfect” and was told I would be given more details on publishers etc. in October.

Fast forward to October and I receive a short pro forma impersonal email telling me that I was not being included and that they hoped I would still buy a copy of the book.  I was taken very much by surprise.  If after such gushing acceptance emails and discussion of small inclusion details I would have expected, if in retrospect they decided not to include me, at the very least a personal email explaining and detailing their decision.

I emailed back, politely explaining my confusion and asking for an explanation. I have so far received no reply, I don’t expect one.

Film Poem

I am a very excited and happy woman today!  A while ago Mr Alastair Cook invited me round to his for a delicious lunch and to record some poems.  His film of my poem -ed can be viewed here.  More of Alastair’s film poems can be viewed here.

The film will also be being shown as part of the Hidden Door Festival in October

My new disguise

Tonight I am settling down to start a whole new part of my poetry career, editing.  As part of the Marvelou arrangement with my cousin I have all control over words, and she has all control of the look and physical feel of the book.  Our first call for submissions on found poetry has now closed.  At first I was worried that no one would respond, and I am very pleased to say that I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of people who did decide to submit.  Particularly given the fact that Marvelou is completely new, has no reputation and as it is limited edition each poet won’t get a copy.

However, now with the call closed, my week-long migraine abated, and everything printed out in a nice folder I can procrastinate no longer.  I hope first and foremost to create an excellent edition of found poetry.  However I am also beginning to realise what a journey is involved in editing something like this.  Perhaps I will come through the other end a better, wiser poet – who knows.  The one thing that is for certain is that however emotional I find editing, none of it would be possible without our contributors.

Thank you.

Published

Not that long ago I let all my readers know that I had been lucky enough to be included in Emergency Verse an anthology of poetry in defense of the welfare state.  The anthology is the brain child of Alan Morrison, who is a strong and forthright believer in the ability of poetry to change things, and to make a difference.

I feel very privileged to be included, because as a relative newcomer to poetry I suddenly find myself gracing the same pages as much more illustrious and talented poets such as Michael Horovitz, Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, Ken Worpole and Mario Petrucci – yes, people who even those who aren’t poetry geeks will have heard of.  For once the glazed look my non-poetry chums take on when I start gushing about posey lights up with a glimmer of recognition.

The anthology is published by Caparison e-books, and is very affordable at £2.99.  Alan is hoping that in selling enough copies of Emergency Verse as an e-book he will raise enough money to produce it as a bound book.  My excitement at being included is not only to suddenly find myself in an anthology of respected writers, but as much at the blend of poetry and politics it contains.

Having studied media and working in both PR and politics I have often found there is little proper analysis or informed debate about what is happening in British politics or basic political policy – bar texting opinions to whatever magazine show is popular in the mornings.  The sheer bafflement of the media, under pressure to roll 24 hours, at the hung parliament in Westminster was laughable.  Add to this the very little basic understanding of economics there is in our culture and it is both ourselves and future generations who will not so much be reaping the whirling, as extracting themselves from layers of fetid social decay.

Anyway – that’s the end of my political rant, and I don’t expect my readers to share my view or even agree with me.  However, you might like to check out the anthology, and the Guardian article about it too.

Published and performing

Well it was about time for some good news really, and it came in the form of an inclusion into an anthology, which is a first for me, and very exciting.  I have had a poem, called The Management of Hope included in the anthology from Caparison E-books which is titled Emergency Verse:  Poetry in Defense of the Welfare State and in Support of a Robin Hood Tax on the City and should be available to download in a few weeks.  I have managed to squeeze my way in among some much more well know names such as Michael Rosen, Michael Horovitz, Mario Petrucci and many more.  Political poetry often runs the risk of turning a little lecturous (yes, I’ve just invented a new word) or polemical, however I feel sure that such experienced writers will tackle this issue with great skill.

Secondly I will be performing this Sunday as part of the Free Fringe at Chaos Raging Sweet: 14.40-15.50, Banshee Labyrinth, Banqueting Hall, Niddry Street. MCing are Andrew C Ferguson and Rob A MacKenzie.  Having been initially very pleased to be asked, and having written a poem especially for the occasion my nerves are now beginning to get the better of me and I’m realising why I don’t perform very often.  However, it would be lovely to see and meet any of my readers, so please do come and introduce yourself.

An unusal post…

I don’t normally post poems here, mine or other people’s.  I don’t post mine because it can then become difficult to try to place the poems in magazines, and I don’t post other people’s because I have no wish to turn my blog into a poetry website with me as editor.  I am however occasionally willing to make an exception and I wanted to post this poem by Angus Ogilvy, who wrote here about how writing poetry helped him with his cancer diagnosis.

Remission

I keep my hair short,

breathe long,

count tonight’s

benevolent stars,

not yesterday’s chickens;

In the wet

beneath the trees,

I shelter

from the possibility

of sun,

mindful of

how seeds

may fall.

Turning poison into medicine, with poetry.

Here, poet Angus Ogilvy speaks about how poetry helped him cope with cancer.

Poetic expression has always felt like home. From early in my life, crafting the language of thought seems to have developed into a habitual tendency. I’ve noticed that the urge intensifies the more I open to my own vulnerability, let the protective barriers fall away, acknowledge the softness, accept the wounds and direct the inner energy out.

Cancer is vulnerability: there is your own physical and mental vulnerability of course, but there is also the reminder of vulnerability that you present to those around you and their unpredictable reactions to that. From the moment of my first diagnosis, I had the great good fortune to open out rather than to close down. It was not a conscious decision. It came to me as a natural reaction to a situation over which I had essentially no direct control: no parachute, no safety net, no magic elixir. Just free fall and possibly the imminent end of life. As I felt that free-fall, I began to appreciate the appeal of extreme sports like base jumping and sky-diving to people who are expected to be in complete control of their intense lives: the adrenalin surge and the moment of release and the opening to another reality.

This opening out involved a deeper conversation with myself and poetry seemed the natural way for me to give this expression. It was also a way of opening to others: those close to me and those with whom there might be affinity through their own experiences of cancer or other conditions. I saw no purpose in moping. I wished to continue to enjoy my life and appreciate all that comes with it, whatever that may be. A teacher once expressed it thus: What connects you heals you. What disconnects you harms you. I wanted to connect with others in helpful ways, somehow universalise this intensely human experience; search out the learning and the good in it. I remember once toiling wearily up the side of a steep volcano in the mid-morning heat of Java and watching one heavy foot follow another on the dusty path ahead and wondering when, if ever, I would find respite. Then I stopped, turned around and was stunned and elated by the most beautiful vista behind me that I had been blind to for what seemed like an age of exertion. All I needed was to see an alternative view that had been right there behind me all the time. I learned then what it meant to turn the poison into medicine. There is something special to be gained from almost any situation.

There was a practical element involved too. The effects of the condition and the treatment meant that I did not have the energy to engage with tomes of writing. The prospect of reading a book, even a slim one, was exhausting merely to think about. But I found that I could engage with reading or writing a poem. All I needed was a notebook and a pencil which I could have with me anywhere except in the shower, or the toilet where I passed my cytotoxic waste, or the CAT scan.

I documented the experiences, the facts, the practicalities, the ironies, the feelings, moods and revelations in poetry. It was my map, my personal therapy, more relevant to me than my bulging medical records, and, hopefully, a means of helping others with something accessible they could empathise with and open to. Part of that journey was about examining my perceptions of death; coming out of the bush and facing the animal, seeing its eyes, recognizing it was as vulnerable as I. That meeting, like the view in Java, was accompanied by the sense that everything was relevant, in its place, and amazingly, intricately, wonderfully alive. In many ways the poetry put me on a roll.

I have had the great good fortune to come through my treatment and be restored to reasonable health. I feel within myself that the poetry was part of the healing. Of course my world has changed, but I have no reason to see that change as a negative thing. It just is. I continue to write poetry and it continues to flow from my experience. I was given the opportunity and privilege to share my poems with others through Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh and people have responded positively and found them helpful. Now I will use them in my addresses to conferences at which I have been invited to speak on behalf of patients on the journey with cancer.

My next post will be some of Angus’s poems which deal with this subject.

Today IS the day

Regular readers of my bog will know that over the past few weeks I have been orchestrating a simultaneous blogging project, among my fellow poetry bloggers.  Well, today is the day and all the posts should be up on my colleagues blogs.  I am heartily looking forward to reading what each blogger has written.  And theme that everyone has been writing to?

swear

In choosing this theme I was, in part, giving in to my more mischievous side.  I, of course, love swearing.  A well placed swear can be extremely cathartic and substitute swears such as shoot or sugar, don’t have the same impact.  Let’s face it, substitution is just not cool.  Either swear or don’t.  Don’t pretend.  You’re not Ned Flanders.  Grown-up adult people should be mature enough to make a judgment on weather to swear or hold back, without resorting to the attention seeking ploy of not really doing something but still trying to imply you are a little bit naughty.

On the other hand there is also the more serious side to swearing.  To swear allegiance, to swear an oath, to make a vow.  It appears this does not really happen much in modern life, outside of the courtroom or the marriage ceremony.  Perhaps the decline in marriage, is less to do with a lack of interest in commitment from couples, but more to do with the acknowledgment of the deep binding seriousness of the vows that we could choose to make?  I for one, refused to vow to obey my husband during our wedding – why make a vow you know you are going to break?

Those are just two of the aspects of the word, I am more than confident that my crew of trusty blogger mates will find many and varied permutations and tensions within the word.  I am really excited to read what they have posted.  I hope you will enjoy the experiment and also find some blogs and poets who you really enjoy.  Please feel free to let me know what you think about the project, your feedback will help me decide if its worth doing again.

To continue on with the project, please click on any of the blogs below, and read.

Floatsom, Sunny Dunny, Toungefire, desktopsallye, Cadwallander, One Night Stanzas, Russell Jones, Written in my Hand, Tony William’s Poetry Blog, de la poesia y otras disciplinas en palabras.