It wasn't until week five of my poetry class with Mark Tredinnick that I felt like I was hitting my stride. The first few weeks saw me floundering with form and trying to squeeze my words into weird new cages. Mark calls it 'dancing down the cage'. Rhythm, especially iambic... Read more →

Apparently American poet, Elizabeth Bishop, took 17 drafts too write a sonnet. Don't quote me on this, or ask me which one (does she even have more than one sonnet?) - I haven't actually backed up this stat or fact with research cos I was feeling lazy. Which is kind... Read more →

I think I'm a butterfly. Scratch that, I know I'm a butterfly. I struggle to break out of my cocoon and once out I flit from flower to flower, heady with the heavy scent of nectar beckoning and beguiling my senes. Okay that was a little fanciful and florid (and... Read more →

I'm grappling with my abilities and my ambition at the moment. I know the kind of poetry I want to write but don't know how to actually write it! I can write a chatty poem that tells a story about an incident. I feel really comfortable with this style but... Read more →

I was reading a Ruby Redfort book by Lauren Child which I borrowed from my daughter. I'm not sure which one it was. Either Pick Your Poison or Blink and You're Dead. In it Ruby was eating peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. She's always drinking banana milk (which incidentally was... Read more →

I'm currently juggling coursework for two online poetry classes I've signed up for and I'm thinking I may have bitten off more than I can chew! I feel like I'm back at Uni again only this time with the added responsibilities of work, children and running a house. One of... Read more →

Creativity is a cantankerous beast that still surprises me after all this time. I've been blocked for the last few months with no idea of how to get unblocked. In the first lockdown back in April / May, I did lots of hand crafts and felt really nourished and grounded.... Read more →

I've just finished the second class for What the Light Tells, the poetry masterclass currently being conducted by Australian poet, Mark Tredinnick. It's great to be back in a classroom, learning about poetry and hearing from my fellow student poets. There's a big range of ability in the class from... Read more →