Writing Update - 1st January 2012

Dear all;

Happy New Year folks. Hope you all have had a good Christmas and New Year.

Despite the fact, I am still out of work (things are in the process of changing)
I have been keeping busy - perhaps less so over the past few days of course, but
here are some tit bits of what is going on at the moment:

1) I have started work on a play with Rob Goodier (Title T.B.A.) developed
from a idea that has been brewing for a good few years. The play is moving
along slowly but surely and we have a draft of about 18 pages completed so far.
2012 looks promising for this.

2) A few weeks back, I entered into a poetry writing project with a young
Irish poet called Kealan Coady and have started blogging them under a alias
(this way judging the reaction to the pieces) and so far, they have been going
down fairly well. We have blogged three of them, and there is two more to
follow and soon, we will meet up again to start work on some more and then
make a decision on what to do next.

3) As noted elsewhere, after a one year break, my experimental noise band DIH
(who were responsible for 9 releases between 1999 to 2009) returned with their
annual experimental Christmas albums designed for people who really don't like
Christmas or look at it with a sense of humour (The link for those who haven't
come across this can sample it here as it features a number of wonderful tracks).
Since then, after featuring returns by sleeping bands such as DIH and Distance
which has proved very popular it is likely that both acts may well up having new
releases now in 2012 and 2013.

4) My two major projects at the moment, A Means to an End and my project with
American poet Amanda Silbernagel as well as featuring on the DIH album if all
goes to plan should have EPs and albums shortly. For more details on my project
with Amanda please go here OR here. A Means to an End can be experienced here

Amanda has recently recorded a live set online and I hope to get some tracks done
using these as a basis while A Means to an End should have their demo done
in either January / February 2012 and start recording an album in Springtime.

5) for A Means to an End, lots of gigs are planned.. Next few planned are
18th January 2012 @ The Bayhorse in the Northern Quarter, Manchester,
while we are then a headline act at Light in the Dark Entaintment with
other ideas under discussion for March 2011.

Jeff (my main partner in this) is headlining Write Out Loud in Middleton on
Sunday 22th January 2012 and I shall be going down with him as support
with a plan to read a few poems myself. The week before on 15th January 2012
weather permitting, I shall be co-hosting Write Out Loud with Jeff at Bolton 's
The Wellington Pub.

6) I have almost finished off my love songs for Cathy III, my personal love ebooks
for my partner, Cathy (top secret of course). This is nearly ready and will be ready for
Cathy I hope at Valentines day in February 2012. The first two books can be seen
here and here.

7) My next full collection 'The End of Summer' is moving along nicely, I think with
around 18 or 19 poems completed for it (around 28 or 30 pages or so). If this pace
keeps up, am hopeful it'll be done in a year or so's time.

More news to follow shortly folks of course.

12 days after Christmas

On the first day after Christmas

my true love and I had a 

terrible, terrible argument and

she threw a variety of pots and

pans at me, so I strangled the

Partridge and burnt down the

pear tree that my true,

My true love gave to me.

Things didn’t get any better by

the end of the second day, when

she started throwing plates

at me like Boomerangs,

and so, in a vicious frenzy 

I took out an axe and stabbed the

two turtledoves that my true,

my true love gave to me.

On the 3rd and 4th days

my true love graduated

to throwing grendades

so I poisoned the three French Hens

and borrowed next-door’s cat

to say hello to the four calling birds

that my true,

my true love gave to me.

Things, believe it or not got worse

over the next few days

so I pawned off the five golden rings

and stamped on the eggs

of the six geese a laying

before shooting the seven swans swimming

that my true,

My true love gave to me.

By the time we reached the 8th day

our household had become

a battlefield with trenches

dug between the TV and Sofa

and I won’t mention

what I did to the eight maids a milking

that my true,

my true love gave to me.

I bunded up the nine ladies dancing

ten lords a leaping and

eleven pipers piping

in a large package

and posted them back

returning the special delivery 

that my true,

My true love gave to me.

The neighbours

only called the Police

on the 13th day

when the twelve drummers drumming

were found massacred on the frontlawn –

their drumsticks neatly arranged

on the grass, spelling out..

Well, it certainly wasn’t Happy Christmas. 

(NB. This is an work of fiction and does not reflect

the love I have for my other half) 

 

Dear all;

As to be expected things have quietened down somewhat with the rush of Christmas time. All I have really done since I last wrote was go to a few writing workshops which has produced drafts of a few new poems (Some of which may well end up getting blogged around places and a few I’m going to send to magazines).

Poetrywise, after a spell this year when things were a fair bit quieter writing wise has really began with a vengenance after my illness. My next book ‘The End of Summer’ is a reflection of this as to me now I am leaving my 30’s I am leaving the Summer of my life and heading into the beginning of Autumn.

 The Sequence in the book ‘The End of Summer’ is a reflection of this and reflects another change in my writing as much as my split book ‘A Means to an End’. That book which was wrote between February 2010 to July 2011 was mostly about my past and the way different places which have influenced my life. ‘The End of Summer’ is about what comes next and hopefully will be done for the end of next year (I have wrote around 16 poems for this – round about 19 or 20 pages).

As hinted before, there is going to be a Love Songs for Cathy III released towards February 2011 (top secret of course) and I will probably do a merged volume of the three possibly too later in the year.

Otherwise, I have started work on a few possible joint projects which I won’t reveal more about in case they don’t work out etc but I must admit I like working on projects with other people.. I guess because I like the buzz of seeing the way it develops in ways that you wouldn’t have normally expected.

Normal service shall be started up again in the new year with gigs pencilled in for the new year (January and February already).

Have a great Christmas all

No Matter (Poem inside Cathy's Christmas Card

No matter how hard the snow
May fall this year
Or how much the lights
Sparkle in the heavens
I shall still love you.

No matter if all of your presents
Touch the ceiling
Or show a more intimate
Kind of emotion
I shall still love you.

I shall still love you
If the snow is yellow
Or we away in Space
Halfway to Venus and back.

I shall love you
Whether it is sunshine
Or sunset
Or somewhere halfway
Between a Cuckoo’s cry at dawn.

And I shall love you
At Christmas by the beach
Where we walk before
Heading to my sisters for tea
Or a letter to your heart
Delivered urgent 1st class
Hand to mouth
And heart to heart.

walk in tune (winter poem)

Buses trudge through the snow
like children on sledges
while dogs dig their heels
when their owners stumble.

Newspapers blow in the wind
like the pipes of peace
and train guards look frozen
when asking people to step back.

Bins freeze up like Igloos
while Black bags are heavy as stone
and Christmas tree lights change
to Airport warning beacons.

The breeze starts as your friend
but then in seconds becomes your enemy
while Robins hide in Rabbit warrens
as Winter finally walks in tune.

Latest News and Views - Week commencing 7th December 2011

Dear all;

Sorry for the quietness recently folks, but searching for a new job now my job at the Co-Operative has become a full time occuption in itself looking for a new one. 

However, since I last wrote – latest news in bits and pieces:

1) ‘The night cries like a lonely wolf’

The book planned to write with Le Vampire has been delayed somewhat now until 2012.. I hope this will be out Mid 2012 now.

2) ‘Words and Paintings’

My split book with Olga Gerke has now been completed and can be ordered through lulu.com on

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/words-and-paintings/18697247?productTrackingContext=author_spotlight_38257885

The book is somewhat more pricey you may see than my usual books,

But this book contains 16 full colour paintings by Russian painter, Olga Gerke

Which are well worth seeing, believe me.

3) Brief Encounters (Performance Poems 2004 – 2009)

A Draft version of this collection has now been completed. However, this collection will know will be delayed until the middle of 2012 as I am currently out of work, I have time to write more performance based poetry (Have wrote several more

Possibles for this book already).

4) The End of Summer – Unclear whether N Press will publish this collection or whether I should go to another publisher with it but certainly at the moment, there is around 14 or 15 poems wrote for this.. Hopefully by the end of next Summer, I should have more of a idea what is going on with this.

5) Love Songs for Cathy III – this shall be done Mid February 2012. I say no more under fear of death.. lol

Other Projects:

6) A Means to an End – As noted elsewhere the first book came out last month at a book launch and has done fairly well. It is unclear at the moment whether there will be a second volume, but a number of new pieces are under development for the band. After our book launch at Chorlton Arts Festival on 15^th November 2011, we followed it with a follow up gig at Bolton Write Out Loud on 20^th November and

Light in the Dark on 22th November. Next gig will be for Light in the Dark

Again on 22th February 2012, allowing me time to rest more and write lots more material for the band.

7) Project with Amanda Silbernagel. Things are moving slowly along here as Amanda is busy with studies, but we have completed six pieces together which I am pleased with and I hope to get a 7^th piece completed before Christmas and maybe finish the album off in 2012. (Would like to do a tour with Amanda too but unclear yet how this would be possible).

8) I have also started work on a possible play with Rob Goodier and in discussions

with the young Irish writer, Kelean Coady over co-writing some stuff.

9) Writers of the third kind, my ongoing workshop with Amanda Speakman is

going great guns and the third workshop and last for this year will be next week

on 14^th December 2011 at the Sweet Green Traven in Bolton from 7pm to 9pm.

Hope to see some of you there.

More to follow of course shortly. 

Latest news and views - 2nd November 2011

Dear all;

Never seem to get much time for much at the moment blogwise even though I am temporary out of work.

It’s crazy as you would think I would get time for blogging almost every day, but sadly it never happens that way, so in bite sized chunks here is what I am up to:

1)    I am currently mixing together a few low key little books which you will be able to buy off lulu.com fairly soon off earlier material / projects which are now complete. I won’t be stocking these myself as I want these a little low key. These projects are:

a)    The heart beats like a lonely wolf – a joint book with a poet called ‘Le Vampire’. I first met Le Vampire just before she joined my band Wordmusic in 2009 and it was one of those natural meetings of mind if you know what I mean as her gothic style literature in places really seemed to click with me and over some crazy writing spells, a number of really interesting pieces of work came out.

b)   Words and Paintings.. I met a Russian painter at the beginning of 2010 called Olga Gerke and we have spent the past 18 months or so with me writing lots of poems based directly on her paintings. This has proved a major challenge simply because of the stories within it were stories that I wouldn’t always write about.

c)    Brief Encounters (Selected performance poems 2004 – 2009) – this is a book of more performance or lighter material from 2004 to 2009 that was partly covered in my first proper book ‘Return to Kemptown’ but looks at the lighter side of my work from that period.

Gig wise, it is the following:

1)    Guitar and Verse, Salford Crescent tomorrow 3^rd November 2011 featuring Quiet Rebellion and Michael Wilson, two acts who I really like and both of which I think deserve some of your time. Doors open 7.30pm and I will be knocking round no doubt panicing over the running order.

.

2)    The second of mine and Amanda Speakman’s new creative writing workshop ‘Writers of the third kind’ is on next Wednesday also at the Sweet Green Traven next Wednesday starting from 7pm to 9pm. Here we will be doing a series of new writing exercises etc for people to tackle etc. The first was a hoot – hopefully the second will be also.

3)    The week after that I shall be at Write Out Loud, Stockport where I hope the weather will be somewhat better. Starting at 7pm at Stockport Art Gallery etc.

More to come after that too..