dumbfoundry

Bleak House commands one of the most prominent positions in Broadstairs — high up on the cliffs on the coast of Kent stands this Mansion House, known far and wide as the once seaside residence of the great novelist, Charles Dickens.

"A few weeks ago, Helena Nelson sent me a link telling the story of a poetry reading. This, however, was no ordinary reading. The idea is that, without telling the audience the nature of the event, you write a batch of poems over a few months – the very best you can do, nothing dashed off or obviously ephemeral. Once you’ve read them, you tear them all up. No other copies can exist and you have to delete them from your hard drive before performing them. In other words, the performance is a one-off experience, never to be repeated..."

"The most glaring example of this accessibility was the fact that tonight’s keynote speaker, Shane McCarthy, is a comic book writer. Not a novelist or poet or playwright as you’d expect but a comic book writer. It’s something different and kind of broaches the common idea of what a writer is."

Each of the winning entrants will receive:

* a full manuscript appraisal, including guidance on how to further develop their work for publication;
* a week-long intensive retreat at Olvar Wood Writers Retreat (24-31 July);
* three monthly feedback sessions after the retreat to support them in rewriting/editing their manuscript;
* membership of Friends of Olvar.

"Some disappointing news for me personally and for UK poetry generally – Salt have had to cancel all future publications owing to a financial crisis."

"How has the poet crafted the piece? What devices is he using to deliver you the images, happenings and emotions you grabbed the first-time through? Remember: the poet is the author. He has placed his words exactly how he wants them to 'make' the poem. On these reads, think about things like repetition of phrases or sounds, stanza breaks -- or the lack of them and line length. Think about the strength of each word: how precise the verbs are (cuts, splices, confides) and how specific the nouns are (MGB instead of 'car' and moraines instead of 'hills' or 'ridges')."

"I have some exciting news!

I've been asked to be poet-in-residence for BBC2's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show next Tuesday (19th May)."

"I just received this note from an anonymous source at Oxford (emphasis mine, below; see prior post on this, including details of the confessed-to sexual harassment allegations against Walcott, here)..."

The event will be attended by President Obama, his wife, Michelle -- and me and you too, if we log on to the White House's live stream of the event.

"A few caveats for this list: I only included the poet if they've updated in the last couple of months. Use it or delete it is my motto."

06/06/2009 GAIA HOLMES: The workshop of sensory delights
20/06/2009 ANDREW OLDHAM: Re-writing
11/07/2009 IAN PARKS: Narrative Poetry - Stories in Verse

There will also be a workshop for writers and poets on developing writing in progress:

25/07/2009 IAN PARKS & ANDREW OLDHAM: Workshop Words

So what exactly is a Videopoem? Sometimes referred to as Poetronica (I like to call them Voems as opposed to Pideo which sounds a bit unhygienic), Videopoems are where spoken word and Video Art converge.

Poet Craig Arnold has gone missing on the small volcanic island of Kuchino-Erabu-Shiba while on a creative exchange fellowship.
...
"A phone call or email should say something to the effect that this is an important person who must be found, and any pressure we can put on our national government and the Japanese to continue the search is critical to our efforts. Time is of the essence. The island and areas surrounding the volcano are small enough that an extended search will surely lead to Craig's discovery."

From the conservation report: "The top of the desk, including the leatherette, has been sawn through alongside the left hand pair of drawers; the cut was made from one side and then the other, and they did not quite meet. The two pieces have been rejoined with three timber dowels let into the end grain of the timber top, but these are now loose and broken. A rail that originally joined the inner legs at the back and directly underneath the top is now missing."

Send editor Jim Behrle your 140 character poems and stories.