Dear reader, I am looking forward to attending a string summer school at City Lit, so will be taking a short break from my blog, but back very soon!
Category: July 24
Weekend Creative Corner 21st July
One of my poetry inspirations is U.A. Fanthorpe. The link provides a comprehensive biography, critical perspective and bibliography. https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/u-a-fanthorpe#:~:text=A.%20Fanthorpe%20only%20published%20her%20first%20collection%20of,Cheltenham%20Ladies%20College%20%E2%80%93%20in%20order%20to%20write. The fact that U.A. Fanthorpe only published her first collection of poems, Side Effects (1978), when she was nearly fifty is inspiring. She confessed to being ‘a middle-aged drop-out’, having left teaching – she had been Head of… Continue reading Weekend Creative Corner 21st July
Writing is rewriting
Yesterday I attended a demonstration, Hands around Parliament-stop arming Israel. It encouraged me to look at a journal entry from early spring, the day after attending a vigil for the Gaza victims and Aaron Bushnell. Writing is rewriting, particularly for poetry. Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855, and spent most of his professional life… Continue reading Writing is rewriting
Writing Inspiration
Writing and working full-time is a tricky tightrope to traverse and I might need to post less frequently. This is disheartening so, today, as my early drafts are too rough to publish, I have hunted for inspiring writing quotes to lend much needed encouragement. I would like to credit https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz/50-quotes-from-famous-authors-that-will-inspire-yo.html © Read, read, read. Read… Continue reading Writing Inspiration
Weekend Creative Corner 14th July
Here is a question, do artists have a duty to be activists? It is a huge question. Some might answer that their art is personal, a place of retreat in a busy life, a stressful world. It could be argued that maintaining an independent identity is a form of activism, rebellion in a society where… Continue reading Weekend Creative Corner 14th July
Thursday’s Child
Today is a day of showing up on the page, I am tired, (hay-fever or the start of a cold?) so I would like to reflect on where our love for words and stories start; for me, nursery rhymes and fairytales. This has always been one of my favourites. THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM'S Online Collection… Continue reading Thursday’s Child
Monday’s child
Yesterday I shared draft two from my poetry masterclass. How do you like the redrafted poem, from a unfinished prose poem to a sonnet. William Zinsser ©️Walker in West End Lane (Draft Two) I see you, sitting on haunches outside Cafe Nero on my way to work, hunchedagainst the day. Sometimes you nurse a coffee,… Continue reading Monday’s child
Weekend Creative Corner 7th July
Today I attended a City Lit Masterclass at Keats House, run by the author Helen Cox. It was a wonderful day. Firstly the setting which even the intemperate weather couldn't diminish; and the pleasure of an afternoon of writing poetry, shared with students who were engaged, open and generous and led by a talented writer… Continue reading Weekend Creative Corner 7th July
Kitchen Table Poet
I have set a personal target of publishing two weekly posts, (on Mondays, and Thursdays) as well as a weekend post. But, yesterday, after a long day, instead of coming to the page with any interest, my mind was full of 'shoulds', so I didn't. Instead, I procrastinated, snacked like a hamster on acid, went… Continue reading Kitchen Table Poet
The Sketchbook
The Sketchbook (Inspired from a conversation with the artist Marc Brown, Southwold June 2024)Beach huts with perfect gables lift their heads to the cumulus. Colour of sand sediment, a breath inhaled and exhaled,black rocks a solid defense. An artist sits and watches as the sea waves over a swimmer’s brushstrokes in blue deep,deep blue, picking… Continue reading The Sketchbook
Bonnie Braw Press 