New poem Escape, The Friday Poem
Really thrilled to have a poem featured on The Friday Poem, especially since I’m a big fan of the webzine. Recommend signing up to their newsletter. ‘Subscribers get an email on Friday morning with the Friday poem, details of new reviews or articles, and a bit of chat.’
North Country Anthology
Delighted to be included in this new anthology edited by Karen Lloyd. Available from all good bookshops and online.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/north-country/karen-lloyd/9781913393403
Description from back cover.
“Curlews give their liquid, burbling call, a call of pure happiness, the music of the fells.” Ella Pontefract, 1936, Wensleydale
“The North of England abounds with beauty, from unspoiled beaches in Northumberland to the dramatic Lakeland Fells, for so long celebrated by writers and artists. Wide estuaries, winding rivers, sheer cliffs, rushing waterfalls, ancient woodland, limestone pavements, and miles of hedgerows and drystone walls sustainably built and rebuilt over centuries – all form part of its rich heritage.
But these are, too, contested and depleted landscapes. Today the curlew’s call is isolated, and many other species are in decline. Industry, urban sprawl and climate chaos threaten our environment on a previously unimagined scale. And while stereotypes persist – of dark satanic mills or “bleak” moorland – the imperative of conservation is all too often overlooked for short-term economic interests.
This essential volume reminds us how and why Northern people have risen to the challenge of defending their open spaces, demanding action on pollution and habitat loss. Contemporary writers including Sarah Hall, Lee Schofield, Benjamin Myers and Lemn Sissay take their place alongside those who wrote in previous centuries. Together, the voices in this one-of-a-kind anthology testify that North Country is a place apart.”
Publisher: Saraband
ISBN: 9781913393403
Number of pages: 320
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
Poem in Magma
New poem to be published in anthology celebrating identity
Reading at the Hexham Book Festival
Literary Festival located in and around Hexham, Northumberland. 10TH – 19TH JUNE 2022
Looking forward to reading at the Vane Women Event today – details below
https://www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk/Event/vane-women
https://www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk/Pages/Events/Category/2021-programme
Pleased to have a poem in Lighthouse 24 the art issue – edited by Natty Peterkin.
Poetry/Prose: Ruth Aylett, Chrissy Banks, Penny Blackburn, Rachel Burns, Rachael Clyne, Michelle Diaz, Sarah L Dixon, Rebecca Ferrier, Annie Friedlein, Annie Forbes, Polly Halladay, Ramona Herdman, John Johns, Affly Johnson, Robin Knight, Hannah Linden, Simon Maddrell, James McDermott, Sujatha Menon, Mary Mulholland, Ilse Pedler, Lily Proctor, Bethan Rees, Ed Roffe, Jonny Rodgers, Ali Maeve Sargent, Lesley Sharpe, Paul Stephenson
Artists: Nancy Fallows, Gawain Godwin, Michael Ridge
Rachel Burns 