Category: Poetry
Hedgehog Poetry Press -Halloween Anthology!
I’m delighted to say that my poem ‘The House of Dark Hearts’ appears in The Hedgehog Poetry Press‘s anthology of fabulously spooky poems! @hedgehogpoetry #Halloween #Halloween2020 #Boo

Copies available from Hedgehog Press here or via Amazon over there
Many thanks to Ed. Mark Davidson for including me alongside such mighty fine poetry!
Every Dog’s a Poet

Isla would like to thank Eye Flash Poetry Journal for publishing her poem ‘always.whatever’ in their wonderful Pocket Pamphlet, ‘Dogs’. Thanks also to her translator @kmalderman1
Poet dogs may wish to see this pamphlet and many other lovely publications here

Happy Woofering
Prose Poetry at The Poetry School
I meant to post this some time ago but life got in the way – it’s a ‘shout out’ with thanks to The Poetry School and Carrie Etter whose course, ‘Historicising the Prose Poem‘ I completed a short while ago.

I’m a complete novice at the genre; confused and perhaps a little annoyed (!) by the perceived view that it’s hard to define. However, through a series of assignments, excellent feedback and the fellow classmates’ work, I began to understand its intriguing complexity and attraction. There were some incredible poets doing the course and I had a wonderful time reading their work and learning from their understanding of Prose Poetry.

US expat poet, fiction writer
University Lecturer
@BathSpaUni
https://twitter.com/Carrie_Etter
Carrie has mastered the genre to great effect, as evidenced in her collection which was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award. It’s the very moving — Imagined Sons published by Seren Books
and in her forthcoming publication — The Shooting Gallery which can be pre-ordered from Verve Poetry Press

https://www.carrieetter.com/post/the-shooting-gallery-now-available-for-pre-order
Although the Poetry School’s online system may be a little clunky, their support staff are extremely helpful. I enjoyed expert tuition, a great standard of work from fellow poets and superb feedback. I will certainly enrol for another Poetry School some time.
In the meantime I’m delighted to say that two of my poems from the course are about to be published, one in @EyeFlashPoetry and another in @PoetryBusMag !


Many thanks for reading this blog page 🙂
My Poetry News
An update on my own writing – having begun to write again earlier this year, I’m very glad to say that the past couple of weeks I’ve had a bit of a lucky run.
I sent out a little bundle of poems and now have some in three forthcoming publications, one in an art exhibition and one was Highly Commended in a poetry competition.

Some of my words have been chosen alongside those of other poets, by artist Luke Jerram of Museum of the Moon for the ‘Of Earth and Sky’ exhibition @OfEarthandSky
and they’re written into the landscape of the city of Gloucester, U.K. Luke’s Gaia Earth is the pinnacle of the ‘Earth and Sky’ exhibition and you can find out the Gaia Earth tour dates here
To read my poem ‘From the Heart’, click here –

EYE FLASH POETRY – POCKET PAMPHLET
My poem ‘always.whatever’ is included in Eye Flash Poetry’s ‘Dog’ Pocket Pamphlet.
Copies of this delightful pamphlet and other tempting things – can be pre-ordered by clicking here –
@EyeFlashPoetry

eds. Charlotte Begg and Anna Britton
https://www.eyeflashpoetry.co.uk/
GLOUCESTERSHIRE WRITERS’ NETWORK COMPETITION 2020
Many thanks to poetry competition judge Sarah James who Highly Commended my poem ‘How to Forecast During a Pandemic’ for the Gloucestershire Writers’ Network Competition – in association with The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival –
and will be printed in the winners’ anthology – on sale this October from – here –

THE HEDGEHOG POETRY PRESS – HALLOWEEN ANTHOLOGY
I’m very happy to have a poem in Hedgehog Poetry Press’s forthcoming spooky Halloween anthology The House in the Forest. Details available from the website – release date 31st October 2020 – mwah ha ha!

ed. Mark Davidson
THE POETRY BUS MAGAZINE – PB9
Finally, my poem ‘Of the Master’ will appear in The Poetry Bus Magazine (PB9) @PoetryBusMag – the mag will be fundraising and hope to publish September 2020.

The Poetry Bus Magazine – eds. Peadar and Collette O’Donoghue
Thanks very much for reading this blog post ❤😊
Poetry Review: Hex by Jennie Farley
Many thanks to Helen and Kate at Ink Sweat & Tears for publishing my review of Jennie Farley’s Hex from Indigo Dreams Publishers Ltd
@InkSweatTears @jennieMFarley @IndigoDreamsPub @kmalderman1
Courtesy of Jennie Farley and Indigo Dreams Pubs. Ltd
https://www.indigodreams.co.uk/jennie-farley-hex/4594369593
You can read my review of Jennie’s book – here
You can read Jennie’s blog – here
Poet Jennie Farley
Happy Writing All
NaPoWriMo 2020 Day 3

Day Three is experimenting with rhyme.
I want to say I’m enjoying this but maybe only in a whisper, in case the Muse disappears! Perhaps it’s unrealistic to expect to produce complete poems each day but I’m glad to have some useful ideas to develop.
Don’t think I’ll post about this daily now because there are other projects I’d like to talk about but so far, it’s proved useful to try to write a poem a day. I’ll hope to keep it up for the entire month of April.
Good Luck All !
NaPoWriMo 2020 – Day 2
Well I did manage something, but it took some doing as I’m not used to writing a poem a day of course! It’s not a complete poem but an interesting slant on the prompt.

Today I’m trying to think location.
Good luck all 🙂
NaPoWriMo 2020 Day 1
Okay so I’m working on the poetry pamphlet review but in the meantime, I’ve committed to doing this! A poem a day for the whole of April. I’m really hoping to keep up
http://www.napowrimo.net/?fbclid=IwAR1H-t8-xzo6vmk9AlwA5iGeSyffyI4Od_64XjMRBoQN5ZLTq3g1vy3pPAk
I won’t get a full piece each day but hope to have lots to work on
Good Luck All 😀
Self-Isolating, Pandemics & Panic-Buying
It’s Thursday 19 March 2020 and we are battling a global pandemic. Who’d have thought it?
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I’m in a high risk category and so, in line with UK Government and National Health Service advice, I’m staying at home for the next 12 weeks, bar emergencies. This seems quite unreal, I know others feel this too.
At least I have my lovely daughter and husband to keep me company and do tasks outside the home. Others are not as lucky but it’s great to see so many offers of help for each other. This is the best side of us coming out and it’s heartwarming.
Photo by ATC Comm Photo on Pexels.com
Panic-Buying though is the less heartwarming side of our natures …

A Critical Care nurse broke our hearts when she broke down after 48 hours on duty, trying to save lives. There wasn’t any fresh fruit or vegetables left in the supermarket because people had cleaned the shelves of essential foods and she didn’t know how to keep herself healthy – to use her words …
Just stop it, please!
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/critical-care-nurse-pleas-end-005251035.html
I’m anxious though as our son is one of the many on the front line treating people hospitalised with Covid-19. We won’t be able to see him for however long it takes to see this virus gone. That’s upsetting BUT ALSO he has no toilet paper at home because there’s none left and he hasn’t time to look for it!
Please, let’s all calm down and stop the panic-buying ❤️ let’s give the elderly and those in greatest need a chance.
Photo by hermaion on Pexels.com
Like many others, I want to try to make more of my isolation than just sitting on social media and looking mournfully out of the window.
I’ll try to share what I’m reading on here and will be interested to see what everyone else is up to.
Next post will be about Charlotte Begg’s intriguing poetry pamphlet,
My Father/The Son/No-One’s Ghost (Broken Sleep Books) … back soon xx