Please join me in congratulating Julie Stevens on the launch of her latest poetry collection Journey Through the Fire published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press.
The poems in Journey Through the Fire speak of a troubled childhood with domineering parents and school bullies. Later, the years are plagued with chronic illnesses, that in time helps lead to a reconciliation.
Julie Stevens writes poems that cover many themes, but often engages with the problems of disability.She is widely published in places such as Ink Sweat & Tears (Pick of the Month, Oct 2021), Broken Sleep Books, The Honest Ulsterman, Strix, Fly on the Wall Press and Indigo Dreams Publishing. She has four published pamphlets: Journey Through the Fire (2024), Step into the Dark (2023) and Balancing Act (2021) with The Hedgehog Poetry Press and Quicksand (Dreich, 2020).
Our guest feature today comes from author Sarah Scally. Sarah has come along to share her writing journey so without further ado, it’s over to Sarah.
My Writing Journey
Sarah Scally
Thanks for this opportunity to appear on Patricia’s Pen, to talk about my writing journey.
I’ve been writing stories for years and kept them all in a drawer, never for them to see the light of day!! The (long!) route to publication really began for me in 2013 when I took part in a ‘writing for radio’ course and I absolutely loved it. I decided to enter an idea for a radio play competition which was being run locally – and couldn’t believe it when I was chosen as one of two winners. The play was about a group of mismatched ramblers and the adventures they got up as they walked along the south coast. Once the radio play aired, I kept thinking about the characters and what they could get up to, so I decided to continue their story.
In 2019 I joined the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) and was thrilled to be accepted into their New Writing Scheme (NWS). I submitted the manuscript to the scheme, then rewrote large bits once I’d received the feedback, resending it the following year.
In between, I sent it to the Comedy Women in Print competition (CWIP) and was longlisted for their unpublished category, which was all very exciting! I then put it in a drawer and started another manuscript, the second in the series. I repeated the process, putting it through the scheme again and then once the feedback was good – again, two years later – I began to wonder what to do with them. I had sent them off to some publishers and had received some requests for the manuscript, but it had fizzled out. Then, during lockdown, I joined a webinar about self-publishing, and decided to give that a go – and here we are, with my second book published on 4th April!
I quite enjoy self-publishing as I get to be in full control of all aspects of the process – but likewise, I am responsible for all of it, and sometimes I wonder if it would be nice to bounce ideas around with others. I am slowly, however, finding my tribe of other authors and fab people who are willing to help me, so I see it as a long term, learning process which so far *touches wood* I am enjoying.
About Sarah Scally
Sarah Scally lives on the south coast of the UK and works for the NHS.
She has written in a freelance capacity for magazines and business journals and writes scripts collaboratively with two friends.
In 2013 she won a competition to write a 45-minute radio play. This play became the novel The Postcard in the Window and in 2020 it was one of twelve manuscripts longlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize (CWIP) for an unpublished novel.
Sarah has now self-published that novel with the second, It started with a shoe, published 4th April 2024.
Please join me in congratulating poet, Rachel Deering, on the launch of In the Shadow of Gods, published by Black Bough Poetry.
‘Deering’s powerful chlorophyll- and clay-dipped collection shows us how to read the leaves and the ripples, how to speak with feathered and tree-abiding lives, to see, almost as if with the lightning rod of divine inspiration, that ‘it is always about love’. This is a book to surrender to. In the hands of a master word-conjurer, you will be carried by its ‘watermagic’. This is poetry as theophysics, rendered with the precision of a scientist and the furor of a visionary. A tremendous and vital collection from a breathtakingly skilled and assured voice.’ Chris Laoutaris, Associate Professor at The Shakespeare Institute and author of Bleed and See (Broken Sleep Books) and Shakespeare’s Book (William Collins).
‘Reflecting our journeys and departures, Deering’s imagery and language sings of the growth replicated within nature and humanity offering a reclamation of our landscapes through deft metaphor and an inventive perspective conveying the dangers and delights of daring to live within life’s contradictions. Each piece creates a sensory realm exploring our bodies and desires, our weaknesses and will for agency; the power of the feminine threads itself through each section with Deering’s inimitable ecological voice. And, while ‘everything has a conclusion,’ from these ends come beginnings – there is a true sense of hope vibrantly alive in these necessary poems.’ Louise Machen, award-nominated writer.
I’m delighted to introduce poet, Lawrence Moore, to Patricia’s Pen. Lawrence is sharing his poetry journey so without further ado, it’s over to him.
My Poetry Journey
Lawrence Moore
Hi, I’m Lawrence Moore and I’ve been writing poetry most of my life, but in 2018, I became more committed to the art of poeming, and have been rewarded with a series of friendships and adventures ever since. Perhaps my most distinctive creative trait is my love for musicality and flow. Meaning and self-expression are very important to me, but I often let the shaping of a poem be led by the sounds and rhythms that bring me most pleasure.
I often make use of crypticness and phrases with multiple interpretations, partly because it enables me to say things I might not otherwise be foolish enough to say, but also because I quite enjoy being mysterious. That said, I value candour highly and consider my poems to be rather accessible as poetry goes, because that’s what appeals to me as a reader.
In early 2022, I released my first chapbook Aerial Sweetshop with Alien Buddha Press. Dedicated to my late Dad, a passionate model aircraft enthusiast, it featured many flight themed poems. Moreover, I used the metaphor of flying to thread together various other subjects I wished to visit, a prevalent one of which was love. Along with hope, love is a matter never too far from my creative mind.
I began work on my next ‘big project’ in a similar way, this time weaving poems connected by adventure, misadventure, the natural world and the fantastical. Appropriately enough, they led me to TheBreadcrumb Trail, my first full length collection, produced by illustrator Jane Cornwell via Jane’s Studio Press.
This partnership has been immensely beneficial, with Jane immediately getting on my wavelength and weaving beautiful threads of her own to reinforce mine. The result is something more cohesive, and also more special to me, than I ever could have achieved on my own.
As I have said, it is a book of adventure and misadventure, of compliments and of juxtapositions, so I shall leave you with the following two poems, which I think give a hint of what lies in store, should you decide to wander the trail.
Buy a copy of The Breadcrumb Trail on the following links.
Lawrence Moore has lived in the coastal city of Portsmouth, England since birth and shares a house overlooking Kingston Cemetery with his husband Matthew and their nine mostly well behaved cats. A firm believer in environmentalism and animal welfare, he spent many teenage days involved in protesting and direct action. His poems have appeared in publications including Sarasvati, Feral, Fahmidan Journal, Green Ink Poetry, Dreich and The Madrigal. He previously released a debut chapbook, Aerial Sweetshop, with Alien Buddha Press in January 2022.
Back in 2015 after losing my Mum I embarked on an MA creative writing course to help overcome the huge void. As part of the MA our group was offered the chance to visit Bucharest and see how other MA creative writing students worked. Unfortunately not long after arriving I broke my hip. I’m sharing my story in the public domain for the first time on Fred’s Blog. Pop over HERE if you’d like to read it.
I’m delighted to introduce poet, Sue Finch, back to Patricia’s Pen. Sue is here to chat about her new release, Welcome to the Museumof a Life. Without further ado it’s over to Sue.
Welcome to the Museum of a Life
Sue Finch
Thank you so much for inviting me to talk about how my second collection, ‘Welcome to the Museum of a Life’, came into being.
I was eager to have a second collection of poetry almost as soon as the first one was finished. I kept a list of poems that I thought people would enjoy reading, but I was not entirely sure at first what was pulling these poems together.
When my poem, Museum of a Life, was published by Out on the Page in 2021, I recorded a reading of it and realised it was one of my favourite poems. It was written as a result of attending an Arvon online writing week with Caroline Bird and Richard Scott and I can clearly remember that wonderful feeling of being in the flow of writing when I was working on it. This is the original version of that poem which was then adapted for my book when I worked with Black Eyes Publishing UK.
MUSEUM OF A LIFE
Exhibit A: the bath where she was made to wash by her first lover.
Exhibit B: the shower where she was lime-soaped by her second.
Exhibit C: an unwritten postcard from Herm where she floated in the bay laughing with her third.
Exhibit D: dinner plate of sliced tomatoes kaleidoscoped with red onion rounds, drizzled in olive oil. Photo, France.
Exhibit E: white bread roll. origin, Las Vegas.
Exhibit F: Barcelona street map displayed here in the front pocket of the rucksack she wore against her breasts to minimise the risk from pickpockets.
Exhibit G-I: the green carnation, the dropped pound coin and the fucking hostile badge from the blind date with the woman who went on to become her wife.
Exhibit J: the stars she couldn’t believe she saw when she tipped the bucket chair back so much she fell and hit her head.
Exhibit K: the missed beat from the intro to the first dance at her wedding.
Exhibit L: 60-watt lightbulb previously inserted into her mouth while she pretended to be a lamp on a car journey back from Whitstable.
Exhibit M: the orgasm she had while watching Wendy James from the edge of the stage, Hammersmith Odeon, 1989.
Exhibit N: yellow sailing trousers and blue t-shirt from the Saturday night disco at Manchester Pride (year unrecorded).
Exhibit O: the kitchen counter she leant on to tell her Mum she was gay.
Exhibit P: her mum, who already knew, who had done for years and wondered why she hadn’t said it herself sooner.
Exhibit Q: snakebite and black from the bottom of her boots the night she danced with Chris’s girlfriend.
Exhibit R: two Dolly Parton backstage passes and associated Meet and Greet photos.
Exhibit S: a jar of Smurfs.
Exhibit T: Ronnie (cuddly toy and photogenic alter ego) purchased Chester Zoo, 2002.
Exhibit U-V: black velvet smoking jacket and size 10 jeans.
Exhibit W-Z: this space is reserved for future exhibits.
When I was little my brother would let me in to his museum for a small pocket money fee. I liked looking at the shells and fossils and interesting finds he had gathered together there in his attic bedroom. He knew stuff about the exhibits. I liked the way they were laid out and the textures and shapes. I also liked spending time in his company and finding out what was new. Amongst the sharks’ teeth I think there was also a large dinosaur tooth of some kind. I remember the shine of the fool’s gold and of the mercury which we rolled across the lino to one another.
I really like some housework jobs, but I dislike dusting. This means that I choose to put the peculiar things that I collect in jars on my shelves so they are easier to dust. One night in lockdown I had a vivid dream where a large jar was being delivered to the garden so that my wife could exhibit me in it. I wrote the poem ‘Jars’ based on this dream.
So there has definitely always been a part of me that is interested in exhibits. (Mind you I am also very interested in the tea room and the gift shop when I go out and about visiting exhibitions.) The idea of having my own museum of artefacts entertained me and I found I could picture the whole museum. Fortunately when I sent this manuscript to my editor and publisher they liked the idea and we were able to work on it together.
It was good fun to arrange the poems into five galleries and to picture a gift shop at the end where visitors could purchase blue apples, inflatable ladders and wind-up plastic pelicans as souvenirs. Having a clear idea for the overall structure of the book, allowed me to put aside poems that didn’t fit with the theme and focus on a specific order for the work. The gallery of dreams brings together some of my favourite poems that emerged during the nights of lockdown and I like the way they are showcased together. During this time I really enjoyed my writing and I would wake up and go straight to my desk to write something down because I didn’t want the vivid images that had been in my mind to evaporate.
Damien B Donnelly calls this collection Daliesque and says I do peculiar well. I’ll take that.
About Sue Finch
Sue Finch’s first poetry collection, ‘Magnifying Glass’, was published in 2020 with Black Eye Publishing UK, and her second full collection, ‘Welcome to the Museum of a Life’, is due to be published in Spring 2024. Her poems have also appeared in a number of online magazines. She loves the coast, peculiar things and the scent of ice-cream freezers. ‘Vortex Over Wave’ was published in 2023 and features a selection of her #ElasticBandPhotos and poems for the full moon.
Please join me in congratulating Sue Finch on the launch of Welcome to the Museumof a Life published by Black Eyes Publishing UK.
On entering this Museum of a Life, feel free to wander at will. However, don’t miss a single gallery, as every exhibit invokes a small part of the life of Sue Finch. By the time you leave the museum for the Gift Shop to buy a blue apple for a loved one, you will know her well.
Please join me in congratulating poet, Alison Lock, on the launch of her new poetry collection Thrift published by Palewell Press.
Melting Iceberg is included in Thrift
Alison Lock’s new collection, Thrift, grows out of a ‘communing in slow grief’ for the Earth and its vanishing creatures – an experience as painful as any personal bereavement. The collection’s poems are grouped into three sections: Rue, Thrift and Sage – herbal names that lead readers on a spiritual journey from despair through learning to be more frugal and sustainable to a new wisdom and potentially more hopeful future.
Travelling with Old Man’s Beard is included in Thrift
Patricia M Osborne 