First, thanks to Anne for last week’s blog. As she says, blogging has become virtually a pre-requisite if you want to promote yourself and bring the world to your website. But don’t just look upon it as a tool – take her other advice and get the enjoyment that comes with not having to write to others’ requirements!
Having worked from my present home as a tutor for 35 years, I amassed enough paperwork to account for the demolition of a couple of forests. When I cleared it all out to prepare my study for decorating, one of the things I unearthed was my leather bound Complete Works of Shakespeare, originally my Nana’s school prize. Riffling through the pages got me wondering which of today’s poets would still be read regularly in another four hundred years. Read the rest of this entry »
Last weekend I was in Hull. I don’t really know what I expected, as in the past I’d only driven though to the ferry terminal. But what a pleasant surprise – a vibrant old town and museum quarter; ‘The Deep’ a designer aquarium that looks proudly out to sea like a ship’s prow; beautiful villages and coast only half an hour’s drive away and, of course, the iconic Humber Bridge. It may not be the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world any more, but it’s still pretty impressive!
But I should imagine that Hull was a far bleaker place to live when Philip Larkin was University Librarian there. During the war Hull suffered the worst bombing raids outside London with 95% of its houses either damaged or destroyed.
Larkin’s poems – often bleak and disconcerting, though always technically brilliant – appeal to me. And I’m obviously not alone – in 2008 The Times named him as Britain’s greatest post-war poet. Many people are only familiar with ‘This be the verse’ – or a parody of it! But one of my favourites is currently Poem of the Month on the Larkin Society website. Try it and see what you think.
And if you fancy yourself as the next Larkin (though perhaps with a slightly less dysfunction love life) why not try The Writers Bureau Art of Writing Poetry Course. If you don’t know the difference between a Sestina and a Sonnet, a Rubai and a Rondel and you think iambic pentameters are something you feed to the cat, perhaps it’s just what you need. Or, if such technicalities aren’t for you, there’s plenty of useful information on crafting free verse, presenting your poetry to an audience and polishing your work to competition standard.
At least we get a couple of extra days over the weekend. If the weather warms up there’s lots of gardening on the cards for me. But whatever you do, enjoy your Easter break!
Thanks to Simon for last month’s entertaining blog and I hope you’re all assiduously checking your toilet bowl before sitting down! I remember having a drink outside a rather seedy bar on the outskirts of Moscow. There were huge (well, rather large) rats scurrying around the back door and nobody at the other tables seemed to bat an eyelid. I spent the next few days feeling queasy and checking for buboes and other symptoms of the Black Death at regular intervals.
This week I’ve been doing the final proofread of our updated ‘Profit from Your Photography’ module that we’ll be introducing to our Journalism and Creative Writing courses over the next couple of months. It’s been written for us by Tracy Hallett, who’s not only a talented photographer but has a knack of explaining clearly and simply how to get the results you want.
Anyone seriously considering writing should obtain a copy of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. But you can now have access to a lot of the useful information contained in WAYB at their website. Obviously, they don’t give away everything for nothing! You do have to register, but it’s free and you even get a reduction on the price of the book.
The site it well worth a visit and they currently have details of their 2010 competition with a £500 prize and a much-coveted place on an Arvon Foundation residential writing course.
Talking of which, here at Writers Bureau we’re now accepting entries for our 2010 competition. There are two categories – poems and short stories. Prize money totals £4000 with a rather desirable first prize of £1000 in each section. So, why not give it a go? You’ve got till 30th June to pen and polish your winning entry!
So, what do you think of the ‘school photo’? You’ll have to excuse the boots and jeans – we don’t normally look so scruffy but we were still sliding around the icy pavements of Manchester to get to work. Still, it was good to look back and think how we’ve changed over the past 21 years and how many writers we’ve helped into print.
If you’re interested in seeing what offers and competitions we’ve got on throughout the year as part of the celebrations, visit our website and sign up. You don’t need to be a student to join in – our celebration is open to all! And incidentally, don’t forget that our January competition – write a poem in 21 words – will close on 31 January, so there’s still time to enter.
Are you a Roddy Doyle fan? (The Commitments, The Van, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha…) I can’t say I was particularly keen until I picked up Paula Spencer recently … and couldn’t put it down until I’d read it from cover to cover. It’s the sequel to The Woman Who Walked into Doors and continues the story of battered wife Paula, gamely battling her alcoholism and trying to re-build links to her four children. I know it doesn’t sound like a bundle of laughs but there is dark humour there – and an astonishing insight into the character. I was left feeling amazed that a male writer could have such an accurate insight into a woman’s mind. If you don’t mind a bit of squalor and plenty of bad language it’s certainly worth reading. Let me know what you think!
Finally, I’m having a break next week. I’m handing over to one of our tutors, Simon Whaley, so that you get a bit of variety. See you in a fortnight!
