Dedicated publisher of fiction, poetry and memoir
I'm honoured to have my work included in this beautiful publication from Dixie State University. 'Route 7 Review' is an annual literary journal including short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, visual art and current affairs. My non-fiction entry is included in the 'Current Events' section which contains writers' and artists' responses to the Covid crisis. I turned... Continue Reading →
Christmas 1990. The year I lost my mother.I was to spend it with my AuntieTo offer respite to my grieving fatherguarding against pain, unconsciously, I threwmyself into the wonder of ithardly being able to keep still Christmas night, sooff to Midnight Mass we wentto give poor old Saint Nick a chanceto visit.It isn't so much... Continue Reading →
Incensedby all the cruelties and confusion ofthe current year:The deaths and deprivation;sadness, isolation, fearI cultivate an inner light to sparka flame in mind;burn incenseat the high altar ofhuman kindness;sharewords with a worldin isolation, connectedas we have never been beforethis Advent-tideabandoningconsumerismhappily, I liverecapturing that spiritof thanksgiving, warmth and lightrecalled from childhood:heady, incense-scentedburning boldlyChristmas-candle-bright. Posting for Earthweal's... Continue Reading →
Reading what I have just written, I now believe that I’m a coward. ‘Let them shoot me,’ I thought as they marched me in, ‘I will not talk.’ But as soon as they showed me the knives, I crumbled. All my bravery evaporated like the breath of winter. One piece of paper, five names: the... Continue Reading →
Don has a touch of the Lockdown Blues this week, and it's sent him a little 'Whacky,' but it's also given him the chance to dream up some poetry in the shower, as you'll find out below. Priscilla (featured above) has donned her favourite shower cap in celebration. For more of Don's work (and more... Continue Reading →
Until very recently, the term 'under pressure' had meant something gruesomely literal to me. It is common practice within Lockdownia to 'press' miscreants with heavy stones laid upon the chest until they either confess their treacherous deeds, or give up the ghost. Under my rule, of course, such barbarism would not be tolerated. But the... Continue Reading →
This week, my son's teacher sent us a recipe for Christmas honey biscuits which I thought would make a nice (if a little messy) activity over the weekend. I was not wrong. This is a fun and easy recipe to make with children, but be warned - things could get messy... Ingredients I've called the... Continue Reading →
I was surprised by how quickly winter descended upon our area as we entered the fourth week of lockdown. I've found it quite enchanting as I haven't seen a hard frost like this for years. Even in the UK before we left for Spain, 'cold and frosty mornings' were a rarity. Here, the temperature doesn't... Continue Reading →
I'm not a synesthetebut when I listenI can hear the coloursthey are all the colours of the heartand maybe morelighting up the parts of me I didn't know existedas I watch the fingers danceI see the colours: red for firepurple-pink for softer tonesindigo for sadnessgold for the pianist's virtuoso touchand most of all what speaks... Continue Reading →
When it comes to Free Verse, it's a lot easier to say what it isn't than what it is. First and foremost, it is not a poetic form, as by definition it is not governed by formal rules of poetry. It is rather a style in which the poet is free to express her or... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 