Dedicated publisher of fiction, poetry and memoir
Mirror, mirror on the wallTell me what you see:Someone who once knew it allOnce looked a lot like me. At least she thought she knew it all;She passed all the examsBut when she had to choose a life It all went up in flames. It's not easy to live alone;Nor easy to make friends: It’s harder still... Continue Reading →
I’ll wear my swishing, stunning skirt todaybecause todayI’m going to the land of ex-girlfriends: they wear their skin tan;their hair pinned to perfection;their nails manicured impeccably; I’m morelike a manmy appearance doesn’t own meI trythen I loose interest; miss a beatand they’ll be outthose ex-girlfriends from every corner of the street they'll comewanting my husband’s salaryand all the things I didn’t... Continue Reading →
Yesterday on the bus my kids sang:‘All day long I’d biddy-biddy BUM!If I were a wealthy MAN.’On the way homeWe passed a man sleeping in a doorway:Better by far to be a rich bumThan a freezing poor Man. Written in response to dVerse: Quadrille #110: Shall we bum around a bit? For some reason, my kids... Continue Reading →
It’s easy to climb:Just don’t look down.It’s easy to leave:Just don’t everCast a glanceOver your shoulder.But easiest of all isTo stay:As easy as sliding down a greased poleInto not-so-quiet desperation. It’s easy to stay but it’s alsoThe hardest of all:Tortured hoursAnd the slow death of the soul. I am posting this, a little late, for dVerse... Continue Reading →
I met you in the food courtOf the shopping-mall, thatCathedral of commercialism, thereWere chintzy flowers on the restaurant wallWhere I saidI would helpYou find a woman, butWhere were the women? Visit FVR for the full text, where this month's theme is 'nightmares and dreams.' This stream-of-consciousness poem is inspired by a dream I had once... Continue Reading →
We had a great response to this fortnight's challenge: The Ode. There were some truly heartfelt and moving responses. I think being prompted to write a poem about something which moves you deeply is the perfect way to get the creative juices flowing. All of my poems (apart from the silly ones) are about something... Continue Reading →
The Ode as a poetic form dates back to Ancient Greece, where it was devised as a song to be performed by a choir, and accompanied by dance. Wikipedia describes it as: 'an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally.' I also found the following definition in... Continue Reading →
Today, I am honoured to announce the publication of two of my poems, 'Shattered' and 'The Last Best Pisstake' in the anthology BeautiFUl Ways to Say... This anthology was compiled and edited by Katie Elizabeth, and is available from Amazon. All proceeds will go towards helping victims of domestic violence. I am very proud to... Continue Reading →
I am happy to say I've had some interesting responses to, and interpretations of, this week's challenge. I loved the way that poets came up with new ideas of translation, from translating well-known poems into a local dialect of English, to sign-language recordings of poems and songs synced to poetry readings and song lyrics. Thank... Continue Reading →
Welcome, poets and poetry lovers alike: today I'm excited to announce a new EIF Poetry Challenge! After the success of the previous challenge: The Sonnet, I'm really looking forward to this. I did say I probably wouldn't be making the challenge any easier, and this is perhaps harder than the last one, (it certainly was... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 