Debut Pamphlet & Aldeburgh Poetry Festival

I'm excited that my debut pamphlet will be published by Maytree Press in the Autumn of 2020. I have a title but am hanging onto it for now! My brain has gone into overdrive with plans for poems, readings etc, but there is a long time to go!

I had a wonderful time at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. I went with my niece, another Olivia, who is now writing poetry. We became known as Olivia&Olivia, which I think would be a great name for a fashion label! For the last few years I've been going on my own, and this was much better. We had a great time.

Maria Isakova Bennett led a workshop on sewing and poetry. She makes the most beautiful hand sewn covers for her Coast to Coast to Coast poetry pamphlets which inspired me to have a go. I won't post the photo of my effort here, well not yet. I also read a poem in the Peter Pears Gallery for the launch of Maria's Aldeburgh edition, where I had a poem about the otters I had seen in the summer on the Isle of Skye. I was recorded reciting it on the beach, which was a new experience. I haven't heard it yet, but I know a dog barked in the middle of it.

I will write more about Aldeburgh next week, as today our Stanza group are giving a reading in São Pedro do Estoril and I need to get prepared. More of that later next week as well.

I bought a huge amount of books & pamphlets at the festival and will have a wonderful time reading them. There were so many wonderful readings that it was hard to resist the temptation. I think I need some new shelves ...

One Year Has Flown

What can I say? A year has passed since my last posting (hangs head in shame) - I've written lots of poems, published a few and have some good news in the offing... 

My Stanza group are busy writing poems for our poetry reading in Estoril in November. It seems to take a lot of organisation. Publicity, printing, organising a venue etc. It's good fun and everyone gets stuck in to help.

I'll be at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival again this year and have a poem in Maria Isakova Bennett's special Aldeburgh anthology of 'Coast to Coast to Coast', so I'll be reading in the Peter Pears Gallery. I'm also going to Maria's workshop that morning 'Poetry and Textiles'. I'm looking forward to it. I used to do a lot of sewing so the idea of sewing my poems really appeals to me, and Maria's work is beautiful.

I've read a lot of books ... oh yes a LOT! I have many favourites: Girl by Rebecca Goss, So Many Rooms by Laura Scott, Reckless Paper Birds by John McCullough, Rock, Paper, Scissors by Richard Osmond, and the amazing Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky. Living between two countries, my books go backwards and forwards and end up all over the place, so it's hard to keep track of them.

A short catch up after a year but I'll 'do better next time'

Happy Writing!