...the way of most resolutions!

Time seems to have flown again and I've been writing a lot of sonnets and villanelles. Now I'm delving into prose poetry and reading Rimbaud. I can't believe that he was writing in the 1800's and that his work is still so contemporary. We had a 'lively' discussion about prose poetry at the latest poetry workshop; the grey area between prose and poetry. It's a discussion I enjoy. I'm now writing a prose poem about waking up inside a jelly...maybe time for a rest.

Resolution!

Another year and another set of resolutions to break. I've been trying to write in blank verse which I found hard at first but now find I'm getting addicted to the form.
We had a great poetry workshop in December based around William Carlos Williams and his Red Wheelbarrow. For January's meeting we are meant to be writing imagist poetry. It is certainly harder than it looks but I'm having fun with it.
Happy New Year everyone!

Villanelle etc

I can't believe I haven't written in my blog for so long. I had to write 6 poems in two weeks for my course and I wanted to write in forms. I tried 2 ghazals, a pantoum, a villanelle, a sestina and two sevenlings. The pantoum and the sestina gave me my worst headaches. I found the sestina fascinating to write, and although my first attempt is very pathetic, I shall be trying again. The pantoum kept me awake for hours at night as I tried to make something of it. Eventually I stripped it right down to the minimum and it seemed to work much better. I now wait for my tutor's response!

Sylvia Plath's Drawings

I flew into London yesterday afternoon and went straight to a fascinating show of Sylvia Plath's drawings at The Mayor Gallery in Cork Street. These sketches show a glimpse of another aspect of her personality. Her presence was very powerful in these snapshots of her life and I felt honoured to be there. Among the pen and ink drawings there was a beautiful cat titled Curious French Cat, views over the rooftops of Paris, bottles of wine, old stoves and the trappings of everyday life. It's on until December 17th so there is plenty of time to visit!

Nice

I have neglected my blog for the last couple of weeks and above is the reason why. I've been on a fantastic art trip. We were based in Nice and travelled to Vence, St Tropez, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villefranche, Antibes, Mougins, Vallauris, Biot and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
I wallowed in works by Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Jean Cocteau, Leger, Chagall and many others. I now need to write some poems for my MA which has just started. I do feel truly inspired by the trip and perhaps a glass of Pernod will push the boat further out.

Poetry Workshop

The first Stanza meeting in Portugal was on Thursday and we had a very lively meeting. The group, 12 of us,  were happy to read, write, discuss and generally be involved. I started them off with a writing exercise and then we all read our own poems or poems that we loved. A great discussion got going about free verse versus form...so much so that we are all going to write a sonnet for the next meeting in November. I hope that the group will flourish and not wither by the wayside! I found it very stimulating...

Cambridge

I've had a wonderful week in Cambridge and went to a creative writing workshop at Kettle's Yard. I love the house and all the magic that flows through it. I managed to finish (as much as they are ever finished!)  two poems that started at the workshop. One I've been trying to write as a sonnet which isn't within my comfort zone but I think it's time to put a toe outside. Slant rhymes can be so subtle...if only I could achieve it. I'm going to start a notebook full of slant rhymes and work at my rhymewells.