national poetry day, acceptances, and other stuff

I'm reading on National Poetry Day for the very first time... hurray! I'll be in Blackpool, my favourite British Seaside town, hoping the lights have been switched on so I can get on a tram with a bag of chips and soak in all the lovely poetry around me.

It's part of Wordpool, an annual literature festival organised by Blackpool library. I'm reading at a wonderful Word Soup-on-tour event in Blackpool Central Library between 3.30 and 5pm on Thursday the 8th October.

It's FREE. There's an open mic. And four poets...

The lovely Ann Wilson... it's always a joy to hear her read.

Me, me, me.

Norman Hadley, who I don't know, but he describes himself as a poet, author and mathematician, which I find quite intruiging...and I like his website and have just discovered that he has a book called On Pendle Hill, which has photographs of the hill I love more than any other hill because it is oh so familiar and reminds me of home.

Ron Scowcroft who I don't know either, but seems from his website like a good Lancashire poet.

How very exciting to have so many good lovely northern accents reading poetry to you on National Poetry Day in Blackpool. I can't wait! Come along, come along, say hi, then ride the tram with me (the one with lights on it that looks like a boat).

My other news is that I had a lovely email from Max Dunbar this week who is northern editor for Succour Magazine... I sent some prose poems to him a while ago for 'The Banal' issue and have had them accepted. Yippee. It's a lovely magazine, I was lucky enough to have a story in the 'Icons' issue. And now, have got through their two step submission process again to receive a big fat YES... (to balance out all the big fat NOs I seem to have had recently).

Other stuff... in summary. Spain is off. Literary Festivals are on. I am writing prose poems at a slow drip drip pace at the moment. I was a domestic goddess last weekend and learnt how to make the most gorgeous blackberry scones, hot from the oven dripping with butter. I am learning to use a sewing machine (badly), so if anyone wants to me take up their trousers, send them over. And my new job is going very very well, which means so much to me.. (after all that stress with the change, and a few panic attacks along the way, I have come out the other end feeling like I can do it, oh yes I can!)

I love October...