I’m often asked about the Purpose of Poetry. Usually, I’m armed with a scattering of stock answers, duty bound to extoll its virtues. I have a vested interest, of course; an irrational desire to account for my professional choices. But in times like these, its a question I’m taking more seriously. A pandemic. A war. A volatile government. Bills that …
Beyond Submissions by Naush Sabah
I found myself in conversation with another editor recently and realised that despite being a published poet herself, she didn’t send work out to magazines. I asked why. ‘Well, apart from the one I edit, none of them are any good.’ We both laughed at this and I managed to not indignantly exclaim Hold on, what about PBLJ?! It was …
A dream cut out of the air by Joelle Taylor
There is no way to succeed in poetry. There is no way to fail. There is only poetry. Everything else is noise off-stage. The prize is the piece of writing you just found hidden in the air. The prize is indistinct. The prize is each other. The prize is the conversation, is being included, is having your thoughts carefully weighed. …
How to find your community when you don’t know anyone by Christy Ku
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Yet another guest speaker at our school gives this ‘advice’ to our teenage ears. They hurriedly mention their first job/internship came from their aunt/neighbour/family friend but hey, if they could do it we could too. “Make sure you really work your contacts! Knock on doors! The worst thing they can do …
Poets and Prizes – Thoughts of an Unprofessional Poet by Anja Konig
Anja Konig grew up in the German language and now writes in English. Her first pamphlet “Advice for an Only Child” was shortlisted for the 2015 Michael Marks Award and her first full collection “Animal Experiments” from Bad Betty Press was nominated for the 2021 Laurel Prize. She once won first and second place at the Stroud Poetry Competition, which …
Roots and Routes by Kat François
We continue our series of essays On Being A Woman Poet with performance artist Kat François’ reflections on her journey towards a life in poetry, the inspirational people and essential spoken word communities that showed her the way… I went to an all-girls inner-city secondary school and many of my teachers tried to steer us towards service careers, such as …
A Room, A Wall, A View by Shash Trevett
To begin our series of essays On Being A Woman Poet, we asked poet, translator and editor Shash Trevett to reflect on her experiences…
Creativity and Confidence by Shamshad Khan
Reflections on Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way by poet and resilience coach Shamshad khan
The Alchemy of Language by Penelope Shuttle
Penelope Shuttle’s thirteenth poetry collection Lyonnesse was published by Bloodaxe in June 2021, fifty-three years after her first. We asked her to share some thoughts about what keeps a creative career alive throughout a lifetime.