Please, Sir, can I have some more?

Tuesday 30th April 2013

Work up feeling great but became a bit groggy after breakfast. Had an extra bowl of porridge and felt okay. Session at Waddy went well. Lots of debate about critical analysis of creative works. A good laugh at three pages of notes on Carol Ann Duffy’s “Warming Her Pearls”. Did a Dilation of Moment in Time exercise. Read some of the new Poetry Review on the bus home. Good article by Linda France on the 20th anniversary of “Sixty Women Poets”. I used to find PR quite stuffy and alienating but have enjoyed going through the last couple of issues. Got a notification from 2-13-61 this evening: new Rollins book (signed) despatched. Yes! Listened to The Charnel House goth radio show earlier. Had a bit of a headache but am okay now. Pleased to get something posted for final NaPoWriMo of the year. Grateful for interest on Facebook. Facilitating a workshop in the morning, participating in one on afternoon. 10.05pm.

Wednesday 1st May 2013

Had a bit of a migraine in bed last night, so very pleased to be clear of that when I woke this morning. Couldn’t remember any of the prep I did on the bus to Waddy – but no matter, the session went okay. Been coming home more tired than usual this week. It was good to get a lie down after tea and listen to Under the Pink by Tori Amos. How time flies. I remember buying that album back in January 1994 in Hexham whilst working for Hadrian International Giftware Distribution. Me and another stock-lad, John, were in Robbs dept store clearing out some display cases. I bet if I were to look back in my journal from that time I’ve made mention of the album. Love the track ‘Baker, Baker’. And ‘Past the Mission’ with Trent Reznor (NIN) on backing vocals… Have just finished packing my work case for a taster session at Consett MIND tomorrow. Be interesting to see how creative writing workshops go down in my home town. Oh, yes. 9.45pm.

Thursday 2nd May 2013

Why is it when you get up an hour early in the morning you seem to be more likely to find yourself running around at the last minute like a blue-arsed fly – brushing teeth after a snack or making sure you’ve got your wallet, turned the grill off – why is that? Actually, I don’t know if the grill is off. A fire engine might have turned up at my house hours ago. Touch wood, the place will be exactly as I left it at thirteen minutes past nine this morning. Should’ve gone back. The bus was late. Nervous ride to Consett: how would the workshop go?

Actually, it went pretty well. Only six of us but it was in a good room with a large table to seat twelve. The participants were lively and engaged. All with initial concerns about the course – spelling, quality of work, school – but by the second hour laughing and having a really good time. Hopefully more people next week.

Bus to Durham was really hot. Been working with a student one to one this afternoon. Poetry surgery really does illustrate how fastidious you need to be when putting together a pamphlet. We did a couple of hours and got three poems out of seventeen pretty much tweaked. Attention to rhythm, alliteration and punctuation.

It’s quarter to six. In about an hour people will be arriving for Poetry Jam. If Facebook is anything to go by we should have twenty coming and ten maybes and that’s awesome. Hope I can put in a good turn as host. Feel okay at present but it’s been a hell of a long week. 5.47pm.

Okay, I’m back home after Poetry Jam, which was a really great night. All the guests were mint, Ann Porro sold some books, the jammers were great. I filmed quite a bit. But right now I’m tired and just want to get my head down and don’t even want to write this page. Can I just fucking put the pen down? Can I stop now? Please. 10.55pm.

Friday 3rd May 2013

Last night was the best turn out we’ve had for a regular Poetry Jam. Spent a bit of time after lunch cutting stills from the video clips. Got some good shots that capture the numbers. I’m kind of just taking the day off really. It’s been a pretty heavy week. Listened to Sinead O’Connor online this evening and read two thirds of Letter From an Unknown Dog by Ann Porro. Enjoying it but my concentration is poor. Will read it a few times in the coming weeks. Okay, nearly suppertime for me. A bit of a lost day. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll pick up. 10.15pm.

Saturday 4th May 2013

Someone mowing a lawn at lunchtime. Making me feel guilty for hating gardening. But I have too much book work to do to be really bothered. Nice to hear ‘With Teeth’ by Nine in Nails again. I put it in a favourite twenty albums list last night and posted in Facebook notes. I like loads of albums so there can never be a top twenty. Music sticks with me for a few months then I move onto a new sound. But I always end up going back to stuff. Such as Adam and the Ants. And Twisted Sister! Hanoi Rocks, Queen… Goth? What about it?

Internet has been a pain this afternoon. Email and Facebook kept cutting out yet strangely Spotify continued to belt out Sinead O’Connor. During the communication breakdown I managed to tidy up my room a little. So many papers, first drafts, notes, print-outs littering the place. I binned them all. I have notebooks and computer files; I can do without the mess.

A sunny Saturday evening. Caramel fudge ice cream with raisins, dried apricot and lemon curd. Delicious. 7.26pm.