Bastard Hands

Monday 3rd April 2016

Didn’t get up till eleven. Lazy day at Jen’s place. Watched Auf Wiedersehen Pet and Yes, Prime Minister, Pointless and the BBC News then The One Show. Had a look at my book PDF on the way home. Be good to get the final PDF from the typesetter in due course. Two vehicles in the Dam Inn car park were ablaze when the bus passed by on the way into Moorside tonight. Looked like an insurance job to me. Or a threat of worse to come. Ate lots of kettle chips, listened to Alison Moyet and signed up to Palm-Size Prompts. Not doing NaPoWriMo this year. Haven’t liked a single prompt so far and don’t have the headspace for it anyway. Got enough existing material to edit and submit for publication as it is. Twenty years of journal plus two book-length manuscripts. 

11.37 pm.

Tuesday 4th April 2017

Pulling stuff together for tomorrow’s workshops. Think I’ll take my latest marathon book and rework some of the stuff from last Thursday’s session. I read some Ian McMillan poems from his earliest period in a 1987 'Selected' from Carcanet. Also read a few pages of YOU CAN’T RUN FROM GOD by Henry Rollins. Posted some Poetry Jam stuff. Watched some longboarding and biketrial stuff – Chris Akrigg and Lance Trappe. Made up a load of handwritten This Is Just To Say poems coz the ones on cardboard that I’ve been using for the last nine years seem to have gone walkabout. House in need of a tidy up. Going to a Red Squirrel launch tomorrow. 10.40 pm.

Wednesday 5th April 2017

Great little workshop at St Cuthbert’s Hospice this morning. Memoir exercise, apology poems and Triolet. Good to spend time over lunch at Waddy. Then off to Cambian for a one-hour session with new writers. Then into Newcastle. Checked out Writing magazine, Kerrang! and NME 1995. Then onto eat4less to get a Cajun chicken and bacon baguette with fries and bottle of apple juice. In Eldon Square bus station I got into a conversation with an ex-hotel worker fallen on hard times. He was into Lou Reed and Pink Floyd. Talked about fifteen minutes. Great Red Squirrel Press launch from Chris Raetschus, Keith Parker and Tom Kelly at the Lit and Phil. Tescos for doughnuts then home. 11.10 pm.

Thursday 6th April 2017

One of the special days when we get reminded why we do all this stuff in the first place. Was ace being able to have Rose Condo pay us a visit all the way from Huddersfield to do her show at Poetry Jam this evening. And thanks to our special guests Emma Whitehall and Aaron Wright for such well executed sets. Loved the props Aaron used. And Emma is a master of flash fiction in performance. Rose’s show worked absolutely brilliantly in Waddington Street Centre. Mint feedback from people. Good to have some of my evening class students there as well. As I said in my Facebook post, a great way to be introduced to the diversity of spoken word, our special event tonight. Rose was outstanding. Delivery spot on, her interaction with the audience, preparing food, the goody bags. And some ace open floor pieces as well. Just a cracking night. Thanks to Jenni for suggesting the venue and to Fergus from Waddy for the lift home. 11.42 pm.

Friday 7th April 2017

Good day at home. Got copies of Rose Condo’s booklet sent out to people who wanted to buy it at the gig last night after a sell-out. Uploaded pix to Facebook. Wanted to get down to college this afternoon to hand in all my paperwork but not enough time. ‘Educating Rita’ at the Gala Theatre tonight. Brilliant to see Jess Johnson onstage. Me and Jenni got a lift back to Gateshead with Amina and friend. Now in Tesco. Jenni is prowling the aisles for bargains. I’m on a bench to beat the midnight journal deadline. 11.14 pm.

Saturday 8th April 2017

At Jen’s till lunchtime then out to Newcastle to do some copy-ups of workshop material. Always thought libraries were meant to be quiet places. Kids running around the place screeching on and no-one batting an eyelid. Got some pizza on the way back. Saw some mint skateboarders by the park in Gateshead, ollying onto concrete platforms and gapping from one to another. Me and Jenni watched episodes of Taggart. Ate strawberries and peanuts and pies. Watched Depeche Mode, The Creatures and Elvis Costello on an old episode of TOTP. My book is being re-typeset in Glasgow this weekend. Final proofing next week. 11.13 pm.

Sunday 9th April 2016

Nice long lie in this morning. Checked out some flash fiction online, had a good laugh watching ‘Frasier’ with Jenni, had a veggie curry and rice, watched a couple of episodes of the Big Bang theory. Then out for a walk around Gateshead Saltwell Park. Watched the first episode of Cracker when we got back. Now on half ten bus back to Consett. Goes through Chopwell. Home by midnight. 10.54 pm.

Monday 10th April 2017

Good to get the grass cut this morning. But it fucked my hands up for the rest of the day. Been trying to get the kitchen tidy. Nearly dropped the kettle. House basically turns into a pigsty during term time. Out of sight out of mind, so in order for me to remember what I need on any given day, I have it all laid out in plain sight, all over the fucking place. Usually get it sorted in the holidays but not this time. Not the greatest day. 11.23 pm.

Tuesday 11th April 2017

Phone conversation with Sheila. Decided to put the book back a while. Found some mint vignettes from 2008 for another project: fictional dialogues, domestic discord, suburban sprawl and hermetic anxiety. Nine years is plenty of time to get an objective view of the work. Would like to start the follow-up to So Much for the Sunshine this year. Keyed in some student stuff this evening. All the end of term paperwork is packed up ready to drop off at the college tomorrow. Chris Francz perzines arrived from Pennsylvania this morning. Only ordered them on Friday. I’m putting on too much weight, must watch my chocolate intake. 10.46 pm.

Wednesday 12th April 2017

Good day, except for my thumbs fucking up. Tried writing with left hand but not great so I just chugged on with bad scrawl. Great 3D character session this morning at St Cuthbert’s Hospice. More character stuff at Cambian Appletree this afternoon. End of term papers with Tracie went smoothly. Didn’t see Jen as she has cold and thought it best if I didn’t visit. Watched Queen live at Earls Court 1977 on YouTube. Hope RSI clears up soon or there’ll be no more little handwritten volumes from me. Taking it easy for the next few days. Had this shit before. 9.40 pm.

Thursday 13th April 2017

Had to get the bus home from Tesco with my little carrier bag of groceries coz the handles were aggravating my hands and wrists. Got some unheard material sorted and selected for my set at the Stanza next week. It might be a bit heavy in large doses so I’ll mix in some stuff from Laughter to Split Glass. Been looking at my 2016 stuff today as well. Could do with a year or three to edit all that stuff. 10.39 pm.

Friday 14th April 2017

Wrists and thumbs still aching four days after the lawnmower episode. But I'm sure they'll go back to normal in good time. Update from Sheila at Red Squirrel Press this morning: 'Laughter to Split Glass' will be out early October. Which gives me plenty of time to reacquaint myself with all the poems for promotional purposes... Today I've been working on edits of stuff recently unearthed from 2008 and will soon be sharing some onstage. I'm including three pieces in my set at Five Go To The Stanza next Thursday. Barrie West recently referred to me as the HGV poet. And sure, I am a vehicle for some heavy goods a lot of the time. So expect some 'good quality darkness'* at Beldons in North Shields next week. Really looking forward to doing my fifteen minute set, which I've just finished sequencing and rehearsing at eleven o'clock tonight. It's been a full-on productive day. A really good Friday. 11.10pm.

* Renata and Trev

Saturday 15th April 2017

Copied up notes first thing this morning then read ‘Intellectual Punch Bag’ by Simon Green cover to cover. Powerful poems from someone who has experienced life at its most intense. Shaved, had scrambled eggs on toast, got money sorted at the bank then bus into Gateshead. Tried to read a perzine on the way but fell asleep. Me and Jenni went to Tesco for supplies then watched The Book Thief on TV. 10.00 pm.

Sunday 16th April 2017

Lazy day. Read some perzine and pamphlet making articles online. Columbo, Oliver, Cracker. Lush Sunday dinner made by Jenni with all the veg and gravy and steak pie. Strawberry trifle. Checked out some wrist splints online in case RSI bullshit persists. 11.03 pm.