Before It All Starts

Monday 27th August 2018

Nice lie in then long afternoon of selecting / timing poems for launch of ‘Laughter to Split Glass’. The book is ready to print. Might be a week or two before that happens. I listened to the Henry and Heidi podcast about spoken word gigs. Or Talking Shows, as Henry prefers to call them. Even though they make fun of being at each other’s throats all the time I’m sure they love each other. I messaged Jenni a couple of times. Told her about the book. Hope work picks up this autumn. Carmen Thompson posted the final scene of Withnail and I (What a piece of work is a man) on Facebook. Love that film. It’s nearly midnight. Must hurry. Or I’ll go up in smoke. 11.54 pm.

Tuesday 28th August 2018

Finally got the grass cut. Two hours! What a bastard! It looked dry, but still wet at the base. A neighbour offered the use of her power mower, but I was concerned I might break a blade or casing on rocks in my back garden, so just my little hover mower and a bad back. Been living on boxed ham for the last couple of days – cheese and ham toastie for lunch, scrambled eggs and grilled ham for tea, cheese and cold ham sandwich for supper. I went out on the bike over to Beamish Hall this afternoon. Took a while to get there as I missed a turn on the cycle path and initially ended up near Maiden Law. Once back on track not a hard ride, mainly downhill. Unfortunately that means uphill return. Into a headwind. Left knee didn’t like it. Sixty-nine minutes to get back. I’ll try again in a couple of days. An ex-warehouse colleague got in touch tonight. I messaged back, wishing him well. Good to see an Andrew O’Neill comedy show online. 11.46 pm.

Wednesday 29th August 2018

Bit of an admin day. Sent out info for upcoming evening course. Usually the Waddington Street Centre seminar room gets a good crowd each September. Hopefully again this year. Booked a couple of guests for Poetry Jam. Still waiting on a few replies. Got Henry Rollins newsletter. His book due out early September is initially only available on US tour dates. Doubt there’ll be any copies left by the end of October. Started to watch a programme on truth and lies – where three volunteers try out technology that monitors their behaviour for a week in which they aim to only tell the truth – but I fell asleep. Read John Davies’ pamphlet ‘The Nutter in the Shrubbery’ that I bought at a gig in The Bridge in Newcastle quite a few years back. I’m still aching after yesterday’s gardening and bike ride. 11.35 pm.


Thursday 30th August 2018

A man from America sent me a load of prose poem manuscripts for consideration with three single dollar bills for a reply. The package cost him nine dollars and seventy-two cents to airmail. I no longer publish a magazine. There’s no email address on his work, despite a statement that electronic copies could be supplied of anything that took my interest. He could have saved himself the extra dollars. I’ll take a look in due course but will have to disappoint. Maybe I could send him a free broadsheet or mini zine for his trouble. Henry Rollins personally emailed a reply to my query about the print run of his new book. It’s 2000 copies. They will sell out over 42 dates no sweat. I airmailed a handwritten letter to his PA, Heidi May, in hopes of reserving a copy. I got a seventh participant for my evening workshops, pretty much securing the block. Been reading the Burning Eye ‘Best Slam / Stand-Up / Performance / Spoken Word Poetry Book in the World’ anthology. Made up a 100 gsm spined morning pages blank notebook for the start of September. OK. 11.21 pm. 


Friday 31st August 2018

Pleased to find gel pens and more 100 gsm paper amongst the clutter. Saved me another spend on new stock. Great to get out in some very fine late summer weather. Took my time in the shops, checked out a couple of places for room hire – Citizen’s House has been bulldozed. Nice surprise bumping into Mark Watson outside B&Q. Never spoken to him since secondary school, but I see his biking and surfing pix regularly on Facebook. He’d just been for a ride up to Parkhead. I mentioned my new book and zombies. Slept a bit this evening. Stayed on the couch and listened to music, including a brilliant bootleg of the Rollins Band from CBGBs, New York, March 1990. Then a couple of Richard Berry tracks and other originals covered by Rollins Band. Been eating crisps and cake, and veggie burger, and dark chocolate. I can hear some sort of motorsport engine noise coming through the wall from next door. It’s nearly bedtime. 11.23 pm.


Saturday 1st September 2018

Sequenced two ‘Laughter To Split Glass’ book launch sets. One has sixteen poems, the other has fourteen. They come in around 22 minutes each set – without intros and anecdotes. I’ll do some full read-throughs over the next few days… As part of my zombie endurance training for ‘Terror in the Trees’ I did a forty-mile bike ride: Moorside to Beamish, then all the way up to Parkhead Station near Stanhope, before blasting back to base. First creak-free ride this year - having replaced Rockhopper pedals with ones from Onza trials bike, and installed seat/post from my street/trick bike... Slept on the couch a while. 10.52 pm. 


Sunday 2nd September 2018 

Last day of taking things easy. Started some type-ups, but fell asleep after dinner. Messaged Sheila about book order from Gateshead Library and got a provisional launch date but not going public just yet. Checked out a load of contemporary poetry magazines and might take out a few subscriptions. Watched some brilliant Queen videos. My left eye is very itchy. Hope it’s okay by morning. 10.54 pm.