Luxuries, Launches and Laziness

Tuesday 28th May 2013

Luxury to have the day at home. Spent the morning cleaning up master copy of “…Sunshine”. Afternoon pretty much taken up reading through last year’s journal for a suitable epigraph. Sent a bunch of stuff off to Jenni. The general feel of 2012 was full-on gigs, moods, opinions. This year just a concise log of movements.

On the 45 going to launch of Letters of an Unknown Dog by Ann Porro. Started to read Paper Promises – Money, Debt and the New World Order by Phillip Coggan.

Later: WH Smith’s closed at six so I didn’t get photomount adhesive. Ann’s launch was good. Filmed a bit but batteries ran out. Good chat at the Centurian. Then takeaway supper. 10.40pm.

Wednesday 29th May 2013

Rescanned ISBN and quality control on dust jacket, packed a case with reams of A4 parchment and all my master copies. At long last book will be printed tomorrow. Then the mammoth task of stitching and binding. Right now I’m listening to my ink-jet printer rumbling through the floorboards down into the living room. So slow at photocopying yet rattles out regular word documents quick as a flash.

Good to hear that Jenni made it back to Victoria coach station okay after the Saboteur Awards this evening . JibbaJabba was voted runner up best spoken word night after Bang Said the Gun. Jenni is well chuffed to come second to such a long running London event. Now everyone in the room knows who runs Jibba. Really pleased for her. Sure she’ll get more people coming up to Newcastle to perform at the Cumberland now. I’m off to bed. Workshop in the morning then over to the print shop to get So Much for the Sunshine printed. At long last, it looks like the new book is going to make it. Cheers! 10.59pm.

Thursday 30th May 2013

Bit difficult getting back into the swing of workshopping this morning. We had a good fiction session, but I prefer anecdotes, slices of life and memoir. Went down to Craghead to get book printed. Got covers done and about a third of the pages but machine started to leave marks on stock. Have to go back tomorrow to finish the job after a technician has been to service the machine. Feeling really hammered this evening.  Fighting off migraine. Took tablets and luckily haven’t been sick.  TalkTalk still haven’t got email problem sorted. Watched Lewis tonight. Very longwinded but good distraction. Early night. 10.10pm.

Friday 31st May 2013

Long day. Woke up at five again. Body clock haywire. Makes for late afternoon fatigue. On the plus side my email is working properly. And I got the “…Sunshine” book printed.

V8 Bus: an elderly couple get on with their grandson. The boy’s blue t-shirt has BELIEVE THE HYPE in big orange letters. Granddad is the spitting image of Samuel Beckett without glasses.

Listened to Sinead and collated book pages tonight. Will take about two weeks to assemble. 10.25pm.

Saturday 1st June 2013

On Facebook this morning Jaene asked if I’ve seen Sinead O’Connor before. My sixth time tonight. Saw her three times in one week in April 1990 at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall and Manchester Apollo and again in June of that year at Edinburgh Playhouse and the last time she played Gateshead about five or six years ago. She's mint live. Only time not down the front was Nottingham. Could have had front row again tonight but Sage stage is quite high so I chose a small block at the left side, level with stage. Able to see her bare feet! A full band this tour and belting out some of the high energy stuff. Really pleased to hear Jackie, Fire on Babylon, Last Day of Our Acquaintance, Daddy I’m Fine. The best I’ve seen her. Pleased to have some food back at Jenni’s afterwards. 11.08pm.

Sunday 2nd June 2013

Bigly lie in. Lazy day at Jenni’s. Chicken curry for lunch then Tom Brown’s School Days followed by an episode of Lewis. Had headaches on and off for the last few days, felt really lethargic. Read “Rising” magazine on bus back to Consett.  Checked out Sinead online. Lydia Lunch turned fifty-four today. I haven’t done much workwise. 11.06pm.

Monday 3rd June 2013

Not getting very far today. Not back in the swing of workshop prep. Put together a bunch of prompts and blank booklets for tomorrow’s Writing for All session. Done some typesetting. Checked out workshop notes and washed some clothes. Sent details for a booking I’ve got in Peterlee. But I’m nowhere near free and ready to make copies of my own book.

Tonight’s Moth publishing event at Waterstones in Newcastle was good. Great to hear Alfie Crow reading from his debut novel RANT. Hilarious crime fiction. Looking forward to reading the book in due course. Then it over to The Old George pub for the Red Squirrel Press launch of No Mud No Lotus poetry pamphlet by Maggie Whyte. The first part of the event was an open mic. Sheila asked me and Jenni to take part. Sat frantically scribbling down some poems I should be able to perform from memory and then ended up doing Wired and Slow Jazz. Good of Sheila to give people the opportunity to read. A nice addition to the usual launch format. Had some good conversations about performance poetry and slamming during the break, ate lots of crisps and cheese. Maggie read the second half mainly taking requests from friends in the room. Her pamphlet a prize publication from winning the 2011 James Kirkup Memorial Poetry Competition. Had to dash off at the end to catch the bus. Marie Lightman having to keep up with my big stride as we only had a few minutes to reach Central Station. Made it okay. Home by half eleven. Really hot tonight. Still a bit hungry. Want this online before midnight. 11.45pm.