Endgames, Merciless Technology and Being Five

Tuesday 23rd June 2015

Really enjoyed the customary end of term publishing session where I tell my story of small press mag publishing to pamphlets and full length collections; making books for others and myself. Discussed copyright and ISBN. Showed the group the pix of the So Much for the Sunshine book process. A little bit on agents. Peformance and perzines as well. It was mainly a lecture with the group making notes. I didn’t use any notes; I can talk all day about my love of small press and DIY bookmaking activities with anecdotes on the highs and lows, the pitfalls and triumphs. Had a lovely relaxed ride back to Consett. Made myself fried eggs on toast and scrolled through Facebook. Read some articles on welfare cuts and wondered how people cope under those sanctions. I’ve been very lucky these last twelve years. Hope I can keep it going for the duration. 

10.55 pm.

Wednesday 24th June 2015

Reached the end of the New College term today but have confirmed another stint of summer workshops at Waddington Street Centre to keep me out of mischief. I wanted to either ride a bike or the longboard tonight but am too tired for either. Got about an hour lying down to avoid a full-on headache and woke up at suppertime. Still have a ton of paperwork to get through. I’m going to make some mini-Sunshine chapbooks soon and maybe a new little A7 16-page zine done on a typewriter. Final workshop of the week tomorrow and looking forward to JibbaJabba. Hammered. Be good to get some time to myself. 10.35 pm.

Thursday 25th June 2015

Wrote a thing about Kurt Cobain in Mind session this morning. I think it has possibilites. We did a Carol Ann Duffy exercise – some enjoyed it, some not so much. Went out on the longboard this afternoon. Only a couple of runs through Consett and Blackhill Park before the rain started. Stayed under the bandstand doing kick-turns for ten minutes hoping it would stop: then thought; sod it, I’ll ride on damp ground anyway… Fell asleep on the bus to Newcastle this evening then had an eat4less bacon and cheese melt Panini and a walk over to the Cumberland Arms. Joe Solo was brilliant at JibbaJabba. He sold a few cds. First open mic was pretty strong. Enjoyed Olya Bowers story and poem. Daniel Smith’s north east swansong about all the places he’s lived was cracking too. Asa Maddison blew the roof off as far as I’m concerned. A class set. Well put together; great mix of quiet and loud, with reworkings of Fucked Fish, Sshsshh and some new poems. Polished, highly professional. Comedian Catherine Scott on fire at start of second half. Open mic wasn’t as strong as in first half. Headliner Jack Dean cut short his set to catch a train. I succumbed to the temptation of chips and gravy before catching the last 45 from Central Station. I’m on it now. Probably stop off at Tesco then walk home. 11.34 pm.

Friday 26th June 2015

Good to get a lie in this morning. Spent much of the day working on poems for publication in Dark Matter. I want to use prose poems because six weeks after this double-header chapbook with Catherine Ayres I’ll have a book of poems out with Red Squirrel Press. It was good to get the chapbook version of Sunshine tweaked and the printing worked out. Haven’t read much today. Some certificates arrived for evening class students, but the session was Tuesday. Watched a Kurt Cobain documentary. Been meaning to phone Mam and Ernie but it’s too late this evening so I’ll ring tomorrow. Thanks to Aaron of Owl Writers for reposting my write-up of Monday’s gig on the group’s Facebook page. I want to get Jane Burn’s pamphlet folded and stapled in the next few days. Been eating salmon and scrambled eggs again. Ham and tomato sandwiches. Want to read the rest of ‘First Tour Problems’ before the weekend is done as well. Okay. Done here. 10.36 pm.

Saturday 27th June 2015

Full on Talking Pen day. Made up some mini copies of So Much for the Sunshine, legal deposit copies of Milking A Joe Brainard Riff monograph plus five for stock. Then folded one hundred sets of pages for Fat Around the Middle by JaneBurn. Just the covers and endpapers to fold in the morning then stapling. Then I can get them over to Griffin Print for trimming and Jane can set a date for the launch. Hands aching a bit now. But good work. 11.47 pm.

Sunday 28th June 2015

Only recently started using an android tablet outside and it’s bumpy ride on the bus. Can’t be doing with hitting the wrong links and things popping up or closing down. Today has been a hassle. Thought I was on the home straight with Jane’s pamphlet but the covers haven’t all printed exactly as they should. Margins are out on over 40% of them so I’ll have to print more on Wednesday. Spoke to Jane on the phone about it this afternoon. Put some process pix up on Facebook. I think it will do well when it’s eventually launched… Off to Jen’s this evening. We are going out somewhere tomorrow. 7.55 pm.

Monday 29th June 2015

Great day with Jenni. We started out posting anniversary messages on Facebook. Been together five years now. Looked at t-shirts in the Skate Shack. Had a walk into Newcastle and a baguette. I bought a copy of the final printed THRILL longboard magazine at Native Skates while Jenni mysteriously went to meet a friend for a couple of minutes. She came back to the shop briefly then went away again. Returning a second time, Jenni gifted me a two-foot tall goth-grue-steve made out of balloons. Had pix taken outside the shop. We had fun in South Shields being five – a look round the museum: Jopling gibbet, live snakes and tarantulas, nostalgia slot machines, paintings on the stairwell gallery. Then a walk to Coleman’s for fish and chips which we ate in the park; played air hockey, tuppenny drops and pool at the amusement arcade. Jenni beat me at everything. Walked by the beach. Pretty done-in by the time the metro got back to Gateshead. Watched tv while Jenni uploaded pix of our travels. Got me and little inflatable me home safely on the 10.24 pm bus. Great day. 11.57 pm.