SEVEN DAYS

Monday 23rd April 2018

Easy GloPoWriMo prompt to introduce sound and direct speech into a poem. Re-edited one from yesterday as well. Only a week to go on the challenge then I'll spend time on something else. Read some articles by American author Dean Henderson about Big Oil corporations. Didn't watch any TV news; I've no interest in royalty. Elvis Costello is playing Newcastle City Hall in June. I'm not a fan, but pleased to know that a legend is playing there rather than mere tribute act. Computer is slow. Backed up recent work. Lesson plan wasn't too difficult today. Usually it’s a strain. 10.52 pm.

Tuesday 24th April 2018

It's unsettling the way I can just go from feeling pretty chipper to downright fucking aggressive in the space of a few minutes. I think it was the bus being late and it being overfull and not having space to put my bag beside me in order to get on with workshop read-through and other prep. An acquaintance got on near Durham and settled me. Session at Waddy didn't require many photocopied handouts. It went okay. Finished what we did last time with the dream poem, then some working backwards pieces. I left by half-three and slept on the way home. Hershey almond chocolate I bought was made with soya milk and smelt like horseshit. No wonder it was cheap. Tonight I prepped some dialogue exercise handouts and will test them in the morning. Watched ‘Autopsy: Kurt Cobain’ documentary and checked out new Bloodaxe poetry catalogue. Haven't bought anything of theirs for a while. 11.09 pm.

Wednesday 25th April 2018

Loved today's GloPoWriMo prompt: write warning label for yourself. Enjoyed making a j-peg using a proper yellow CAUTION label with graphics. Took nearly five hours from initial read-through of today’s sample poems and prompt to posting of my final draft. Did some prep and road-testing for evening class then pack up and down to Waddy. Another 90 minutes of prep there. Session well received: sustained narrative with lots of dialogue. Next week sees the final session of the current block of workshops and I will be doing publicity for a follow-up course aiming to start up in a few week's time. Need lots of self-promotion over the coming weeks or I'll be stacking shelves for a living. Chuffed with response to Caution poem. Cheers All. 11.43 pm.

Thursday 26th April 2018

Worked up a GloPoWriMo poem engaging the five senses and posted online by eleven, then lazed till the big chicken dinner was ready. Got the bastard grass cut this afternoon. Now at Northern Stage after watching Great Northern Slam. Jenni is pointing at me from the bar and taking the piss coz I've got a pen and notepad out when I could be chatting with people. Some very close call stage battles tonight. I'm not as hot on slams as I once was but it was very good. Joy France and Sez were in the final. Joy won, but loads of others were excellent. Enjoyed Jimmy Andrex and the girl who did one about a bee and one about driving instructors. Thanks to Jenni for getting me the ticket, to Jeff Price for organising, and all who took part. 10.27 pm.

Friday 27th April 2018

Today's GloPoWriMo was a Tarot card prompt. Not my thing at all, but I persevered, read a few things: Hermit, Hanged Man, Death, Devil. Wrote a piss-take about devil worship and heavy metal. Edited in Gateshead Library and posted from there. Spoke to Mark Speeding about room hire for a writing marathon. Stayed at computer from twelve till four, keyed in notes, booked guests for June edition of Poetry Jam. Nice to type on a desktop computer that works at a decent speed for a change. Back to Jen's around half-four. Cheese, pesto and tomato pizza with onion rings for tea. Watched Pointless, soap operas and Taggart. Only three more days to go on GloPoWriMo then I'll be looking for more work next week. 10.20pm.

Saturday 28th April 2018

Woke to an easy GloPoWriMo prompt – prose poem on a postcard theme. Did one in Jen’s attic then sent it via Facebook in Gateshead Library this morning. Came into Newcastle for Rowan McCabe’s poetry workshop this afternoon at Kittiwake Trust Multilingual Library in Eldon Garden. Enjoyed the free writes and rhyme battle. Evening in town including eat4less with Ian Waugh and Jenni and dicussions about poetry, politics, improv and computers. 10.10 pm.

Sunday 29th April 2018

GloPoWriMo prompt: write in response to one of several Sylvia Plath poems featured on web-link. I chose the one about a fridge and did a love poem to a domestic appliance. Caught up with Saturday night viewing on Sunday repeat. Jenni made a lush pie/veggie sausage and steamed veg dinner this afternoon. Pleased to hear about a certain Tory resignation tonight. 11.11pm.