Book Week

I have just got back from a very enjoyable visit to St Joseph's Junior School, Luton.

I had been celebrating World Book Day and Book Week by giving a series of poetry sessions to Year 4. The children were very impressive. They listened when they were asked to listen and they joined in when they wanted to join in. They also wrote a number of intriguing and poignant poems on the subject of the Book of Life.

I really value these visits to schools. Partly, because it is a chance to engage with the next generation of writers and poetry-lovers and partly because it challenges me to write (see Mystery Flight and Food Additives). I think it is important that the children see me working, producing poems for a particular need. I believe it encourages them to see poetry as something that you do... rather than just something that you just suffer through in class!

Who knows, I might have met a future Poet-Laureate today!

Slippage - Beta Test Version

I have just put up the first full version of 'Slippage'. This is a joint project between myself and Mark Goodwin for Phoenix Arts, Leicester, UK.

Mark and I were both keen to do something that marked some aspect of the ideas of the late great Jacques Derrida. This work, therefore, deals with the nature of meaning-making in poetry. It has three phases that move the centre of gravity of the poetic process from the us the author-participants, out to the reader and the context beyond. It uses sound and visuals to challenge the notion that a poem is written object; suggesting instead that it is an event.

The design and the production of 'Slippage' has been an interesting experience for me. Mark provided the original poem and the voice recording so I have been focusing on the visuals and the process. In a way, I have felt rather 'exposed' not having any say in the say. After all I came to the computer from poetry. However, I have also felt suitably challenged. It has made me re-think my journey.

This version is a test version ( isn't every thing on the Web). Please post a comment here on this blog and let us know what you think!