The next Ouse Muse will be on Thursday 21st Feb at our usual venue, Harpurs, 46-48 Tavistock St, Bedford, MK40 2RD, 8pm start (though it really helps if you get there a little bit early rather than a little bit late). In general I am not posting lists of other events on this site, but if you want … [Read more...]
Magazine Review: Poetry Wales Winter 12-13
February 13, 2013 By
I have an addiction, an addiction to poetry magazines. A rough count says I have 11 active subscriptions at the moment - but I've probably missed some (oops, yes 12). To get it out of my system, and maybe give anyone listening a few ideas about what you might want to buy (poetry mags need … [Read more...]
Today I have been mostly (re)writing Apollinaire
February 1, 2013 By
Sometimes I come across a poem with such a distinct atmosphere that I have to set off in pursuit. It just happened with Apollinaire's 'L'Avenir' (I'd been reading Beverly Brie Bihac's translations of Appolinaire, Little Auto). To be frank most of the poems left me cold, either in French or in … [Read more...]
Ouse Muse January 2013
January 18, 2013 By
A select band braved the cold to kick off Ouse Muse for 2013 on 17th Jan. The performers had the luxury of a little extra time and used it to give us a particularly wide ranging programme. As usual there was humour, as usual there were some serious poems, plus a very entertaining story from Mark … [Read more...]
The Web of Terror
January 15, 2013 By
Why have I spent so long staring at a blank? In other writing I obey the advice I'd give in a workshop: write something, never stare at a white sheet. A few bits of matter are enough to bend an empty universe, make some noise in the empty room (I never could work in a library) which becomes … [Read more...]
Martyn Crucefix at the TPS
November 28, 2012 By
Had anyone else assumed ‘Martyn Crucefix’ must be a nom de plume? Presumably not the members who had heard Martyn on his previous visit to TPS (2005?). In mitigation I’d point out that Martyn’s name has been on my radar since undergraduate days, but really came into focus with the publication of his … [Read more...]
18th October – Ouse Muse
November 28, 2012 By
Ouse Muse is Bedford’s very own poetry open mic. Taking place on the third Thursday of each month (except December) in the cellar bar of Harpurs. The accent is on poetry but any short spoken word pieces are welcome. The atmosphere is friendly and the material eclectic – from classic performance … [Read more...]
I am a poet writing in a range of styles from performance-led to page-based and limerick to avant-garde.