Thrilled to hear my poem ‘No Prizes’ has been accepted by Prole, my favourite print journal. Always an honour to feature among its top quality prose and poetry. Issue 30 is due out in May.

Delighted to see my poem ‘A Conference Of Crows’ up at The Beach Hut, an interesting new online magazine publishing quality coastal-themed poems. Grateful thanks to the editorial team.

Delighted to have two poems accepted for inclusion among a stellar list of poets in the forthcoming Green Fields anthology, published by The Poetry Village. Thanks to editors David and Nick. I’m looking forward to the launch in March.

https://thepoetryvillage.com/portfolio/green-fields-the-guest-list/

A bit late posting this but I had a fabulous afternoon in December as a co-headliner (alongside my great friend Pat Edwards) at Word Club Christmas event held in the warm and welcoming Chemic Tavern pub in Leeds. Many, many thanks to Mark Connors and Gill Lambert for organising the event and for inviting me. What an atmosphere! And so great to spend time with fellow Yaffles Pat (& Mike!), Michael Farren, Matt Nicholson, Kathleen Strafford, Ian Harker, Terry Simpson and Linda Marshall plus so many others including Edwin Stockdale, Moira Garland, Sarah L Dixon, Andy Humphrey and Joe Williams. So many excellent poets together on an afternoon to remember.

3 years ago to the day I suddenly got the urge to start writing poetry again after a gap of about 20 years. This was after I went into the loft to look for my folders of poems from 1990-96 and realised they’d gone missing, maybe lost when we moved home. I think the shock and disappointment fired me up to get started again. Every cloud, eh? ☁️ ☁️ 😀

So pleased my poem ‘What Lies Beneath’ is included alongside many fine pieces in this latest Writers’ Cafe Magazine on the theme of ‘masks’. Thank you to editor Marie Lightman for another excellent collection 🙏

Here’s me reading ‘This Friday Afternoon’ at Black Light Engine Room (BLER) held in Off The Ground Coffee, Middlesbrough last September. I was one of four guest readers invited by organiser p.a.morbid that night, the others were my talented poetry friends Zöe Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe, Joe Williams and Andrew Talbot. Thanks to organiser p.a.morbid for filming and posting this YouTube clip.

I’m so proud that ‘Quotidian’ will be the November Featured Publication on the excellent Atrium Poetry. Thank you so much Claire Walker and Holly Magill, and thank you, too, my wonderful publishers Yaffle Press.

Absolutely delighted to have my poem ‘Otherworlds’ included in ‘Well, Dam!’ the latest Beautiful Dragons anthology put together so lovingly by Rebecca Jane Bilkau. So pleased to appear alongside so many wonderfully talented poets. It is a fabulous read. Copies of ‘Well, Dam!’ (and other Beautiful Dragons anthologies) available via beautifuldragons@icloud.com

Really enjoyed my first visit to The Black Light Engine Room at Off The Ground Coffee in Middlesbrough last Saturday.

Many thanks to p a morbid for inviting me as a guest poet along with poetry pals Joe Williams and Zoë Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe, plus Andrew Talbot. Great also to meet Natalie Scott. Here are some pics of the evening courtesy of morbid.