My poetry chapbooks are available from: http://meandibooks.bigcartel.com/
Before I was a writer, I was an artist. Before I was an artist, I was me. But every person has layers. What do you get under the surface? Hopefully not this kind of soul! These I painted when I was 16. Much has changed since!
‘Melted Woman’ and ‘Dragon Lady’ – watercolour paint on watercolour paper, A3 sized. Pencil outline to start with, flesh tones and lighter colours filled in next. Shading/ highlighting created by mixing green with a dash of red to create a khaki-grey hue. And remember people, ‘Don’t lose the light’ – in this case, not of one’s own soul, but of the eyes (window to the soul) of the poor tormented creatures in your painting!
Metamorphosis of Woman/ Realms of Man:
http://meandibooks.bigcartel.com/
About this blog
Decanto Issue 61
Joseph Robert’s poem, If Only, appears in Issue 61 of Decanto, out this month. I always enjoy reading Decanto. From time to time, other poetry anthologies can be hit or miss in terms of the standard of poems – but Decanto is always consistently good. I hope independent poetry places like this can survive the postage hikes and rough economic times!
There’s no better way of finding out that you’ve had work accepted for publication than getting a contributor copy in the post! Last week I came home from work, only to find my copy of Graffiti Issue 12 waiting for me. It was a lovely surprise to see my poem, Embroidery Soul, on page 32. It also cheered me up to read the interview with the editor, Rona Laycock. She described how she’d love to be writing all day everyday, but wrote that ‘unless you strike it lucky with a boy wizard or a sexy misogynist, that means doing a lot of other work’. I’m with you there, Rona! As much as I consider myself fortunate in my day job of running a creative writing group for teenagers, among other pursuits, I often dream (on rainy days like today) of a day when I can write full time. Preferably on a beach somewhere, sitting under a palm tree with my laptop on my knee and my author hubby next to me working on his own projects!
My short story, Arachnid of Life, is in issue 23 of Sarasvati this month. It was a fun coincidence to see that another contributor, Liz Rowlands, had written a poem called Spider, which was similar in theme to my story. Great minds think alike, it seems!
Reading Sarasvati 23
Reading between the lines with some of the small press poetry magazines, a lot of places are struggling now that their Arts Council funding is being withdrawn. On my travels a couple of weeks ago, I came across this blow-up Stonehenge in Ravenscourt Park. Although tempted to unleash my inner 3 year old and have some childish fun, I resisted, but I was amused (purely in an ironic sense) to see that it was funded by none other than the Arts Council. So that’s where all the money is going… on bouncy castles! So many great little zines are folding in the name of inflatables. No criticism intended of course… it’s still artistic and nearly the same size as the real thing, not to mention fun for all the big kids out there, like myself. But arguments aside, come on poetry mags – burn rubber!
Sacrilege… Arts Council funded blow-up Stonehenge.
The Robin Hood book launch event was held on Tuesday 24th July at the Centerprise Trust in London. There was a good turnout of contributors reading their published poems from the book. It was great to get back into reading my poetry live – since doing radio and open mic events in Cambridge in 2009, I hadn’t done any readings for an audience. It was also fun to have my work appear alongside some major names in poetry, such as Michael Horovitz, and to learn a thing or two about reading to an audience from great performers such as poet and actor, Keith Chopping.
Contributors at the Robin Hood book launch in London
Alan Morrison, editor of The Robin Hood book is fighting the good fight against austerity. Aside from inspiring readings on the night, there was a sadder note to the evening as we found out that the venue itself, The Centerprise Trust building, is on the soon-to-be-closed list. Hopefully enough funding can be raised to secure such a place that caters to both local and international cultures. It would be a shame to lose a culturally dynamic venue hosting a library, cultural cafe, bookstore and venue for spoken events.
Submissions… rejections… acceptances! Here’s a little poem I wrote for all those writers out there who are seeking publishing the traditional way (print rather than e-books). With so many publishing houses folding these days, owing to their Arts Council funding being withdrawn, it’s good to stay positive and keep going. I got a step closer with my first book proposal response the other day, when the editor of Smokestack Books described my work as ‘an interesting idea entertainingly executed’, but went on to say that he couldn’t take on any new clients because of cuts to funding. It’s so sad to hear about cuts, cuts, cuts :(. But a writer keeps writing. Maybe we’ll ride out this tsunami and enjoy the calm sea afterwards!
Brown envelope
Realms of Man by Joseph Robert / Metamorphosis of Woman by Leilanie Stewart – a reversible poetry collection.
Me, myself and I… and the other.
Stale-Mate
(page 6 – Metamorphosis of Woman by Leilanie Stewart)
You were playing chess with my soul
I saw you eat the pieces
As you went along
I watched the black and white squares
Slide into the abhorrent depths
Of my subconscious
*
You took my knight, but it’s okay;
I have another
I’ll have my revenge
I’ll stamp those L-shaped patterns
All over your sadistic mind
I can see that it’s going this way
So I’ll finish it off-
I didn’t checkmate your wicked heart,
That happened long ago
And anyway, it’s too cliché
*
My pawn’s at the other side now
Wait until my Queen brings forth
A whole new reign of terror
On your brutal, tyrannical ass.
—
In Pagination
(page 2 – Realms of Man by Joseph Robert)
Pile up enough lies,
And they pay you.
*
Pay the stonemason,
And he’ll chisel what have you.
*
Forget that dame,
And you’ll live yet the while.
*
Black-lipped from guzzling newsprint,
And piping hot toner.
*
Wide-margined, double-spaced,
And big-fonted fool!
*
You cheat no one of a tree,
But the forest.
The young writers in my Writers’ Group workshop (that I run at school) have had great success with their creative writing this year. In February, they produced a collection of all the short stories and poetry they’ve written since the workshop opened in October 2011. They managed to sell 53 copies of their anthology, Kaleidoscope, to teachers, students, family and friends in the local community, making £159 between them. Of course, as young entrepreneurs, they were then able to keep the profits from all their hard work. I love the diversity of themes in their collection; a lot of depth, especially for people so young (they’re all between 12-18)! The anthology was printed by Think Ink, and looks great – A5 sized with a gloss finish. Good value for money at £3.00 a copy!
Leilanie Stewart 