Letās be honest, 2017 as a year was⦠a bit shit. Too much hate-filled terrorism, too much idiocy-filled Brexit, too much asshole-filled Trump⦠even the celebrity deaths looked a bit shit compared with the previous year (RIP David Bowie and Alan Rickman). Not to mention that The Last Jedi was alsoā¦a bit shit. (Sad, but true. Feel free to fail to convince me otherwise belowā¦)
But this isnāt the āa bit shitā blog. (Quiet at the back.)
Iāve had a poem saved in drafts for over two years now. Itās about feeling low in the new year (āthe calendar moves on/ I remain stillā)⦠itās not going to get published here this year either. Itās just not what I want to share. Life is āa bit shitā enough without me releasing my faintly whiffy poetry into the air. It would be as welcome as a fart at a funeral. (As Iām fairly sure Geoff Le Pard would/has put it!)
Iām also not one of those annoyingly cheerful positive types. I know some of my American readers lap that stuff up, but us Brits donāt really go in for that either.
Modesty.
Awkwardness.
Self-deprecation.
Those are our ālife, liberty and the pursuit of happinessā equivalents.
I digress.
So⦠a middle way. A smidge of positivity, without the odour of negativity. A sustainable, splash-free course through the swirling turd-hills of terror, Brexit, Trump, #this-yearās-evilā¦
In terms of my poetry, things are starting to move along⦠I have joined a supportive poetry collective, DIY Poets⦠I will continue to attend open mics (am back to The Cave next week)⦠I have a brief slot supporting the brilliantly funny poet John Hegley in March⦠I got my first publishing credits last year (in a charity collection ā Diverse Verse ā and then in a wonderful local Christmas āzine through Mud Press)⦠I have collated poetry for at least three different collections I intend to self-publish (pending me arranging some cover art)⦠I hope to soon be sharing a few videos of my poems on youtubeā¦
In terms of my other writing, I am currently developing an idea I have for a sitcom, and am trying to get to grips with screenwriting⦠I may even go back to a novel I started in 2016⦠plus some unfinished business with drafts of a handful of childrenās picture booksā¦
A few different options!
So⦠back to grabbing 2018 by the balls (or throat, if you prefer a more violent but less sexual image)ā¦
I have volunteered to help organise the Nottingham Poetry Festival in April. I will be the official blogger in the build-up to and during the festival. What this means in reality, I canāt yet tell you (not because itās secret, but because I donāt yet know either!), but when the call went out for people to help a month ago, I took an afternoon off work, got the tram into Nottingham, sucked in my gut, and said to a room-full of strangers āerrā¦anything I can do?ā
I am very excited about this one!
I hate ātakeawaysā (unless being used in the British sense of food delivered to your door, obviously), but if there is a takeaway from this, itās just this:
When whatever-your-thing-in-2018 sends a call out for people to help (and it will)
– Get on the bus/ tram/ boat/ unicycle
– Suck in your gut
– Say āerr⦠is there anything I can do to help?…ā
To your success!

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