Resurrection!

Okay, that heading may be a bit of an overstatement, especially at this moment as I sit before my laptop wearing pyjama bottoms and heavy fake-wool jumper, with runny eyes and nose, a sawdust throat, fits of sneezing regularly punctuating my out-of-season shivers.

The intended purpose of this over-dramatic exultation, however, is twofold: first, to apologise that I haven’t posted a blog for a while and promise that this will be the first of a more regular communication series; and second, to herald with optimism the rather belated start of steps I should have taken sooner to get myself and my work out there (wherever that may be!).

On that second point, I am grinding rather rusty slow wheels which, when properly lubricated and in motion, will make it a bit less easy for me to hide under a rock, a shaded spot which has proved attractive of late.

This will also be a mercifully short blog, mainly because it is virtually impossible to work with ‘Man-flu’, as any well-informed medical practitioner will testify. With each tap of the keyboard I am sweating metaphorical blood (which literalists would disdainfully insist resembles perspiration and snot).

So, initially, just a couple of brief updates.

The first relates to Social Media.

I’m sticking with Facebook and Twitter in the meantime though there may be one addition to that in the next couple of months. However, I have decided to open an additional Facebook Account, dealing just with writing and other creativity.

For many years I have been aware that many creatives have a specific account separate from their private account but had avoided until now the additional administration that would involve.

However, since 2019 there has been a particular personal reason why I decided that I did not want to communicate on my personal Facebook page from a date in February through to mid-April. This has occurred each year and I have finally realised that a creative page separate from my personal page would be a mechanism for continuation of artistic expression, while allowing me to show due respect by taking a break my personal Facebook page.

The framework of the new page has been set up and I’ll post a link to it when I have posted some content.

Well, if that first revelation hasn’t sent you to sleep, here’s the second.

I have now been added to Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Register. This does mean that libraries, schools, writing groups and others may chance upon my name on that Register and contact me to do readings, talks, workshops and other events promoting reading, writing and so on.

While there is an element of scariness about that prospect it is also something which (if called upon) I look forward to doing. Truly, quite excited.

If you want to check out my complete listing profile in the Register, here is the link:

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors/peter-a

‘Speak soon (now… where did I put those tissues, paracetamol …?)

‘Art of Insomnia’ Revised for Reprint (Part 2)

As a follow-on from the Part 1 Blog, Art of Insomnia Revised for Reprint (Part 1) here are the details of the five revisals made in the reprint of Art of Insomnia, each explanation accompanied by a photograph showing the revised version of the poem as it now appears in the chapbook.

Revisal 1: ‘HELENIUM ONE AND ONLY (Helenium sui generis)’ is the third poem in Section 1 (BEAUTIFUL/TERRIBLE) of the chapbook. It is a tiny poem, written in response to a prompt to compose a poem of no more than 10 lines, describing a person/event as if describing a flower/plant in a seed catalogue. As you’ll observe from the photograph just one word was changed, replacing the word ‘warned’ with the word ‘aware’. The sole reason for this was to avoid unnecessary and pointless repetition, the word ‘warning’ having appeared in the immediately preceding line. Had I not had a much better reason for revisal [Revisal 5], I’d probably have left the poem as it was. This is the poem.

Like Revisal 1, the reason for the minor amendment in Revisal 2, to ‘NEARLY NOT GOING OUT SYNDROME’ is partly to correct unnecessary word repetition in successive lines. In the original version the word ‘effort’ appeared in lines 11 and 12 and worked fine but, as there was going to be a necessary revisal elsewhere [Revisal 5], I took the chance to replace ‘effort’ with ‘battle’ in line 12 because I think ‘battle’ better expresses what is going on in the mind, as well as avoiding repetition. This is the new version of the poem from Section 2 (FRENCH RETREAT) of the chapbook ‘Art of Insomnia’.

As with the previous poem in Revisal 2, Revisal 3, of poem PILGRIMAGE, is from Section 2 of the book (FRENCH RETREAT) and relates ultimately to a promise I made to myself. Unlike the two previous revisals, this one is not about removing an unnecessary repetition; it is about a decision to remove a phrase and, in replacing it, name the destructive demon ‘overthinking’.

Like Revisals 2 and 3, REVISAL 4 also relates to Section 2 of the chapbook (FRENCH RETREAT). Once again the original reason for the revision was the wish to avoid inappropriate repetition. I do very much approve of good repetition. However in this poem, ‘FOUND IN FRANCE’, I noticed that in the list of things my late wife would have found off-putting about the French place to which I had retreated I had unwittingly mentioned bees twice. I decided that I’d remove the first mention of them and emphasise the inescapability of the dogs by inserting the word ‘doorway’. Helen liked, but was afraid of, dogs and in the French getaway there were three dogs, usually present at one doorway or another! Just one revisal to go now. In the meantime here’s the revised version of ‘FOUND IN FRANCE’ as it appears in the reprint (over two pages).

Finally, there’s REVISAL 5, the one absolutely necessary revisal that led to the opportunity to make the other four less necessary ones which, though less necessary, do – I hope – clarify and improve what they replace. Anyway, Revisal 5 is the really embarrassing one. Originally, I loved the sound of the word ‘enervate’ as it originally appeared in line 25. I loved reading ‘energy to enervate’ and I thought I knew the meaning. However, some time after publication of the chapbook I saw a tweet in which someone referred to former Makar Jackie Kay describing in another poem a mistaken use of the word ‘enervate’. I checked and was distressed to find that the word meant pretty much the opposite of what I thought! Using ‘energise’ would not have worked with energy in the same line, and I did not like any of the synonyms I could find. So, I thought about a word that meant the opposite of being brought down and ‘elevate’ was ideal to convey that meaning. It also sounded similar to the word it was replacing, and that pleased me because I felt I was retaining as much of the sound of the original as possible while correcting the meaning and purpose of the line. This final revisal is of the poem ‘AFTER THE ENDING’ which appears over two pages in the chapbook’s Section 3 (RETURN TO WHAT REMAINS).

To purchase ‘Art of Insomnia’, this is the page with all the details Art of Insomnia

Art of Insomnia Revised for Reprint (Part 1)

As some of you know, at the end of May 2021 my debut poetry chapbook Art of Insomnia was published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press, a matter of great importance to me, especially as it was dedicated to and largely inspired by my beloved wife Helen, whose unexpected death broke my heart exactly one week before Easter 2019.

I was grateful that the book resonated with so many readers and, as it proved more popular than I had expected, the matter of printing additional copies had to be considered.

Inside Front and Back Covers of ‘Art of Insomnia’

By this time I was working on further chapbook ideas and preparing for a larger collection but decided, before going ahead with a further print run, to look at the poems afresh to ensure I was entirely happy with them.

Thankfully, I found that most of them conveyed their messages exactly as I wanted those messages to go out and I was content to leave those. However, I was disappointed to discover from a tweet I saw by chance on Twitter that one of the twenty two poems contained a word often used to mean the opposite of its actual meaning, and that’s an error I had made.

No one had brought this error to my attention, and I may have got away with it, but knowing that a reprint was in the offing made me look critically at the whole manuscript. As a result, I found four other minor matters which, if changed, might improve the work. Thankfully, my publisher agreed to all five changes which have been incorporated in the reprint currently available for purchase. This is the link for purchase – Art of Insomnia

I do have mixed feelings about all this.

On the one hand I am delighted that the copies now available at Scottish Poetry Library, and at a number of libraries local to me, contain these revisals. Similarly, this will be true for copies now being placed with independent book shops and those I take with me to poetry gigs in 2022 and beyond.

However, there’s a fair number of folk who have the original version, without the small changes to five poems, so I do feel it necessary to publicise the changes as widely as I can.

Coming up in Part 2 of this blog – ‘Art of Insomnia’ Revised for Reprint (Part 2) – you’ll find details of the five changes and the reasons for them, so I hope that lots of those who have purchased the original chapbook will find this helpful.

Further, all members of The Hedgehog Poetry Press’s ‘Cult of the Spiny Hog’ will be able to download an updated digital copy of the book free of charge.

I have also alerted followers on Facebook and Twitter to the changes, and will now link them to this blog (parts 1 and 2)

Finally, I am about to send out to those purchasers for whom I hold addresses a bookmark which contains details of the changes on its reverse.

By this means I hope to get the information out to anyone who may be interested.

If you already have a revised reprint, this blog and -link- will probably be of less significance, unless you have an academic interest in the rarity of a post-publication editing process.

To find out details of the changes, and view the five poems in their changed form, go to – ‘Art of Insomnia’ Revised for Reprint (Part 2)

If you haven’t purchased Art of Insomnia but this blog or its Part 2 –‘Art of Insomnia’ Revised for Reprint (Part 2) – has sparked your interest, this is the purchase link you require – Art of Insomnia

COP26: Saturday’s big march

I have been on very few marches; a couple of years ago for Scottish independence, 40-odd years ago for CND. I’d never be considered a radical but had to join this one. Saturday’s outing was a protest against the causes of climate change and those behind it; it took place in Glasgow on 6 November 2021 with the two-week COP26 conference at its halfway point.

Got the train from my hometown about 11.00 on Saturday morning and was at Kelvingrove Park, where marchers were to converge, by 11.50. As I entered the park and started to move through it to the joining point, the strong wind scattered a brisk confetti of golden leaves from trees lining the pathway; it felt like the prelude to a special day, and it was.

There were so many people there, gathering together in their various groups, that it was a very long time before the march got underway. I read reports that it took two hours for marchers to leave Kelvingrove park but I wasn’t checking the time. I was looking through the driving rain, and taking in the spectacle around me, the sheer numbers of people from every age group, every walk of life, so many countries.

Amongst the more original signs carried by protestors there were many which reflected the Scottish sense of humour. My favourite, obviously carried by a fan of Limmy, was ‘DON’T TURN THE WEANS AGAINST US!’

Indeed, I was surrounded by ‘weans’ from babes in arms and buggies to teenagers, so many teenagers, clearly inspired by the high profile young activists from various corners of the planet who have shown uncompromising maturity in placing necessary pressure on world leaders.

The protestors assembled in Kelvingrove Park were not the sort to be deterred by the torrential rain and wind, which in any case seemed appropriate to the event. As well as representing some of the weather changes currently taking place in the Northern Hemisphere, it also seemed to characterise the earth’s anxiety and anger.

Video: Peter A

There were two or three breaks in the bad weather as we all proceeded through Glasgow to arrive at Glasgow Green, and you’ll see that most of my photos/video are taken during these short periods of respite.

Video: Peter A

I wish to minimise my narrative and leave the photographic images to tell the story of this special day, so I’ll conclude with just this.

On Saturday I was proud of Glasgow and I was delighted that an estimated 100,000 marched, with many others lining the streets. I was impressed that many who joined the march had to overcome various obstacles to participate. For me this included those who those who had to travel massive distances to be there and the disabled participants, some walking with difficulty others with assistive equipment.

However, most impressive in my humble opinion was the enthusiastic engagement of the young people who marched giving me hope that they will be around much longer than I shall with their staunch commitment to hold governments and corporations to account.

Post Postscript: Monday Meander: Finnieston, Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Although it is not quite on the same theme as my most recent post https://peterawriter.com/2021/09/30/random-monday-meander-27-september-2021/ , I feel compelled in this postscript to display a couple of photos of a statue of Charles Rennie Mackintosh of which I was not previously aware. I would still be unaware of it had I not ventured to, and quite unexpectedly found it in, Finnieston.

I like that he is shown seated in one of the chairs associated with his furniture design.

Random Monday Meander (27 September 2021)

It’s a few months since I wrote a blog for this site and quite a few things have happened in the interim, most of which I’ll spare you. There were two or three highlights which will be covered in my next blog but first a simple example of my regular randomness.

At this stage of my life it might have been expected that I’d operate to some kind of plan; I know I can because I have done so before – when I had to.

Nowadays I like to think that – writing deadlines apart – I don’t HAVE to work to a plan so I tend to be very forgiving of my lack of direction and occasional self-indulgence. When I do allow life to spin me along, the resulting outcome is often satisfying so why not?

Monday, for example, I awoke with very little thought of what the day should bring. I knew that I was physically out of condition and that I should be exercising. I was also aware that I had not yet started working on a chapbook submission with a fast-approaching deadline.

Before I realised how much time had passed I was already watching the lunchtime news – a habit which should be avoided as it tends to generate negative thinking which can blight an otherwise optimistic day. By the time the news programmes on both main channels were complete, it was well past lunchtime, no physical or mental exercise had been undertaken and I was starting to feel guilty about my lack of activity.

Compounding my personal sense of stasis, the weather deteriorated and the world outside my window grew dark as it was was visited by a heavy deluge. I didn’t feel like going for a walk, or forcing myself towards the doors of the nearest gym.

In an effort to throw off the weight of guilt I attempted vigorous exercise with the undemanding home barbells I recently acquired. That helped a little and, as the sun rose and the exterior dark and dampness began to dissipate, I started to think more clearly, remembering there was an outstanding mission to accomplish; a special package awaited uplift from the Finnieston area of Glasgow.

That was it! I’d get out of my pyjama bottoms and t-shirt (standard daywear since the pandemic started), get into some outdoor clothing, walk briskly to my local train station (20 minutes on foot), travel by train to Charing Cross, walk to the fabled Hidden Lane (15 minutes), get my package then do the journey in reverse. So lay ahead the opportunity to complete a practical and necessary task, in the process walking briskly for a total of 1hour 10 minutes; why had I not thought of this before?

All good in theory except that when I arrived at my destination I did so too late as a result of my earlier procrastination and brain fog, and the resultant delayed departure from home.

A past version of me would have become quite frustrated and annoyed with myself but thankfully the current version of me is more self-forgiving, in fact more forgiving in general. Worse things happen at sea (but that’s another story with which I shall not detain you at present).

The only thing that did concern me was a fairly urgent need to use the loo.

To cut a long story short I used my need to find a place to pee to justify stopping in Finnieston for a meal and a drink. In practical terms it saved me going food shopping and also saved me the risks associated with sharing a busy rush-hour train in these days of plague. It was also very tasty, and had the accompaniment of a decent retro background music selection.

There was a further bonus, illustrated in the photographs which accompany this blog. On the way back to the railway station I spotted these two beautiful buildings and thought how representative they were of Glasgow. Two places of worship representing two of Glasgow’s quite different religious communities, standing side by side in the evening sun. And (not photographed) immediately across the road from these structures stands the Glasgow Gaelic School, keeping alive an old language of Scotland, still important to a small but significant proportion of the population. In such a small area, facing each other or standing side by side, the people these buildings represent all confident of their place in the dear green place.

If there are messages in this random piece, I guess they are pretty obvious – to avoid sweating the small stuff, be forgiving, try to turn negatives to positives when you can, allow yourself to go with the flow occasionally, always look outward, appreciate the cultural diversity of your surroundings and take joy in the knowledge that we are all different but ultimately all Jock Tamson’s bairns.

Home Stage: Meet the Poet (Phil Vernon & Peter A): 23 June 2021

This is just a screen grab. The YouTube link is at the end of the fourth paragraph of the blogpost

Well, well, well – that was quite something last night, and I am a little lost for words today!

To be paired with a poet possessing the experience, inventiveness and skill which Phil Vernon has in abundance, in a poetry presentation format which enables viewers to see the text of the poem as the poet reads. To be hosted so skilfully, enthusiastically and insightfully by Florrie Crass on the very professional Home Stage platform.

That was a dream for any writer, and I feel truly blessed that last night happened.

As I expressed at the start I am somewhat lost for words at the moment but we all had a fair bit to read and say during the livestream. So, if that interests you, please click on the YouTube link and savour some of last night’s flavour. If you want to view the video recording of the livestream the YouTube link for it is here https://youtu.be/hFESWt62dag

Finally, if you wish to order a copy of Art of Insomnia it can be obtained from Hedgehog Poetry Press, Amazon or from my Art of Insomnia page here https://peterawriter.com/art-of-insomnia/ (the only way to get a signed copy if that is what you require); and if you wish to purchase Phil’s Poetry After Auschwitz it’s available on Amazon.

His blog post following on from last night’s show can be found here https://philvernon.net/2021/06/24/poetry-reading-with-peter-a/

Drop in with Nigel Kent – Poet

Following a break from blogging I shall return to posting fairly regular blogs this month. In the meantime, I take this opportunity to Reblog from my Drop-in with Nigel Kent published this morning. Next Saturday his review of ‘Art of Insomnia’ will appear on the Nigel Kent – Poet website

Drop in by Peter A

Today I have great pleasure in inviting Peter A to talk about a poem from his moving Art of Insomnia (Hedgehog Press, 2021)

My debut chapbook Art of Insomnia is personal in a way that is not very typical of my poetry to date. That said, in much of my previous and ongoing work I have tried to deliver an emotional punch where it is justified by the subject matter or theme of the poem.

Art of Insomnia comprises 22 poems written in the nine month period following the unexpected death of my wife; in it I attempt to express the impact of incomprehensible loss and signal the potential for a bearable way forward. The chapbook is divided into four sections and the poem I have selected is the second poem of the third section. Following the second section, which describes a temporary escape from familiar surroundings and people, this section [RETURN TO WHAT REMAINS] is about coming back to the inescapable reality of loss.

In the poem selected here, I mainly use a fairly conventional, uncomplicated, almost-conversational form of address direct to the reader, with many of the same words repeated in each of the nine-line stanzas.

The words which are unique to each stanza set out two issues which may arise when well-intentioned people try to offer comfort and praise at a time when the recently-bereaved person is at the stages of grief where he feels only guilt and powerlessness. These lines of the stanzas arrive in a form which is more poetic or dramatic in style leading the reader to pathos at the end of each stanza.

The title comes from the word ‘better’ at the end of the first line of the poem, and the word ‘fail’ at the end of its last line. Any resemblance to Samuel Beckett’s ‘Fail Better’ is fortuitous but also somewhat fortunate.

Thank you, Peter A. Next week read my review of this exceptionally powerful collection.

Unauthorised Use

This is a very short post, mainly for the purpose of introducing a very short film I have just made for a poem recently written, called Unauthorised Use.

The poem is short, and fairly straightforward I think, so there is no need for me to speak about it at all, except to tell you when and where it will appear, so I’ll do that in a moment.

Before giving you the publishing information, however, I simply want to recount that I have just spent 100 minutes (no special significance in the number – it just worked out that way) in my back garden. Though I was ostensibly doing some rough weeding and digging, I spent some of the time attempting to commune with nature in the form of one bird initially, then that bird and its mate.

They were a pair of robins as it happens. Each individually, then as a pair, came fairly close to me. Cautious, but apparently confident I meant them no harm. When I whistled, attempting to imitate their song, they cocked heads to one side, listening but unimpressed. Their focus was more upon the earthworms my digging had uncovered but they showed me friendliness at the level of casual acquaintance before leaving.

I was reminded of my dad whistling to starlings when, as children, he took us on long walks. His whistle, as I recall, was much more musical than mine.

Anyway, all of that is relevant only to the extent that Unauthorised Use relates, at its simplest level, to the perception of birdsong by humans. It will appear in a massive poetry anthology called Summer Anywhere due to be launched, appropriately, in the summer. However, it can be pre-ordered now from hybriddreich.co.uk. (Click on ‘LATEST BOOKS HERE’.)

The film poem for Unauthorised Use is available on You Tube at this link:

Unauthorised Use film poem

Locks and Other Things Coming Out of Lockdown

Photo by Diane Bunyan, The Workshop (Hairdressers), Airdrie

This strange photograph, which to my eyes has the appearance of two fluffy poodles competing in a race against each other, was taken by my hairdresser following my recent appointment for a lockdown-style haircut. The photo captures the hair gathered up following that event.

It took me over nine months to grow those luxurious lockdown locks. They gave me great comfort during that period. In a school magazine decades ago I had a piece of prose published which described my slightly long hair at that time as ‘nature’s scarf’; my detached locks are now useful only for stuffing a couch (if they still do that kind of thing these days).

I genuinely have felt very much colder during the last eight days, and I’m conscious I’ve been a bit quieter too. There’s many reasons for my reduced volume but the chill has felt like a physical weakness.

Though I have never imagined myself as any kind of Samson (who got his strength from his hair), I have gained a little understanding of the way he must have felt when a treacherous Delilah arranged for a trim so that he could be handed over to his Philistine enemies without offering resistance.

Confidence is a strength and I feel that the removal of my Covid comfort blanket of hair has left me feeling exposed, naked and, as I mentioned before, kinda cold.

Before continuing, I should clarify that there was no devious Delilah involved in my story, that I arranged the appointment myself and the hairdresser followed my instructions.

More than that, I even brought my Irish passport with me to give the hairdresser an idea of the style I was looking for. On looking at the passport photo, my hairdresser remarked that there is no way in the world passport control would have accepted it as an accurate likeness of the way I looked pre-haircut!

You will notice that I have not attached a photograph of my newly-shorn head and so far very few people (some on Zoom) have seen the shock transformation.

Speaking of Zoom, this would be an appropriate time to mention that Dragonflies present…are supporting the launch of my debut chapbook Art of Insomnia at their event on Tuesday 4th May. I have three brilliant support stars, whose names I’ll reveal in a post closer to the date. There are also three other poets publicising new publications on the same evening.

Dragonflies events are very relaxed, friendly and welcoming and that’s why I’m delighted they offered me this opportunity. I know that if you come along you’ll find the evening enjoyable, and comfortable even if you’re not in the habit of attending literary events.

So, if you want to see what I really look like when I cannot hide under my hair, what are you waiting for? Although the event is free, you can only get in with a digital ticket from Eventbrite. Use the link here :-https://flightofthedragonfly.com/flight-of-the-dragonfly-presents/ – to access the Dragonflies present… page.

On that page you’ll find a link to register and book a digital ticket. There are also links to individual pages relating to each poet, so if you want to find out more about each of us and our books, and see a sample of what you will find therein, you can.

I hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there.