Advance notice – a date for your diary! “Breathing Space” Writing for Wellbeing Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017 Out of the Blue Writing, in affiliation with The International Academy for Poetry Therapy presents a writing for wellbeing conference in the inspirational setting of Plas Tan y Bwlch, Snowdonia, North Wales. Take time and space to connect … More “Breathing Space” – Writing for Wellbeing Conference
I am spreading the word about this event coming up in September, brought to us by the ever-active Montage writing group on Anglesey/Ysgrifennu Môntage Ynys Môn. I am delighted to be one of the festival tutors – and do take a look at the fabulous line-up of writers and events. There is something for everyone. Full details are … More ANGLESEY MÔNTAGE WRITING FESTIVAL / Gŵyl Ysgrifennu Môntage Ynys Môn
A good friend of mine, Linda Moss, emailed me early this morning. We had, on Friday, been mourning the inauguration of ‘President Trump’ and all that he symbolises, so in her email, she has reminded me of the final lines of my poem ‘Clearing’. Linda, I’m grateful to you – and I still believe it! … More ‘Clearing’
This poem is about that often amusing dynamic between cats and dogs. The photo is of our cat Lucky, who died some years ago, aged seventeen. He was the inspiration for many poems, including this one. He took liberties, and puzzled our dogs in the process. Like Cat and Dog cat climb high up go where … More Like Cat and Dog
Thanks to the magazine Raceme for publishing this poem in its No. 4 edition. Watching a fly opened up the theme of mental entrapment – the way our thought-habits can keep us fettered, until we notice the ‘door’ … Mental Fly A fly buzzes against glass, taps hard, scribbles and dots up and down the … More Mental Fly
She was a dog who loved to play … Lleucu (August 2002 – June 2016)
I’m thinking about compassion today/joining with 1000 voices, speaking about/Compassion/that word we say/that can seem so easy// Com+passion/suffering with/Being prompted to alleviate the suffering of others./Bearing with another in their ordeal./The Golden Rule of doing unto others that which we would have done unto us./The potential of all humans:/to be/compassionate … And who are these others?/How far can we open … More Compassion
It’s early July and I’m writing this as our solar panels are being fitted. This means that there are sounds around me of men working – drills, loft-noise, ladders, whistling – and the voice of our dog, Lleucu, every so often, asking them to please play with her, squeaky toy proffered with her head cocked, … More ‘My writing process: a blog tour’ invited by Helen Moore, July 2014
