Author Archives: Michael Blackburn

About Michael Blackburn

Lecturer in English Literature and Creative Writing in the School of English and Journalism. Poet and writer.

The first issue of MISO magazine is available.

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The first issue of MISO magazine is now available. MISO is the literary magazine for creative writing undergrads, postgrads and recent graduates

Issue 1 includes interviews with Forward Prize-winning poet Emily Berry and Frank O’Connor Prize-winning short story writer Simon van Booy.

It also includes new writing from:

Marita Algroy – University of Roehampton
Jenna Clake – University of Birmingham
Aiden Clarkson – Keele University
Krishan Coupland – University of East Anglia
Kate Garrett – Sheffield Hallam University
Rachel Hyde – University of Kent
Rebecca McManus – University of East Anglia
Lotte Mitchell Reford – University of Glasgow
Michael Kealan Moore – National University of Ireland, Galway
Lynda Nash – University of Swansea
Yohann Okyemba-Ngassaki – University of Gloucestershire
Julianne Pachico – University of East Anglia
Joe Michael Payne – Bangor University
Naomi Poltier – University of Exeter
Hugh Thomas – University of Gloucestershire

To order a copy and to find out more about it go to MISO.

Being an author is like being a shark….

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russellBlake

Writing a book every five weeks:

“Being an author is like being a shark, you have to keep swimming or you die,” he says. “People don’t want to wait a year and a half for the next book in the series, they want instant gratification.”

Russell Blake in WSJ on his prolific book-writing career.

New poetry: Poetry of Hospitals and Waiting Rooms, Shirley Bell.

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poemsofwaitingrooms

New from redplantpress, Shirley’s latest collection of poems written during the time her husband was waiting for his triple heart bypass.

You can buy the book from Amazon here, and read more at Shirley’s blog. Any profits will go to the British Heart Foundation.

And while we’re at it – congratulations to Shirley on getting her MA in Creative Writing!

Free Poetry Books Society membership for students.

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The PBS has launched a free student membership, which is open to all UK higher education students, who can enrol by emailing or sending their proof of student identity to us.

Students can join online and contact will be via email. Once they have enrolled and logged in, student members will be able to view the online version of the Bulletin, our quarterly review of the best new poetry, in the restricted members’ area. They can also order books and receive their 25% members’ discount.

Read more at PBS.

Disruption 101 for Self-Publishers.

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The publishing industry is undergoing significant disruption. Amazon is pushing down book prices and controlling the point of sale. Self-publishers are flooding the market with cheap books, producing some very high quality work that competes with traditionally published books, and proving a new business model that may well lure authors away from traditional deals.

The level of disruption cannot be underestimated, and it’s going to have a significant impact on publishing as we currently know it.

Read more at Forbes.

Two poems by Susan Flower: “Homecoming” and “Bolsover Castle”.

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HOMECOMING

I take the Romany’s sprigged heather,
tuck its pink tight buds curled like
baby fists tight as a talisman,
blue with longing, into my bag.

I am pierced mid-flight
by a hint of traveller she sees
within – an Irish woman
on the grandmother side,

Ellen Glancy unschooled, catholic
in tastes and religion,
pawned her soul for potatoes
that lay rotting, bleeding
into darkened sod.

Her pilgrimage to England
and Alfred, then retracing steps
to Enniskillen for the wedding,
returning to peg washing
not in a whipped north-easterly
which cut the souls.

Back across grey waters
fretful and choppy, till her own
broke a tidal wave, her firstborn.
Homesick for emerald patches,
a mercurial sky tilting meniscus,
struggling for freedom.

Iron rain lashes my face,
her slashed smile a rent petticoat.
Merging the troubles one with another,
I take her hand in mine,
it lies still but warm, without
need for words.

*****

BOLSOVER CASTLE

I stride the battlements; crenelated Portland stone,
Sheer five hundred feet below grassy fields.

A twenty-mile fish-eye panorama of peaks;
Arkwright’s Sutton Hall, Bess’s glass Hardwick.

Beyond receding greens to softened hues, greys
Through anthracite, slate, to a sooty-blue meniscus

The wind moans the miles, traps whispers in
An ancient avenue of limes to the riding stables, keep.

I descend eroded limestone steps, scoured clean
By tides of serfs; stranded in landlocked Derbyshire.

by Susan Flower (alumna 2010-2011)

The Black Path free literary event, Wed 23 October.

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Don’t forget that there will be a free reading of work from The Black Path by last year’s students on the MA Creative Writing course.

The reading will take place in MC0025, 12.00 – 1.00, Wednesday 23 October (2013). Work will include poems, flash fiction and extracts from longer pieces.

Everyone welcome.

Poetry & Audience: 60th birthday celebration at Leeds University.

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P&A sculpture1

Prof John Whale with the sculpture bequeathed to the editors of P&A magazine in its early days.

P&A sculpture3

Saturday, 19 October, 2013

Editors past and present, together with various poets, magazine editors and current students gathered at the School of English at Leeds University to celebrate 60 years of Poetry & Audience.

Poetry & Audience is one of the longest-running poetry magazines in the UK and owes its longevity as much to the frequently crisis-driven student-owned nature of its existence as to the commitment of the School of English. It also forms an integral part of the strong literary tradition of Leeds, which includes JRR Tolkien and poets such as Geoffrey Hill, James Kirkup, Tony Harrison, Ken Smith, Jeffrey Wainwright, Jon Glover, William Price (“Bill”) Turner, Paul Mills and many others.

The anniversary involved a roundtable discussion of poetry magazine publishing, readings by P&A poets and editors and individual accounts of the history of P&A (Michael Blackburn, Elaine Glover, John Goodby, Emma Must, Chris Nield, Antony Rowland, Jeffrey Wainwright).

The event was hosted by Prof John Whale, with sessions chaired by Fiona Becket, Hannah Copley and Emily Timms (who also arranged an exhibition of P&A materials). Many thanks to all of them and anyone who I’ve forgotten to mention.

Participants: Michel Blackburn, Carole Bromley, Elaine Glover, Evan Jones, Paul Maddern, Adam Piette, John Goodby, Jay Parker, Christie Oliver-Hobley, Sarah Webster, Amy Ramsey, Mick Gidley, Elaine Glover, Emma Must, Antony Rowland, Jeffrey Wainwright, Hannah Copley, Eleanor Ford, Daniel Boon.

Current and former students of Lincoln may want to submit work to P&A, of course.