ETHOS


I have been writing poetry for over half a century and it still strikes me as an odd business. A poem may take just minutes or several years to complete and there's no knowing until it's done. They may arrive fully formed with time to write them or, something unexpected happens and I scramble to record it. For this reason, I always carry a notebook and pencil to jot down ideas. In time the jottings may become poems revealing something to or about me. I think of them as seeds, messages to the future made in the moment


Many of my poems deal with issues of nature and the environment. They have been likened to John Clare's work which is a huge compliment. In recent years I have written more in the form of haiku, tanka and similar short-form poetry to capture the moment and provide food for thought. I enjoy performing/reciting poems with music (guitar, piano) at small festivals, open-mic evenings and at public events including Remembrance Sunday.


BOOKS


All these days are yours - my new collection of haiku, short poems and photographs will be out very shortly. And this time the photos are all in colour!. I just need to check the proof-copies and it will go live in hardcopy and kindle e-book. It follows the format of 365 - a book of days with haiku and/or a poem for each day of the year providing opportunities to pause, reflect and relax for a few moments.


I am still working on the Small Poems series - using the same format of photographs, haiku, fables and short poems with each book centred around a theme including birds, the sea, Christmas and, in the pipeline, Of the Land - my tribute to a farming friend and life in the country.


All books are available in print or as eBooks. All these days are yours and 365-a book of days are 6x9 inch printed books, the Small Poem series are limited edition 10cm square jewel-books printed to a very specific format. All books are also available as print-replica kindle downloads to read on iPads and smartphone. Print-replica maintains the format of each poem.



Click here to buy hardcopy books from my Etsy site


Click here to purchase Kindle eBooks

 

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All these days are yours


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Coming soon - a new collection of poems, haiku and thoughts spanning 2023

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Haiku and short poems written each day 'in the moment' to capture the year. They are a daily response to nature, landscapes, people and events in 2019. It was an eventful year with 10ins of snow on the night we were supposed to be hosting a music event for 100 people, I had a heart-attack whilst on holiday and the fallout from months of recouperation. On the bright side, I had more time to walk and watch the natural world around me!


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This collection of poems spans many years or writing from around 1975 to 2015. It is divided into three parts: The Mayfly consists of short poems and haiku reflecting places, people and events. The Hare and The Fox contain longer poems with lighter and darker themes respectively. Many of the poems are inspired by nature, the natural world and our place in it. To be published shortly.

Dust and Dreams

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This follows the same format of haiku and short poems and longer poems.The poems generally cover the years 2015 - 2019. To be published shortly.

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GIven the speed at which we live our lives it is easy to miss the little things that matter. This book of short poems and haiku captures and considers the world we sometimes miss or ignore.

 

These poems show that whether you are in the country, about town or commuting between there is always the chance to take a moment and pause to draw breath.

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Have you ever stopped to listen to a blackbird sing and then whistled a reply? Have you remarked upon the weather, the day’s events, or mentioned the toing and froing of others, people seen, or stories heard? If like me, you have done all these things then some of the tales in this little collection will strike a familiar chord.

 

In an increasingly virtual isolative world our connection to nature is waning. The real giving way to the unreal. But if you have a minute to listen, you will find the world is still there in these poems and fables told in the voice of one who sings for the simple joy of living.


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I co-edited (and contributed to) this excellent collection of poems about the destructive impact of the C19 Virus on the hard-pressed world of legal-aid lawyers. Many are on the brink of bankruptcy and/or breakdown due to decades of cutbacks. Despite this they still find time to smile and make others smile. All proceeds will go to the Law Centres Network, a charity that provides advice to people who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. Every sale is a bonus to the charity and its clients.

Published on 2 June 2020 by Legal Action Group it is available to Order HERE

It is also availabe on on Amazon HERE

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Much has been written about the sea, its immensity, untamed power and wild beauty, rather less about where sea and land meet and mingle quietly. These poems do not dwell on wilderness, storms, great ocean waves or intrepid expeditions. Instead, they deal with the infinite patience involved in wearing rock to sand, the change of colour or mood in sun and rain, the brush of a catspaw on still water, laughter and music drifting across a harbour like tobacco smoke.

 

Here are the small coastal scenes that change with the tide and the years and the itinerant folk that inhabit them as they go about their lives. Come with me and step into the water.

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Sixteen short poems for quiet reflection upon the Christmas story accompanied by unique photographs of flowers collected in the Holy Land following its liberations just before Christmas 2017. It is extraordinary how the colours still shine after more than a century.

 

Plus two new carols together with accompanying notation. Thou Holy Child is a lullaby for the infant Jesus. The Holly & The Ivy is based upon my favourite carol embodying the same ideas of Christanity and folklore.

Music and Poetry

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Over the years I have played flute, tabla, banjo and tenor guitar. I also write songs and sing sea-shanties.

 

In recent years I have been co-performing poetry with music featuring longer poems with accompaniment on flute, guitar, piano, clarinet and Northumbrian smallpipes. A group of us have now formed !nVerse to collaborate on poetry and music projects the first of which was opening the 2023 Winchester Poetry Festival. For more about !nVerse please go to @Inverse_Sound on Twitter.

Work in Progress


Natural Music

Continuing the theme of haiku and longer poems.

 

Mind the Gap

A collection of short humourous comments on commuting and the antics of commuters (including me).

 

Cathedrals

A long-term project with poems and haiku inspired by visits to cathderals and abbeys in the UK.

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After postponing the 2020 festival and a reduced hyrbid pandemic festival the 2023 event was a blast. Full of entertainment, colour, texture sound and people. It was great to be back!!