Christmas and New Year are now long gone and daylight is getting longer – always a hopeful sign that we will have spring in due course. My snowdrops are starting to emerge. I am looking forward to attending the Causley Trust Winter Warmer Poetry Retreat poetry next month run by Katrina Naomi and Fiona Benson. I have just ordered the Causley Trust t-shirt and Charles Causley’s Selected Poems from the Trust’s shop. A New Year’s treat! 

I spent my Christmas and New Year with my extended family in Khartoum Sudan. We had two major weddings which involved about three days of celebration each, with a lot of festive preparation including getting henna decoration on the hands. I attach a few photos. When I had a few quiet moments, I did pen a few draft poems so I plan to work on those in the next few weeks. If any reader would like a prompt, I suggest writing about a moment when you have enjoyed any aspect of a culture whether in the UK or in another country. 

I have two resolutions I would like to keep. Firstly, I know I need to spend more time working on each poem and challenge myself more. I should not be easily satisfied. Secondly, I need to read more regularly. I have bought so many poetry books to support fellow poets but don’t always sit down to fully read them. Reviewing contemporary pamphlets does mean I do read for that purpose, but I should spend time with the canon as well.   I quite often read when I am walking in the park by my house, which some people find odd – it is only possible on pathways not when I cut across grass as I might twist my ankle in a dip in the ground! I like reading on the move, so trains are good, but I am not doing so much train travel at present. 

At the beginning of each year, I look back on my last poetry year to see how many poems/articles/reviews I have had published. I am lucky to have had some success. I also consider how I have developed my practice. Last year, as well as taking on this blog, I also ran my first workshop so I do feel I have developed new skills. I also finished putting together my first full collection so I am now in the process of seeking a publisher for it; I was delighted to have this collection recently longlisted for the Cinnamon Literature Award. I found it very useful to have Sue Burge as a mentor for the final stages of the collection; she provided excellent and timely feedback on poems and the organisation of the collection. 

In the autumn I was following two series of workshops, one with John McCullough and one with Glyn Maxwell. I feel I need to consolidate the learning from these over the next few months and so will probably focus on doing a lot of editing and regrouping with just the occasional workshop on specific areas of interest. I wish everyone who reads this blog a productive writing (and/or reading) year in 2023.  

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