Reading at Needlewriters in Lewes in January

A date for your diary once we get the festivities out of the way: I'll be reading at Needlewriters in Lewes on 17th January at 7.45p.m.. The venue is upstairs at the John Harvey Tavern and tickets are five pounds. I'll be appearing alongside Ansy Boothroyd and Janet Sutherland, which should make for an interesting blend of voices. This will be my first chance to discover Ansy's work, but I've long admired Janet's poetry.

John Foggin's "Best of 2018" feature

Over at his Cobweb, John Foggin is currently running a "Best of 2018" feature. I'm delighted to report that not only has he chosen one of my poems, together with Kim Moore's comments on my work, but he's also paired me with Ian Parks, which is very much an honour. You can read the whole post for yourself here.

Poetry blog list - the annual update

On the back of my annual round-up of the best U.K. poetry blogs, I've now updated my Rogue Strands poetry blog list, which is to be found to the right of this post. The intention is to offer my readers a directory of all these excellent blogs. 

Their positions on the list vary in real time, always maintaining the most recent posts at the top, thus ensuring you won't miss a single post this coming year. Of course, my suggestion does lapse into the assumption you might have no other commitments whatsoever...!

The Best U.K. Poetry Blogs of 2018

This is Rogue Strands’ incomplete, partial and inevitably subjective round-up of “The Best U.K. Poetry Blogs” of 2018. There are several significant newcomers to the list, as we’ll see shortly, but this has mainly been a year of consolidation and development, as many blogs are progressing along with their writers, branching out, finding new focus or homing in on key concerns:

- Richie McCaffery has moved his blogging home from Copy Cats to The Lyrical Aye to reflect his move back from Belgium and the launch of his second full collection.

- Wood Bee Poet is Chris Edgoose’ new poetry blog. Serious, ambitious and packed with critical knowledge, his posts are worth discovering.

- Angela Topping’s blog might have been around for a fair while, but it only came to my attention this year. I’ve been missing out on a lot, as a browse of her archive soon shows.

- Rebecca Gethin’s blog is another to have caught my eye this year. Her wide range of featured poets provide a treasure trove of original work.

- Matthew Paul's blog might seem something of a journal at first sight, but it branches out and develops interesting arguments on a regular basis.

- Sue Ibrahim’s My Natural World is another newcomer to the list. Sue combines nature, photography and poetry in a personal blog that’s full of warmth.

- Giles Turnbull’s blog continues to be unique. This year he’s telling us his story of embarking on an M.A., living in student accommodation. This is made remarkable by the way Giles embraces the challenge of doing so in the context of his blindness.

- Liz Lefroy’s blog is the chronicle of a highly personal journey through life and poetry. Her posts move me, her poems deserve the platform of a full collection.

- John Field’ Poor Rude Lines keeps its powder dry for long periods, but every single one of its reviews is to be savoured, word by chiselled word.

- The Poetry School’s blog. The Poetry School pay their reviewers and bloggers, concentrating on up-and-coming critics. The results are excellent.

- The Rialto’s blog. Whether homing in on a specific poem from the magazine or discussing the editor’s art, The Rialto’s blog is always worth a read.

- Paul Stephenson’s blog. Paul’s interviews are exceptional. His generous self-effacement and close reading of this subjects’ poetry mean that he manages to draw out insightful replies to his scrupulously tailored questions.

- Helen Mort’s Freefall continues to chart her journey through life and poetry, interweaving wider issues with personal anecdote.

- Tim Love’s litrefs are irreverent and highly relevant. They look at poetry from an idiosyncratic, scientific perspective. U.K. poetry wouldn’t be the same without them.

- Martyn Crucefix’s blog demonstrates a keen critical eye. His annual reviews of the shortlisted books for the Felix Dennis Forward First Collection Prize have now become not just an institution but a point of reference and departure for debate.

- Kim Moore’s blog is personal, honest and an excellent reflection of the intensity with which Kim lives and writes.

-  As most people will already know, I’m completely objective when declaring that Helena Nelson’s weekly blog for HappenStance Press is essential reading, while her lists of poetry snags also offer a perfect excuse for many delicious debates on social media.

- Todd Swift’s name is inherently linked with Eyewear. This is the long-running blog that preceded the publishing house.

- Sonofabook is Charles Boyle’s blog. As such, it reflects the distinctive, thought-provoking furrow that he ploughs through U.K. poetry and literature in general.

- Abegail Morley’s Poetry Shed provides us with a point of departure for the discovery of untold poetic riches, be they calls for submissions, original poems or excellent reviews.

- Josephine Corcoran is indefatigable. Not only does she run And Other Poems and Trowbridge Stanza, while working as a poet in residence and giving regular readings from her excellent first full collection, but she also keeps her own personal blog.

- John Foggin’s cobweb  showcases excellent poets and sculpts personal posts of searing honesty, insight and emotion.

- Robin Houghton’s blog is a great place for newcomers to learn about the U.K. poetry scene. It’s packed with tips and anecdotes that remind us we’re not alone in the struggle for publication.

- The Stone and the Star is Clarissa Aykroyd’s poetry blog. She shares her discoveries with her readers and I regularly learn from her posts, with the inevitable consequence of buying yet more books.

- Katy Evans Bush’s Baroque in Hackney was always fabulously written. However, this year she’s moved on to Far Cry from Hackney, a chronicle of her courage and wit in the context of personal upheaval.

- Anthony Wilson’s posts are shot through with honesty and clarity of thought. He’s long been one of my favourite poetry bloggers.

- Roy Marshall’s blog has seen him progress from being a novice with a debut pamphlet to an established poet who's published two top-notch full collections. His posts reflect that progression and provide any beginner with a terrific role model.

- Emma Lee’s blog is a point of reference. She reviews, cajoles and challenges her readers on a regular basis. Again, highly recommended and a very useful resource for anyone who’s starting out in the U.K. poetry world.

- Sheenagh Pugh is one of the best-known poets in the U.K.. She might have published numerous collections, but her enthusiasm for poetry blogging is undiminished and contagious.

- George Szirtes uses his blog as a creative notebook, just as he often does with Facebook. It’s a revealing window into an inquisitive mind.

- Clare Best’s The Missing List is an outstanding memoir. Her blog reflects how her life feeds into her poetry and vice-versa.

- Peter Raynard’s Proletarian Poetry carries on ploughing its forthright furrow.

- Matt Merritt’s Polyolbion has been rejuvenated this year with a personal mixture of cricket, music, birdwatching and a wise perspective on poetry.

- Caroline Gill’s blog brings us personal anecdote and snippets of her poetic life.

- Jayne Stanton's blog, meanwhile, continues to tell her story. I do hope a full collection might be in the offing at some point…

And that’s the end of the 2018 list, together with renewed apologies to anyone I’ve missed out. As previously mentioned, I do know that horrible feeling of reading through a list, coming to the end and realising you’re not there.

I now just hope this post will hope you make some excellent discoveries. Poetry blogs are going from strength to strength, with a huge range of critical, original and anecdotal material out there. A word of warning, however: they’re highly addictive!

A postscript to Poetry in Aldeburgh

Over at the Poetry School blog, Danne Jobin has posted an excellent round-up of Poetry in Aldeburgh. I was especially pleased to read the following about my reading: 

"We were greeted with glasses of red at the door as it turns out that in addition to writing poetry, Matthew Stewart also blends wine he imports from Spain. Sipping while listening to Stewart’s wine-themed poems, I wondered whether we might concoct such synaesthetic poetry experiences more often."

Suffice to say, I couldn't agree more! You can read the round-up in full by following this link.