Poet·ings

Hello folks

I’ve migrated! Well, more specifically, my newsletter has. So long Substack, and hello beehiiv! The interface is similar so I’m hoping it’ll still be relatively easy to write and send out.

I’m trying out a different name too - Poet·ings. It’s a contraction of ‘poetry things’ as well as the verb that some of us poets use to describe what we do. I can’t decide if it’s too wanky. I’ll see how it fits for the next month or so.

Some thoughts on… managing expectations

I’m off to see Withnail & I at the Birmingham Rep with two of my sisters in a few weeks. I absolutely adore the film so I’m doing my best to manage my expectations. Is it even possible for anyone to embody the title roles as brilliantly as Richard E Grant and Paul McGann did?

Trying to find that balance between anticipation and reality is often difficult. Perhaps it’s not quite knowing how to live in the moment. Or maybe it’s not knowing how to manage my feelings when an experience is different to how I imagined it. Not necessarily worse, just different. I’ve spoiled many a holiday by dwelling on what it might have been rather than what it actually was.

I am quite hopeful about this adaptation though. I think I actually squealed with excitement when Robert Sheehan was announced as playing Withnail. It seems like inspired casting. I just need to remember - I’m more than quarter of a century older than when I first saw the film. I’m at a completely different stage of life. The play might not have the same impact on me. Who knows.

What I do know is that I get a rare night out with my sisters and I can’t wait for that!

Some places where I’ll be poeting…

In person: I’ll be doing a response piece to gobscure’s hope is a four letter word at Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle on 27th April. The show starts at 1pm and I’ll be doing my thing mid-way through the performance. I haven’t written it yet so I’m curious to see what will manifest when I sit down to write this weekend.
Venue: Alphabetti Theatre, St James Boulevard, Newcastle NE1 4HP

Online: I’m experimenting with YouTube. It’s such a frightening prospect that I’m taking small steps and keeping my videos unlisted, for now at least. That means only folks I give a link to can watch.

If you follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn, you’ll have seen this particular Withnail inspired poem already.

Something else that caught my attention…

The other night, I started watching Ripley, the latest adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley. I made it halfway through the first episode before realising it wasn’t exactly bedtime viewing. It’s an understatement to say that Andrew Scott’s Ripley is a deeply disturbing character. One reviewer described the series as “a work of art about a nasty piece of work”. Right now I don’t fancy sharing my sitting room with him.

Ripley also features the insanely talented Johnny Flynn, as Dickie Greenleaf. Flynn is also an incredible musician. He wrote the theme tune for The Detectorists, which is every bit as gorgeous as his song The Water (from the album Been Listening).

A few years ago someone pointed out that water is a recurring theme in my poetry. I hadn’t realised until they did! There’s something inherently poetic in its properties, the fact that it is life-giving and cleansing. But it also has the power to deluge and destroy. It’s also a brilliant metaphor for love and relationships.

That’s all from me for now. Thanks for reading.