Some news etc.

Hello folks

I hope you’re finding moments of light and love in the too-muchness of the world right now.

This is my first attempt at a regular newsletter on Substack. Once a month seems like a reasonable commitment to begin with and the third Thursday seems like a sensible day to land on so let’s see how we get on…

Some places to catch me if you can…

Live Poetry Scenes - Push the Boat Out Festival (in person)

Push the Boat Out is a gorgeous poetry festival in one of my favourite cities. I’m going to be chatting about poetry scenes with Leyla Josephine, Jo Gilbert and Catherine Wilson Garry. If you’ll be in Edinburgh on Friday 24th November (1.30 pm), come along! Tickets via Summerhall Box Office.

How I Write - Arvon Masterclass (online)

The lovely folks at Arvon have invited me to do a ‘How I Write’ session. I’ll be reading from my collection Proof of Life on Earth and discussing my work as a poet and poetry editor. There’ll be a Q&A too. It’s free to sign-up. Wednesday 29 November, 7.15 pm.  

Some things to apply for (if you’re eligible)…

These opportunities are on my radar as things I might apply to, but it’s likely time will get away from me and I’ll miss the deadlines.

• The Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora Black Atlantic Residency - deadline 29 October

• identity on tyne The Black Nature in Residence Programme - deadline 31 October

• SI Leeds Literary Prize Space to Write Bursary - deadline 27 November

Some research I need to do…

The horrifying news coming out of Israel-Palestine this month has left me dumbstruck and unable to find the right words. The Hamas attack was an unspeakable act of terrorism - no struggle or resistance can justify the murder of innocents. Every life lost to violence - every life - is a tragedy.

But this atrocity doesn’t negate the plight of the Palestinians. The Israeli government’s declaration of war against Hamas is playing out as a devastating act of collective punishment against the Palestinian people. There must be a ceasefire and the international community must not allow the Israeli government to act with impunity in the name of self-defence. Every life lost to violence - every life - is a tragedy.

Listening to the testimony of survivors of the Hamas attack and those living in fear of airstrikes and forced migration in Gaza is harrowing. It’s impossible to feel anything other than helpless. One thing we can do though is speak out against anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the discourse around what is happening. Silence isn’t an option.

Neither is being uninformed or ill-informed. To begin with I’m listening to these BBC series Understand: Israel and the Palestinians and The Mandates. It’s a whistle stop and barely scratches the surface but it’s a start.

I'm also going to take a look at this reading list from Pluto Press, a radical publishing house who “proudly identify as anti-capitalist, internationalist and politically independent”. If anyone knows of other reading lists or has any suggested reading/listening, drop a note in the comments.

Something else that caught my attention today…

I want to end these newsletters on something new to me, something I feel glad to have stumbled across. This month it’s hip-hop dance theatre company Boy Blue.

Boy Blue’s latest show Free Your Mind - a reimagining of sci-fi classic The Matrix - is the opening show at Manchester’s latest arts venue Aviva Studios. It’s getting some good reviews but I don’t think I’ll get across to see it before the run ends. Instead, I’m making do with learning out about Boy Blue’s approach to creating work and watching their performances on YouTube.

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