PHILIP BURTON

Biography

LONGER CV Philip Burton lives in Bacup, Lancashire. His wife is a Primary school teacher. They have five children. Philip was Born in Dunfermline in 1945 and raised in Ramsgate, Kent. He has been a Primary school head teacher in Lancashire. These days he is often to be found, as Pip The Poet, providing poetry days to children aged 4-14 Britain’s foremost literary quarterly, Stand, included a sequence of three of his poems in September 2003. He was runner-up in the Manchester Cathedral International Religious Poetry Competition in 2003. His poem, Blessed-fair Sonnet, won The Hammicks National Poetry Day Prize in Liverpool in 2002. Five of his poems were included in the Crocus Peace Anthology in the same year. He was a winner of the Lancaster litfest Poetry Competition in 2005. In 1998 and again in 2009 he was short-listed for The Kent and Sussex Open Poetry Competition, and for the Thetford and Wymondham Annual Poetry Competition in 1999. In Spring 2001, Exile awarded a commendation to Finger of Clay. His poem, waxing wise, won second prize in the Poetry Nottingham International Members and Subscribers Winter Competition. January 02. His poem Needle was voted a second place by the Issue Choice jury of Manifold 40; and, more recently, Frankincense won third place, and Clove was tenth, in their Spice poem competition. Three hundred and sixty of his poems have been published, during the last eleven years, in a range of literary magazines, including: Stand, P.N. Review, Manifold, Orbis, Envoi, Brando's Hat, The Frogmore Papers, The Swansea Review, Poetry Nottingham International, Other Poetry, Links, Prism International (Canada), and Troubadour (USA). His first chapbook collection, The Raven's Diary, published by Joe Publish, was greeted with enthusiasm on both sides of The Irish Sea. Six other chapbooks and a first collection have followed. Admirers of his work include Michael Schmidt, Derrick Buttress, and Don Paterson. He was hailed by Rosie Rogosie as "a new voice come to Manchester", and appeared in 2000 on the same bill as Adrian Mitchell at The Burnley Arts Festival 2000. Guest Poet slots have included: Manchester Poets, Chorlton: The White Hart, Todmorden: and Live at The Trades, Haslingden. Fourteen of his poems for children have been published in major anthologies. Steve Rudd, Managing director of The Kings England Press, (publisher of the phenomenally successful Gez Walsh) said of the collection The Treasure Shop, "..…cries out for a national publisher." He is available for performances. Tel. 01706 876089 e-mail>burtophil@hotmail.com

Samples

Poetry in a nutshell PHILIP BURTON Write poems on the back of postage stamps my tutor said. Short, stamp-like, emblematic things with perforated edges: poems ripped from the soul. So, when I’m in a funny mood, I do. I send them to select magazines. The poem is under the stamp on the envelope, with a copy under the stamp on the sae. I always twist The Queen’s head slightly. The editor writes back Where’s your poem? And I reply, ‘You should look below the surface. Anyway, thanks for sending it back to me.’ Sometimes I get a rejection slip. We have read your work with great interest. And I think, Steamed it off, did you? And gummed it back, at the same slight angle? We imply no criticism of your poetry but our little magazine is ram jammed full just now with poems we’ve no time to actually read. Me? I’m publishing my first book of stamps. Available everywhere. So, if you get a letter with a slightly crooked stamp, steam it off and read it. It’ll be one of mine. Publishing note Poetry Nottingham International included ‘Poetry in a Nutshell’ in Issue 54/1, March 2000. Antrin Lichtnin PHILIP BURTON A tame idea to have, that wildlife would hunker down and - like model folk in the military town behind the bridal white neck of canal – defer to the veil of spotless rain soon to hide Ben Bahn, Ardgour, far away Mull. But no. Above the scumble of heather - needling in on covert wings like Venus viewed through conifer a prey bird plummeted onto cold fallow like a blown kiss - the great gold nape, apotheosis of pride. Then the ruck of talon on fur pre-chilled in the stubborn glen, the slow metronomic flap again of force majeure then to high Gulvain through soft confetti Highland rain. Publishing Note Antrin Lichtnin is published in Stand, # September 03 A Word to The Unwise Philip Burton Who gave the name of ‘rape’ to the dainty oil-seed? Rapum, Latin word for turnip. Why mislead? Lucus, Latin for the woodland shade, came to mean the obverse: ‘light’, instead. So lucus a non lucendo is a word-made-paradox, a knowing word, a deceitful etymon, a fox in hounds’ clothing with a double-cross in each eye. He takes his alter ego everywhere. As an alibi. In the pseudonymity of ‘English Public School’ ‘Public’ doesn’t play the game at all. Public? Oh come on! But the derivation of the name reveals, like Briar Fox, its true bacon. The sense of ‘Public’, intended by its eponym, pricks old-boys to public service. The antonym, ‘private’, leaps to attention in this more democratic age whereas, before, it must have fallen through the page, the rich were raised so far above the poor. Publishing Note P.N. Review included 'A Word to the Unwise' and 'Come Day in Issue 130. One Philip Burton Schooled at Sherborne, One tried to put a curb on me North, or, as he would prefer, mouth. I wondered why One one’d. I’s tightly shunned. Different source, old boy. Yours? H.P.? Mine? Soy. My o’s were solid ow’s. We came to blows, had rows. I started dropping h’s that/which I hadn’t done for ages. I taught One to spit. One taught me that caps fit but blokes don’t need to, and how to practically joke. He became a real bruv, but died behind the wheel in his Mini van phase. One did in those days. Publishing Note One appears in Poetry Nottingham International, #Spring 2004.

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