Nice and neat - very enjoyable!

Comment is about Raising The Dead (blog)

Phew!!! Lynn, you had me worried there for a minute! Good stuff. xx

Comment is about Dream Job (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Ann I really liked the weekday idea for the unicorn poem. It sets it into a time frame that still seems brief but has a longer feel. I think had I done it I would have spoken to the unicorn a little too.

Great work,

Graham

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

But from what I hear, they wouldn't play it on
the radio if he sang it. You just can't win, can you?! :-)

Comment is about SANTA'S SATNAV (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

More please! The world needs it.

Comment is about Jolly Fun (with apologies to Charles Causley) (blog)

Original item by Fifi Fanshawe

Hi, Isobel, my memories are eating the creation on the way home with my friends and finding that my mum was hoping for it to add to our tea. She was always an optimist.

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

What a great picture you paint Jane - I could feel myself icing up. Lovely use of language and repetition and great to see you back on here! xx

Comment is about Jack Frost's Army (blog)

Original item by jane wilcock

It’s an interesting point you make Steve. Are we as a society more tolerant of women ogling naked men, than men ogling naked women? I’ve been giving that one some thought and think that we possibly are.

I think that’s because women are more tongue in cheek about it. On the whole, they need more than just a body to be turned on. The personality and the chemistry are of equal importance, whereas very many men seem able to function at just a physical level. Is there even a commercial market for naked male calendars – somehow I doubt it – in what workplace have you ever seen one?

I think accentuating the reaction to male calendars is a natural for most feminists – which I consider myself to be. It’s a way of having a laugh and saying – hey we are equal in all this – so we can behave like you. I doubt any of us would ever sneak off to the lavs with one though...

I’m not sure what you are referring to with your ‘narcissism’ comment. We are all narcissists to some extent – particularly us performance poets. The moment we set foot on a stage we are seeking attention. By leaving your comment you were seeking attention and I am seeking attention by responding to you.

The poetry in the calendar is truly beautiful. If 12 naked men help to bring it to a wider non poet audience, that’s all the better, to my mind - all the money raised for charity being an added bonus.

Comment is about Calendar boys: Write Out Loud at the naked launch (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I rather think she might have sat us together if we'd been in the same class then :)

I remember making one other thing, possibly in the next year up. A grey school skirt. Everything had to be usable for us to invest the money in it - white shirt, grey skirt was the uniform. That was embarrasing because it was made in lots of panels and the stitching started to undo as I was wearing it so you could see through in various parts...

Most of my friends got to make Baycity Roller's bomber jackets which looked a lot more exciting - luckily I wasn't too much of a fan!

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Our sewing teacher was built like a brick shithouse, and she used to get so impatient with me she'd literally shove me off the chair onto the floor. The cow.

Yeh - tacking. You even had to use different cotton for it. I also spun out making a garment over a year. It was meant to be a babydoll nightie (which I raised concerns over cos it was useless in our freezing house) - I got to the end of the year managing only to have cut out the fabric and tacked it. :D

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Dave - it was lunchtime ;p

Comment is about Man Flu (blog)

Original item by Dave Carr

running round as family are mostly ill at the moment, but life's good.. hoping to get chance to do some more blogging soon as i have a few new poems on the way to being done (and several on the way to be published).. Perks of being a man of lesire - lol

Comment is about Kath Hewitt (poet profile)

Original item by Kath Hewitt

Made me smile, liked it a lot xx

Comment is about Jolly Fun (with apologies to Charles Causley) (blog)

Original item by Fifi Fanshawe

'Editing Ted' - what an awesome thought...

I am just so sorry I couldn't make this, Julian - if only to make the acquaintance of Fifi Fanshawe! What a belting name - you must come up North, Fifi and treat us to some of the humour I read about on your profile page.

It sounds like you all had a great time. I love Elvis's jacket - I've got a mini skirt in that tartan...

Is there no chance of doing something like this for a week-end?

Comment is about Performance or page? Meeting of minds at Lumb Bank (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Must admit, Ray.. that's the stanza i have been thinking bout too - thanks for pointing it out.. I'll have a think..

Comment is about Now and then (blog)

Original item by Andy N

Great writing Steve. some lovely imaged. made me put my collar up and hunker down just reading it. Win

Comment is about The Wind in The Chimney (blog)

Original item by STEVE RUDD

Well done - glad it went well x

Comment is about Performance or page? Meeting of minds at Lumb Bank (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi Cate

Cheers for your note on Break The Loop. Like lots of kids I got bullied from the get go. Also had incredibly difficult problems with my daughter, who is gay, and was badly bullied by pretty much the entire school for the last 2 years of her school life.

The school refused to recognise it as homophobic bullying, didn't do a thing about it, it wasn't covered in the school bullying policy either. So I took it to the LEA and we pushed for over a year to get the problem recognised and dealt with. Eventually, after having to threaten them with legal action, using the excellent resources at Schools Out, and making complaints to the police, they relented, accepted it, changed the policy to include homophobia, and also introduced the subject in two community classes. Could have done with someone like you on our side back then!

Comment is about Cate (poet profile)

Original item by Cate

I can't do the next Tudor, but I'll make it my New Year resolution to do January. Probably see you at the BOMPs launch though.

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

I really enjoyed myself! Everyone was absolutely lovely, and I must have learnt something! (How to cook carrots in ginger beer for example - maybe not the highlight of the week!) :)

Comment is about Performance or page? Meeting of minds at Lumb Bank (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Yeehaa! Ta folks. x

Comment is about unicorn (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

I am going to tell everyone I wrote this!
Magnifico! (That's an ice-cream).
Just one deficiency...
.....no audio!

Comment is about Man Flu (blog)

Original item by Dave Carr

Lovely poem, Shirley.
Nice to see you still posting.

Comment is about My Lifeboat (blog)

Original item by Shirley Smothers

FOXY!!!
I didn't know whether I was coming or going! I get confused when there's a knife and a fork, let alone 3 Foxys.
It reminded me of "Head 'em up, move 'em out, move 'em out, head 'em up, head 'em up move 'em out, Rawhide".
Other than that...
lovely poem.

Comment is about unicorn (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Ha ha! Yes - I was practising the mock abashed look with wry twist of smile that Cynthia picked up on :) I think I perfected it on the next photo along!

Comment is about Roving reviewer Isobel Malinowski (photo)

Move over, Sir Cliff. This is the Christmas No 1 for sure.

Comment is about SANTA'S SATNAV (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Crumbs - the memories just keep flooding back. I can remember hating needlework also. I remember having to tack everything before you sewed it and it seemed like you were doing the same boring job twice for no good reason - a couple of pins should have held it in place well enough....I can remember making one garment that I spun out for the whole year. It was a white shirt that ended up grey by the time it was finished.

The teacher hated me because I was so useless at the practical side but a straight A student when it came to the written paper. It was all so easy - just a question of remembering what the bits on a machine were called and the different types of cotton thread... It made her look a bit silly on the report though.

Happy days eh? Thanks again for the comments - Stella, Laura,Dave, everyone. xx

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Fantastic! Loved it. And enjoyed your previous too, which I'd missed

Comment is about Love Is What You Need (blog)

Original item by Tom

Hi Roy.

We liked this poem a lot.

best regards
thank you.

Comment is about Everyone Wins (blog)

really nice poem!

Comment is about Love Is What You Need (blog)

Original item by Tom

this is the best thing youve written so far, your last one was just a bit short.
this is perfect, let that go to your head, dissillusionment is the fall after the pride. x

Comment is about Careless (blog)

Couldn't agree more - it was a brilliant week. Thanks to *everybody* who made it happen. Next time this course is offered, grab a place with both hands. To paraphrase Elvis McGonagall:

Welcoming, relaxing, engaging,
Adaptive, instructive, creative,
Caring, daring, sharing,
Showing, surprising, supporting,
Learning, laughing, living,
Writing, listening, performing,
Fun, fun, fun.

Comment is about Performance or page? Meeting of minds at Lumb Bank (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi Thom,
Enjoyed this! A bit philosophical/mystical,but with a positive vibe! Keep it up!

Comment is about Love Is What You Need (blog)

Original item by Tom

I don't know what C.E.R.N. means? But I'm sure your right! haha.

Comment is about This Poem Has Nothing To Say (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

I seem to recall "Vulcan" pulling the up "Merchant Venturer". I think the location of the engine sheds was relevant to the lines
the Brits were employed on.

Comment is about 7 O'Clock Brit (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Yaay!!

Comment is about Hara (winner) and Elaine (guest poet) (photo)

Hara showing her surprise at being joint winner of the notable poem of the night!!...

Comment is about Poet's Corner (photo)

Oh that's a lovely pic..

Comment is about Elaine and John (photo)

:o))

Comment is about Best venue in world, Glassfire's Bar Hoylake 2011 (photo)

Oh Isobel the look on your face is precious..

Comment is about Roving reviewer Isobel Malinowski (photo)

Hereward the Wake
William Wordsworth
Alfred the Great
William Shakespeare
Apollo
Oliver Cromwell (the one pictured)
There's a list on Wikipedia.
My first Ian Allen cost me 11/6 - a fortune and about 12 weeks paper money!

Comment is about 7 O'Clock Brit (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

I am enjoying your stuff Ritchie/Martin person..thanks for your comment on being in neither one place or the other..took note of what you said..cheers :)

Comment is about Richie Muster (poet profile)

Original item by Richie Muster

I remember one called John of Gaunt I think? great nostalgia John

Comment is about 7 O'Clock Brit (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Terrific! This is romance that many men
(like me, for instance) have no difficulty
enjoying. A love song to that age when steam trains seemed to possess a life of their own
and Ian Allen (give that man a Knighthood!) was
familiar to men and boys across the land. I
spent many an hour on Bath Spa station (GWR),
and the highlights were "The Bristolian"
(non-stop between London and Bristol) and "The
Merchant Venturer". And if either was headed by a "Brit", it was the icing on this train-spotter's cake. I used to stand at the end of the up platform dwarfed by those 6ft 6ins
driving wheels while breathing in the smell of
oil and steam: a perfume that boys knew before
puberty! Ah...what memories. Well done, J.C.
- this would surely find its way into one of the many magazines now published that cater for the "steam buff".

Comment is about 7 O'Clock Brit (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Oh those Domestic Science Classes..arghh..we had a prissy little woman who I couldn't stand coz she like Lorraine Heatherington better than any of us..so I bunked off DS and double maths and went out for lunch each Wednesday..Your write brought many memories back.. :)

Comment is about Domestic Science (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Just bloody wonderful and had me re-reading it over to aprreciate again..I too would love to hear this at the Tudor..

Great stuff.. :D

Comment is about Man Flu (blog)

Original item by Dave Carr

nope not rubbish at all..

Those last two verses, aww Ray really imaginative.

Comment is about Raising The Dead (blog)

Good poem, Shirley, enjoyed.

Comment is about My Lifeboat (blog)

Original item by Shirley Smothers

Thanks for commenting Cate. When is there going to be more from you? x

Comment is about Cate (poet profile)

Original item by Cate

A very strong and thought provoking poem Laura. The first four lines resonated with me particularly as I was anti bullying co ordinator for many years in a school. Breaking the loop can be very hard to do for most children as they live in fear of reprisal from the bullies if they tell, and as you point out it is an ongoing loop to perpetrate on others what has been done to themselves.
Most schools are well aware of the problem these days, and appoint an arbitrator to deal with such problems. I would love to have had this poem to discuss with my children if I was still dealing with this.
Cate xx

Comment is about Break The Loop (blog)

Original item by Laura Taylor