Recent(ish) pubs
 

My poem "The Pastor" was recently published by Ekstasis Magazine: https://www.ekstasismagazine.com/poetry/2022/the-pastor

My poem "It was an October Day" has been adapted into lyrics for composer Frank Horvat's "Fractures" song cycle, developed in conjunction with soprano Meredith Hall. Meredith is currently doing small workshop performances of the pieces; they will all be recorded as a CD in 2023. You can read Frank's announcement here.

And finally, my two poems, "Weaning" and "The Sleeper", have recently been published in Antilang's 2021 anthology. They were first published online a year ago (link) but now I can actually hold them in my hands in the print version! I can't attach a pic here, but there are some on my blog.

I love 'The Pastor' - it's a beautiful poem - full of life details that make it real, and full of wonder and interest, both in the role of the Pastor/ their humanity and the sense that they are the link with God but will they be around/pick up (that's my reading).

The wider work around fracking sounds super-interesting and that whole project wonderful. I hope you post a link to the album when it's released.

And how lovely to e-meet you on your blog. Your children have AMAZING names, and what lovely poems in the anthology.

Sarah-Jane

Oh dear, I hope you won't be too disappointed to find out that those are pseudonyms! I have Strong Opinions about children and internet privacy, so I don't use their real names and I don't show their faces. They can have a real online presence when they're old enough to decide what it will be.

I'll definitely post a link to the Fractures album when it's released. It's funny; I don't really have any strong opinions about fracking vs other methods -- but I had a poem that fit the general brief when Frank called for submissions. (My poem is about the heartbreak of being casually overlooked by the beloved.)

Frank and I have collaborated before; earlier this year he set my poem "Helianthus" to music for SSAA choir. (It's reproduced on the last page if you click through to the score.) We were both looking to make some sort of artistic response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that's what came out.

This is, in fact, one of those poems drawn directly from my life -- if the details feel real, it's precisely because they are!

I agree with you. I thought twice about posting that comment here about your children (then thought, well, if she's sharing that on her blog and linking then she mustn't mind).

Helianthus is beautiful - really beautiful. It is going straight in my bookmarks folder.

Sarah-Jane