Congratulations to Frank McMahon and Iris Anne Lewis who both have work published in the fifth ‘Christmas and Winter’ edition of the Black Bough anthology.

​The book features over 40 writers from across the world and is beautifully illustrated by Gower-artist, Emma Bissonnet. Black Bough specialises in short, imagist poetry and this anthology focuses on seasonal poems – crisp, chilly autumns descending into the darkness of winter and the fiery light of festivals. Many of the poems are highly personal, delving into childhood, nostalgia, loss and simple human joy.

​​​​​The anthology is £8 for paperback, or £13.99 for hardcover and is available ​​here.

You can read Frank’s poem ‘Winter Scribe’ by clicking here​​.

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Tina Baker was inspired to write this month’s poem, ‘ The Weight of Nectar,’ after a visit to one of the beautiful sunflower fields in the Cotswolds. 

“On that day,” she said, “the bees were numerous and oblivious to anything but their task. They seemed possessed. This reminded me of someone I once knew and that led to wondering about destiny and just how much control we really have in our lives.” 

Tina began writing as a young child then, as an adult, headed into the world of publishing (non-fiction) and event organisation. She has written plays, short stories and poetry and recently embarked on a second novel. You can read ‘The Weight of Nectar’ by clicking here.

Success for poets Iris Anne Lewis and Frank McMahon, who both have work published in the latest edition of Steel Jackdaw, a quarterly online arts magazine that aims to promote creative expression and positive purpose. To find out more or to purchase edition 15, click here.

Our prose piece this month is ‘History’ by Alan Passey. Alan has been writing and making up stories for most of his life. He’s amazed at how little has survived despite having a loft full of boxes. As a young man, his reaction to sitting his GCE Chemistry exam was to write a poem and submit that instead of wrestling with the Periodic Table. He wasn’t given his poem back. Since then, poetry and short stories have slotted in between the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and the travails of ordinary life. He had some success with publication in the 90s but sadly failed to build upon it.

In 2012, Alan began blogging at singlemaltmonkey.com and soon found himself on the front page of WordPress. An honour which brought him short-term international recognition and thousands of views in a matter of days. His 15 minutes of fame had begun but quickly came to an end when a comedian on Radio 4 pinched his tagline – “another sandwich-related injury”.

Alan still blogs, writes poetry and short stories, and dreams of becoming the new Raymond Carver. ‘History’ can be read by clicking here.

Sophie Livingston was thrilled to hear that her short story ‘Hawk in a High Flown Nest’ had been shortlisted for this year’s Bridport Prize.The Bridport is among the most prestigious awards in the literary calendar and attracts entries from around the world. This year’s short story judge was Wendy Erskine, who described judging the competition as ‘a privilege and actually surprisingly moving.’

Book Launch

The historic surroundings of the Friends Meeting House  in Cirencester was the venue for the launch of Iris Anne Lewis’s first poetry collection Amber. Former member of Somewhere Else, Gill Garret also launched her latest collection The Photo I Didn’t Take at the event. ‘It was lovely to share the stage with Gill,’ said Iris. We were both thrilled that well-known Cheltenham poets, Angela France and Anna Saunders, supported our joint launch by reading some of their poems to the packed audience.

The two newly launched collections acted as a foil for each other with their different subject matters and approaches. The Photo I Didn’t Take reflects on the small, seemingly insignificant aspects of lives, places and events whereas Amber enables the reader to experience deepest history, myth and private emotional worlds. Or, in the words of a classical music lover in the audience, Gill’s poetry is like chamber music, whereas Iris’s resembles a full-bodied symphony.

Both books are available on Amazon. The Photo I Didn’t Take can be found here, and Amber can be found by clicking here or by going on the “publications” section of our website.

 

Frank McMahon read his poem ‘Reverberations’ at the Gloucestershire Writers Network prize-giving on Sunday 13th of October, as part of the Cheltenham Literary Festival. The competition theme was ‘Weather,’ and Frank’s poem shared the joint runner-up prize with two local poets.

“Earlier this year Frank published his third book of poems, “The Light will Always Return.” Available by clicking here or going to the “publications” section of the Somewhere Else Writers website.

Do go to hear Frank McMahon reading his poem ‘Reverberation’ at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this Sunday, 13th October, at the Regency Hotel at 7.15 p.m. The event features winners and runners-up in the respected Gloucestershire Writers Network annual competition, this year judged by Michael Johnstone and David Ashbee.