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Available now: Poems from the Edge of England
My first book of poetry is now available from Amazon, for the bargain price of £6.33. Continue reading
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A Bag of Air
A poem in defence of football. Performed at ‘A Load of Poets’ in 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 11th April 2024. Continue reading
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The Horsepower of Love
A sonnet about a man who falls in love with his car. Performed at ‘A Load of Poets’ in 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 11th April 2024. Continue reading
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World Poetry Day
Poem written on World Poetry Day, 21st March 2024. Performed at Mo’s Lounge, Hastings that evening. Continue reading
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The Taxman Cometh
A poem inspired by the Budget. Performed at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 14th March 2024. Continue reading
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The Quiet Art of Waiting
Performed at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 14th March 2024. Continue reading
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Live at The Brewery Tap, Sudbury
A 20-minute set at a poetry gig in Suffolk Continue reading
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Does a dragonfly weigh more than your soul?
A Quatern. Performed at Poetry for the People, Royal Victoria Hotel, Hastings on 8th March and at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 14th March 2024. Continue reading
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Imagine There’s No Countries [sic]
Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mich night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 8th February 2024. Continue reading
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Uncle Jack
Perfomed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 8th February 2024. Continue reading
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My Own Eulogy
A workshop challenge written in ten minutes at Hastings Writers Group meeting, 22/1/2024. Set by Evie King, author of Ashes to Admin. Continue reading
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Message in a Bottle
NASA are sending a probe to Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa, which might sustain some sort of life. Members of the public can have their names inscribed on the probe. I performed this poem at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 11th January 2024. Continue reading
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A Trip to the Barber
Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 11th January 2024. Continue reading
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A Child’s Christmas in the ‘Seventies
Festive nostalgia, with apologies to Dylan Thomas for the title. I performed this at the ‘A Load of Poets’ Christmas party at 1200 Postcards on 14th December 2023. Continue reading
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Ringing Out the Old
A sad festive poem. I performed this at the ‘A Load of Poets’ Christmas party at 1200 Postcards on 14th December 2023. Continue reading
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Fairytale of Hastings
A poem for the late, great Shane McGowan. Performed (with Della Reynolds reading the female part) at the Jenny Lind in Hastings on 2nd December 2023. Continue reading
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Trust a Trader
A poem inspired by a friend who needed a hole in her ceiling repairing, and found the plasterer she needed on a dating app. Performed at the Jenny Lind, 2nd December 2023. Continue reading
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Bloody Poets
A glimpse of the personal lives of the great poets. Performed at the Jenny Lind, 2nd December 2023. Continue reading
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NaNoWriMo 2023 at Barnaby’s: The Zarrow Shuffle
I took part in National Novel Writing Month as part of a group based at Barnaby’s wine bar on Robertson Street in Hastings. Continue reading
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A Load of Poets at the Jenny Lind
I performed at the Jenny Lind as part of the A Load of Poets’ ‘Yule Love It’ festive takeover. Continue reading
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Never Again
Poem performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 9th November 2023 Continue reading
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Zen Garden
An elegy for someone who won’t be missed. Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 9th November 2023. Continue reading
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Animals or Angels?
A poem performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 12th October 2023. Continue reading
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Regrets
Poem performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 12th October 2023. Continue reading
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Caribbean Hustle
This short story is my entry in the Hastings Writers Group’s 2023 Catherine Cookson Cup competition. Continue reading
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Hastings Book Festival – Poetry Open Mic
On 15th September 2023 I performed two poems at the Hastings Book Festival. Continue reading
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The Closest Thing to Heaven
This is a short story submitted to a Hastings Writers Group’s ghost story competition. Read at the HWG meeting on 18th September 2023. Continue reading
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Nine to Five Skive
Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 14th September 2023. Continue reading
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An Army of Poets
A bit of fun inspired by the ‘A Load Of Poets’ all-dayer at the Jenny Lind, 9th September 2023. Performed at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 14th September 2023. The headliner was freestyle rap poet, Gramski. Continue reading
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I Fell in Love with the Great British Pub
Performed at the Jenny Lind pub in Hastings, England, 9th September 2023. For the Poetryheads, this is in the form of three sonnets. Continue reading
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Addiction Anniversaries
Performed at the Jenny Lind pub in Hastings, England, 9th September 2023. Continue reading
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Don’t Buy a Cottage Too Close to a Cliff
Inspired by a true story. I performed this poem at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 9th March 2023, and also (by heart) at the all-dayer ‘afterparty’ on 9th September 2023. This poem came equal third in the Hastings Writers’ Group competition for a cautionary poem, May 2023,… Continue reading
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Just the Three of Us
I performed this poem at the ‘Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards in Hastings on the 12th January 2023. Continue reading
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Barbecues are for Flies
This was a Hastings Writers Group competition entry on the theme of ‘My Unpopular Opinion.’ It was awarded 3rd place by the external judge, journalist and author Kathryn Flett. Continue reading
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Barry’s Barbecue
Performed at ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, England on 10th August 2023. Continue reading
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Kings of the Water
I read this short story to the Hastings Writers Group at their ‘manuscript evening’ on 3rd July 2023. Published by Spillwords Press, New York, 10th September 2023. Continue reading
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Strange Delivery
Performed at ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 8th June 2023. Based on a true story. Continue reading
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The Visitor
Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 8th June 2023. Continue reading
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1200 Postcards
Based on a true story. Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 10th August 2023. Continue reading
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Behind Every Great Man
This piece is intended to be performed on the radio or by other audio-only means. It was performed by Tom Barron for me at Hastings Writers’ Group, 19th June 2023. Continue reading
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Cuckolded by Code
Performed at ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings on 11th May 2023. Continue reading
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Fat Tuesday
Read at the Load of Poets open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, 9th March 2023 We’re out on the town for the Mardi Gras From Bohemia to Rockanore Bustling and hustling from bar to bar Like soldiers going to war An army of hedonists ready to fight Up for adventures in sound For… Continue reading
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Dad, there’s a lady weeing in our garden
Performed at the ‘Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 9th February 2023. Continue reading
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Blue Monday in Hastings
Performed at the ‘Load of Poets’ open mic poetry night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on 9th February 2023. Published in the Hastings Independent, March 2024. Continue reading
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Small Hours
The true story of how a DIY recording made it to vinyl… forty years after it was recorded. Continue reading
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The Old Writer’s Lament
Performed at the Load of Poets open mic night at 1200 Postcards, Hastings, on the 12th January 2023. Continue reading
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Nightmare on Downing Street
Performed at the ‘A Load of Poets’ open mic night at 1200 Postcards in Hastings on the 10th November 2022. Continue reading
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The Bucket List
Performed at the Load of Poets open mic night at 1200 Postcards in Hastings on the 10th November 2022. Continue reading
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Channel Crossing
A short autobiographical story (500 words). Continue reading
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Claire and her Dad
Short conversation, dialogue only. Continue reading
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Max and Deb
Conversation between a barmaid and an admirer. Continue reading
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The Sacking of Shorty Maguire
Short (500 words) extract from The Dogwatch. Continue reading
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As She Fell
This short story was longlisted for the Australian ‘Furious Fiction’ award, April 2020. Continue reading
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‘Nicola Sturgeon’ on the Coronavirus
This is my response to a challenge from a tutor during my MA: to write down the text of this comedy video! Continue reading
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The Hand of a Child
Exercise during my MA: write a description of something without mentioning what it is. Continue reading
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One-Sentence Story
Exercise during my MA: write a one-sentence story. Continue reading
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Karen
Real-life character description of a good friend, Karen O’Sullivan. Continue reading
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Krautwerk (gig review)
A gig review published in the Hastings Independent, October 2017. Continue reading