Autumn is coming!

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost September! Summer has been really busy and flown by. Much of it has been work with a bit of family stuff too. My mum had a knee replacement recently so I’ve been to look after her. I’ve also been doing a lot of sorting and organising files and folders – something I’ll never get on top of but great to make a good chink. I’ve done a lot of planning for the autumn too which is a nice feeling. I feel semi organised dare I say!

One of the things I’ve got off the ground via Hive is its first young writers competition. The judges are Catherine Aryes (for poetry), and Kate Long (fiction). If you know anyone 14 to 25 in South Yorkshire, do point them this way. The deadline is 27th Nov and there’ll be some great prizes.

We are also about to publish the Wild Poetry book (poems by young writers inspired by UK native wild plants, flowers and fungi). We have a lovely quote from the fabulous Katherine Towers for the back cover too.

There’s not been a lot of time for writing sadly this summer, just a bit of editing here and there but I have had a bit of success with work I’ve sent out. It’s been wonderful to be in Brittle Star. I’ve only bought it online before so I didn’t realise what a lovely little book style publication it is. I’ve also had a piece in the fabulous Prole which is actually based in the small town in North Wales where I lived until I was 15. It’s odd to see the address of a little unknown town that I know from another life inside the cover.

I’m also really excited to see the Verse Matters anthology, edited by Helen Mort and Rachel Bower, which is coming out in the autumn. It’s my first time (with 2 poems!) in a chunky anthology alongside some great writers, and Valley Press do some lovely publications so I’m itching to see and read it.  That’s about it for now as I’m trying to minimise computer time for a while. I hope whoever or wherever you are, you’ve been having a great summer.