Colin Bell (wolfiewolfgang) Archives - Wolfie Wolfgang

Wolfie Caged

Colin Bell — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:01:17 +0000

How I survived lockdown.

I have finally got round to writing a blog now that, wisely or foolishly, the great British lockdown is being eased. Until now, I haven’t quite managed to write about this, the strangest of times. I was last on here in February for the launch of my poetry collection, Remembering Blue, http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-poetry-colin-bell-remembering-blue.htm After that memorable event, my last public adventure was when I went to London to see the impressive Troy exhibition at the British Museum.

Then the curtain came down on my life outside my home here in Lewes.

Here are some photographs and thoughts to mark the passage from then to now. Just one person’s view on the extraordinary and, for many, the often tragic interruption to normal life that was, and still is, Covid-19. I know that I have been very lucky.

The reality sank in over Covid-19 and the long lockdown when I looked out of my window one evening. Here is my street in those weird days of silence – days went by with no one out there, it seemed. There were no cars either, but all over the world we had a clear and clean blue sky – an unexpected plus.

On TV, I watched the Italians suffering and showing a brave face – it couldn’t happen here could it?

I had been having my roof retiled and, luckily, the job was finished just before the lockdown rules came into force. So, at least, I wasn’t going to be subjected to scaffolding being my only view.

Instead of scaffolding I got this face at my window next morning – the Waitrose van delivering somewhere in my street made me jump in momentary terror when I saw him, this guy, like someone in The Shining, grinning at me.

Being a writer is a lot like being in permanent lockdown. I was used to spending hours alone in an empty room, so I was unfazed by the experience, especially in the early weeks. Good news comes for a writer when you hear of your work being published, , and it helped at this time that I had three new Fibonacci poems published by The Fib Review – http://www.musepiepress.com/fibreview/index.html making a total of 100 poems published in consecutive issues, over eleven years, in this impressive journal. I was chuffed by the news of those Fibs and then I heard that Ward Wood Publishing http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/author-search.htm plan to bring them all out as a book. I didn’t need to leave the house for any of this.

All over the world, people learned to come together using the new technological wizard on the block, Zoom. I did it for family reunions, personal training sessions, tai-chi and for my regular poetry group meetings. I worked for me, but I know several others found it distressing and isolating. I had been attracted to the internet and most of its offspring since the beginning, so I wan’t sure why people didn’t find it natural and a wonderful opportunity in a time of crisis.

Then came the Spring, not always a season lacking cruelty, but my flowering cherry tree greeted me every time I looked out of the window and I managed even to celebrate the traditional Japanese hanami ceremony as usual with my neighbours – not quite as usual of course, but we raised a glass of wine to each other over the fence, acknowledging, as the Japanese do at this time, the transience of beauty, and, of course, life.

Being locked-down meant there were less interruptions to my life than usual, so , during this period I finished my third novel, Over the hills is a long way off, and sent it off to the publishers Ward Wood Publishing. A great moment.

Then the tulips in my garden got into full keeping-Wolfie-happy mode. Was it lockdown, or was it one of the loveliest English Springs in memory? A bit of both, I suspect.

Even the flowerpots were seductive in the extraordinarily hot weather that dominated the beginning of lockdown and made life bearable for anyone lucky enough to have a garden.

Lilies and fuchsias started to flower as the temperatures soared and I started to spend longer out in the garden where you can’t feel isolated, self-isolated or any other kind of isolation, because there are the bees, butterflies but, yes, also evil lily beetles ready to devour the seasons most elegant flowers – gardens are seldom as peaceful as they look.

Then, it was Summer. The main event in my garden in any Summer is always the roses – and, this year, it was actually quite difficult to feel down when they were in full bloom. Mine are not just beautiful to look at, but they are shamelessly aromatic. On a hot morning and, for others, early evening, you don’t even have to stick your nose into their petals to get the fragrance.

My little poetry notebook came into its own out in the garden too. I have used this small book for writing poetry, mostly the Fibonacci ones, for over a decade now. It sits comfortably on the garden table and wears the smudges on the cover put there by a shower of rain in Florence when I first started writing these little poems. It is always there for those emergency poetry-writing moments.

Summer by the dustbins can be inspiring too – especially the tiny pond, a French washing bowl from the 1950s, with its irises and waterlilies….

…and, of course, the frog. She has been here in the garden now for three years and, I am not sure if I imagine it or not, but she seems like a friend when she pops out of the water to stare at me. I stare at her too. It feels like a rapport. I resist thinking that she recognises me, but if she happens to be in the pool, she always puts her head up out of the water, and, yes, we greet each other. I often wonder if there can be a relationship between man and frog.

As Summer became hot and sunny here in southern England, and the lockdown continued, I felt extremely fortunate to live in such a lovely place with the leafy Bronze Age mound to the rear of the traditional Sussex flint walls, When the study window is open, I even get a bit of a sun-tan and feel almost out-of-doors when I am at my computer.

In June, up there in my room, my novel-writing surge led me to finish my next book too – well, almost finished, it is the fourth draft of my fourth novel, In the lovely month of May. My time in lockdown has been well-spend completing two fiction projects and writing some new poetry too.

As lockdown eased, and social distancing became a priority, contractors were allowed back from furlough. Electrician Lloyd returned to complete the works that were interrupted in March. The final touch on home-improvements, illuminating the garden and allowing it to be a sanctuary day and night.

The gardening lighting system makes the garden a magical place by night….

….a glass of wine on a humid evening with the roses lit from beneath, and I felt I was living in a movie….

….sometimes waiting for Count Dracula to call.

Novel-writing on pause, Dracula asleep, the sun came back and things apart from just writing came to fruition, like the surprisingly good harvest from the little cherry tree that I planted in a pot last year.

The next important job after so many writing projects had reached completion was to catch up on reading The New Yorker – perfect summer reading was their fiction edition with a ‘new’ Ernest Hemingway short story and one, a rather good one, by the fascinating Haruki Murakami, unpredictable, cryptically profound and witty in turns – I am a fan.

Some idle rose dead-heading resulted in this accidental flower-arrangement in my birdbath. ..all seemed calm and still that day. Yet, I thought of others a lot less fortunate than me. Those that had lost their jobs, who had to live with a family of small children in a one-bedroom flat, the many elderly victims of the virus in Britain’s inadequate care home system, or those who weren’t even lucky enough to have a protective wall against infection, like the Brazilian slum-dwellers in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. I hope the world will learn to care about its endangered people after inequalities are so brutally exposed in this terrible time. It’s too easy, maybe, for me to say this from the privileged environment of my own back yard.

My garden, I know is an oasis. It was a good place to continue my study of the complex modernist poetry in Ezra Pound’s Cantos which I am reading, one by one, in chronological order, at the on-line poetry readings I give every week in the virtual world of Second Life. Beyond Pound’s unpleasant enthusiasm for Fascism and anti-semitism (recanted, I hope), I have found many parallels between the troubled world he was describing and our own. Like Wagner, and other ‘bad guys’ who were also geniuses in our culture, we have to hang on to their good bits – we can learn from them, and find inspiration there too.

My virtual world avatar is Wolfgang Glinka, or Wolfie for short, and his weekly poetry event, Wolfie’s Poetry Surf has been running without a break since 2012 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cookie/57/238/21 – during lockdown, I have not been the only one to appreciate the value of these virtual communities of writers and artists that gather together from all over the world in the much misunderstood virtual world of Second Life. Wolfgang Glinka now runs an arts complex there known as The Glinka Gallery and, during lockdown, opened four new buildings with a festival of fine art, poetry, photography, music and dance. when real life arts venues were all forced to close.

I even got to become a dancer in the virtual world in my collaboration with the creative talents of the Sway & Dance Troupe – we have also made animated films together https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAuvt2MOi_E

The Glinka Gallery has been an inspiring project which will, I hope, live long after lockdown ends. Believe it or not, it has kept me in the real world during this strange time when it is not always clear what is real and what is imagined. My virtual gallery is now a recommended venue on the Second Life webpage. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nolidae/122/233/3001

It would have been all too easy to get really unfit during lockdown but, luckily, I was able to continue my weekly personal training sessions with my excellent and dedicated trainer, Gyles Abbott. https://www.wearesoulfit.com/, who carried on doing our one-to-one classes via Zoom before we were allowed again to meet up once more at his studio. I now have a custom-built weights cupboard in my study and, during lockdown began to do a second personal training session with Gyles’ weekly notes. I have not felt so fit for a very long time.

I am not alone in thinking that many of our new lockdown habits will continue long after the dreaded virus has been defeated. Certainly I am determined to keep up my training at home as a brilliant extension of my fitness regime.

Over the last few weeks I have a new fitness challenge thanks to my friend Vanessa Newman who nominated me to take part in an online push-up marathon #25pushupchallenge on Facebook, when I had to do 25 pushups a day for 25 days to raise awareness of anxiety, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder issues. Problems, I suspect, only intensified by the lockdown. I hope my efforts, along with all the other participants, did some good. It certainly got me going and I enjoyed it immensely. I got better at push-ups too with online advice from my personal trainer, Gyles, and my ever-vigilant kungfu instructor, Neil Johnson http://www.whitecranefightingarts.com – an example of the positive value of social networking, not just when we are socially isolated. I shall continue to challenge myself with these press-ups – a classic from of exercise.

After three months when I had hardly left the house, some of the restrictions were lifted and, gradually and cautiously, I began to go out to places where social distancing was easiest – like the ruins of Lewes’ 11th century Cluniac Priory…

…or the wide open spaces of the Sussex Downs near Lewes, along the River Ouse…

…and over the hills – but not far away….

then after more restrictions were lifted, it was even possible to do the 6 miles journey to the sea at Seaford…..

…and then to Worthing in West Sussex to visit my mother, who had been socially isolated in her flat over-looking the sea.

In August, we entered another stage in the nation’s retreat from lockdown, I took a train to London for the first time since February. Masked and gloved, I reached the nation’s relatively deserted capital.

I was heading for the National Gallery and an exhibition postponed when all the country’s public venues were forced to close. I have never seen Trafalgar Square so empty.

Practically empty too was the National Gallery’s Titian exhibition, Love, Death, Desire which reunited Titian’s Poesie – six late masterpieces painted for King Philip II of Spain in the late 16th Century and not seen together for nearly 500 years until the National Gallery brought them all together again in London. It was a moving, and, after so long a time of social isolation, an overwhelming experience to see these powerful pieces in an almost perfect setting. Maybe there was a benefit in it being a bit of an effort to book ahead, to arrive at a precise time and to go round the gallery in a small group where everyone could see and appreciate the art on display. It has been a long time since I remember seeing such a serious group of art gallery visitors where people stood, often for ten minutes of more in front of a single painting and, yes, looked.

There was plenty to think about when I was back in my garden, but, of course, tempting though it is to think of the ending of lockdown being the end of Covid-19, that is far from the reality. I hope that people will carry on being careful and responsible in this long campaign against the 2020 pandemic. I hope too, that we will take some of the lessons of this period with us into the future. Let’s try not to pass on our germs to others in public places. Let’s value our personal spaces more, respect the time we need to spend alone in our own heads, and feel closer to our fellow human beings in a world where the virus treated us all as equals. I hope too that we will remain cautious over traffic pollution, and the excesses of early twenty-first century ‘First World’ hedonism.

Finally I have to reiterate my own sense of my own good fortune during this time. I wanted to share my experience of the lockdown, but I am well aware of how different it was for so many others far less fortunate than myself. I have to add too that I usually have the common cold at least several times a year, maybe even too many times a year, but, since lockdown, I have been 100% infection-free – I have learnt a lesson there. I wish us all a new world where, just maybe, there will be a vaccination that works to prevent all future pandemics.

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MUSEPIE-PRESS MAKE COLIN BELL THEIR FEATURED POET INTERNATIONAL

Colin Bell — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 15:23:08 +0000

Home page for Muse-Pie Press

I am thrilled to be the new Featured Poet International for American poetry publisher, Muse-Pie Press, producers of the three highly-respected poetry journals: Fibonacci poetry specialist, The Fib Review; short-form poetry publishers, Shot Glass Journal; and the spoken-word magazine, Bent Ear Journal.

I have had a few short poems published in Shot Glass Journal, but in the last ten years I have had 99 Fibonacci poems published in 30 consecutive issues The Fib Review, the leading publishers of this very specific poetry form. Writing these short poems to submit to the triannual editions of The Fib Review has now become a a regular calendar event and I’m grateful to have had such support from the journal’s energetic editor, Mary-Jane Grandinetti.

Leonardo Pisano Bigollo, known as Fibonacci (born 1170).

There must be something about writing poetry to a precise syllable count that draws me again and again to what are known as Fibs. The style is named after the medieval Italian mathematician, Fibonacci, who saw a pattern, a code, some have said, in the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233 etc. where the next number is the sum of the previous two. In the last ten years, I have written many Fibs using the Fibonacci sequence for the syllable count per line. So far I haven’t dared to write a line with any more than 233 syllables, but, maybe, one day, I will venture to 377 syllables and beyond.

Muse-Pie Press asked me to be their Featured Poet International a few months ago, and I was really excited to be honoured like this, but I hadn’t realised that they would publish 25 of my Fibonacci poems on my own featured page where they look, I like to think, true to their Fibonacci inheritance. Seeing them all together, I was delighted to see that they also form a poetic sequence – a digital chapbook – I hope you agree.

If you want to see the whole page, here’s the link – I hope you enjoy the Fibs and that you might even have a go yourself at writing one yourself. http://www.musepiepress.com/index.html

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My debut poetry collection -Remembering Blue – is published.

Colin Bell — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 16:02:09 +0000

This week sees the publication of my debut poetry collection, Remembering Blue by Ward Wood Publishing. The poems were written over a period of ten years (2008 – 2018) and, even though I am also lucky enough to have two novels published (Also by Ward Wood), with two more on the way, there is something very special about having a book of my poems in print.

My first instinct when it came out was to hide, but I’m over that now that it is time to tell people about it, and to say how thrilling it is to hold such a stylishly-produced book in my hands. Thanks are especially due to Ward Wood and its inspirational publisher Adele Ward, who was the first to suggest that I try my hand at writing poetry.

I must also thank the book’s cover designer, Kayla Bell. I think it’s simply beautiful. If you see a resemblance to the cover for my second novel, Blue Notes, Still Frames, that’s because Kayla designed that cover too. Many thanks!

When the publishers’ asked me to write some suggestions for the back cover blurb, I felt stumped, and wondered if I even knew what these poems were ‘about’ – I’m probably the last one to know but I scribbled this and it will do, I guess.

‘These poems were written during ten years recovering from a life-threatening brain haemorrhage. Poetry writing itself began for me then. The severity of the injury released hidden and repressed feelings, it began a process of rewiring my brain, focusing my mind on what life really meant, or should mean, for me. I was warned that I would probably cry more easily than before. That was both true and beneficial. The poems began before I left hospital. They document, often tangentially, that period, from awakening from a six-hour coma with a mysteriously fractured spine, through several years of rehabilitation, remembering and decoding – the good things as well as the bad: childhood and adolescence revisited, adult relationships reassessed, and most importantly, what is important now that I am fully recovered. Awakening from that death-like coma was a rebirth. When things were difficult, it helped to remember blue.

The title comes from the opening poem:

Haiku

This blank page is grey

I shall write rain and cloud here

but remember blue.

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I’m proud to appear alongside so many writer friends and acquaintances in Lewes’ The Needlewriters, a new anthology.

wolf01 — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:53:00 +0000

I was supposed to have been at the launch of a new poetry anthology last Thursday but, unfortunately, I was struck down with the latest lurgey and had to take to my bed instead. I am sad to have missed the launch of this excellent book, The Needlewriters, which is an anthology of work by the writers who have appeared at Lewes’ Needlewriters events since its beginning in 2008. The readings take place just down the street from my house, at the intriguing Needlemakers centre which was built as a candle-makers before becoming, quite literally, a needle-makers factory, supplying syringe needles for the medical corps treating the wounded in World War One. It is now a pleasant complex of arty shops and a restaurant.

I was proud to have been asked to read there after the publication of my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love and now, I’m doubly proud to appear in this anthology along with so many writer friends and acquaintances from all over Kent and Sussex.

Needlewriters have also produced The Needlewriters Companion, an online anthology with extra work from all the contributors – you can find it by using the link below:

http://www.needlewriters.co.uk/#/the-needlewriters-companion/4588177767

The book, The Needlewriters can be purchased (£10) either directly from the publisher, The Frogmore Press,

http://www.frogmorepress.co.uk/

or from Lewes’ splendid Skylark Shop – unlike Lewes’s other rather anonymous and centrally-controlled bookshops, its owner, Matt Birch, is one of the few great independent booksellers who actively support local writers. He even sells copies of my novel (thanks Matt!)

http://www.skylarkshop.com/

Those of us who are lucky enough to live in or around Lewes can be truly grateful for the support that this small town gives to literature and the other arts.

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Tonight I’m on the same bill as V. G. Lee for my first novel reading session in Brighton.

wolf01 — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 13:12:00 +0000

After my incarceration at home with a lung infection, I’m wrapping up against the weather and getting a taxi to Brighton’s Latest Music Bar for this evening’s Have A Word, Brighton’s rather smart literary review where I shall be reading from my new novel Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, my Brighton-based novel set in 1967.

If you can get there, it would be great to see you. I’m also going to read some of my poetry but don’t let that put you off. I shall have some copies of the novel with me if you would like a signed copy. My fellow Ward Wood writer, V.G. Lee is on the bill too so, even if you don’t want to see me, she is a very good reason for coming along.

Novelist and comedian, V.G. Lee

——————————————————————————————————————-

STEPHEN DEARSLEY’S SUMMER OF LOVE BY COLIN BELL

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, was published on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

It is now available as a paperback or on Kindle (go to your region’s Amazon site for Kindle orders)

You can order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

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I think I’m allowed a few moments of quiet celebration now that my novel is about to go off to the printers.

wolf01 — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:00:00 +0000

It was the weekend when I actually believed that my novel really is going to be published and that it is going to be happening almost immediately now. Well, actually 31st October but that’s no time away. The text has now been agreed and it will soon be off to the printers. I’ve even made it into the papers! I did this interview for the Sussex newspaper, The Argus last week and it came out on Saturday. Take a look – it felt very strange reading about myself in the newspaper.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/magazine/celebratingsussex/10724508.Second_chance/?ref=rss

It’s almost enough to make a guy come out with corny remarks about this being a lifetime’s ambition coming true. Well, it’s true. Do I believe it? Well, actually, not fully. I’m amazed and I shall endeavour to enjoy these next weeks knowing that nothing could be quite as exciting again

——————————————————————————————————————–

STEPHEN DEARSLEY’S SUMMER OF LOVE BY COLIN BELL

My first novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, is published on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

You can pre-order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

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I’m the “writer who cheated death” – if you don’t believe me buy today’s Sussex Express.

wolf01 — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:59:00 +0000

I’ve finally made it to the pages of my local newspaper, the Sussex Express, who have decided to run a “human interest” piece on the imminent publication of my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love. It’s always interesting to see what journalists home in on as their main tag. I’m now “the writer who cheated death.” Well so be it – actually it’s true.

I’m now officially excited about next month’s launch of the book. It comes out on 31st October, Halloween, the day after the fifth anniversary of the brain haemorrhage that nearly cheated me of my life. I’m doubly glad that I have a new and much jollier anniversary to celebrate in late October.

So thanks, Sussex Express, for taking an interest. Dare I go out though? Will I be stopped everywhere I go in Lewes today? I’ll let you all know.

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

You can already pre-order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

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Getting published is an honour and a thrill – I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.

wolf01 — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:34:00 +0000

Over the weekend I received two copies of Cinnamon Press’s latest anthology, Reaching Out – a book of poetry and short stories which contains one of my poems, Home Movie. It felt good handling these rather smart paperbacks and it got me into the mood for next month when my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love comes out in paperback too as well as on Kindle. I don’t want to get over-excited or rise above my station but, if I can’t enjoy the satisfaction of having my work published now then I don’t really deserve to be excited about anything. It’s a long journey from boyhood dreams to adult fulfillment. I intend to savour the moment.

I’m proud to appear within the pages of one of distinguished publisher, Cinnamon Press’s books. If you’re interested, not just in my work but in reading a collection of work by what Cinnamon describes as “new and emerging voices in short story and poetry” then you can buy it directly from the publishers on the link below:

http://www.cinnamonpress.com/reaching-out/

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Reaching-Out-Rowan-B-Fortune/9781907090882

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Reaching+Out+Rowan+B+Fortune&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AReaching+Out+Rowan+B+Fortune

Another anthology that my work (my poem, Crushed) appeared in this year is Genius Floored: Uncurtained Window edited by poet Ruth O’Callaghan published by Soaring Penguin Press. This neat little poetry book raises money for Cold Weather Shelter For The Homeless, the charity that offers night shelter to the homeless in London during the coldest months of the year. It’s a great little book with some interesting poetry from many of my fellow poets from the Camden Lumen Poetry http://camdenlumen.wordpress.com/about/ along with work by Ruth O’Callaghan and the distinguished poet, Anne Stevenson. I was proud to be in their number. I also enjoy my regular trips to read at Camden Lumen Poetry events every month where, yet again, all the proceeds go to this highly effective and worthwhile charity.

The publisher, Soaring Penguin Press is about to put it up on its website where you can order it direct:

http://www.soaringpenguinpress.com/

Meanwhile, I’m getting into gear for the imminent publication (31st October 2013) of my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

You can already pre-order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

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Wolfie is on schedule but in chaos.

wolf01 — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This is the neat and tidy bit of my study. I’ve been on a writing rush all week and, amazingly, stuck to my word count schedule. It would’ve been great if I had achieved this without turning the rest of the room into chaos but, look for yourselves. Maybe a little tidy up is in order.

If I do get round to tidying up I might put on some music. What about Brick by Ben Folds Five? Very cool and enjoyably melancholy but it always makes me want to set up my keyboard again in the study and then I’d have to work out where to put it. What the Hell! I think I’ll do it anyway.

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Short poetry can be best – look at the Shot Glass Journal

wolf01 — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:01:00 +0000

I have been recently, on one of my publisher’s advice, been changing the name on my poetry from wolfiewolfgang to my “real” name of Colin Bell – the first of these was published on Every Day Poets just over a week ago (See Links in right hand column) and now two more are available. I feel like I am daring to come out of the shadows.

The two new poems are published in the Shot Glass Journal which specialises in short poetry that is no longer than sixteen lines. This is a tough medium to write in if you want to try to say anything even vaguely worthwhile. I love writing short verse but I have no illusions about my abilities here so I am really pleased to have these poems published in Shot Glass Journal and proud that they join another two of my poems in previous issues. Take a look but not just at mine, there are a lot of very varied pieces here showing just what can be done with a very few words.

I wish I could remember that at parties and after a few drinks!

Here is my short poem Lazy published in the first issue of Shot Glass Journal and recorded when my brain haemorrhage prolongation stammer was still difficult to control. When you have a stammer sometimes short poems are a blessing! I thought of re-recording it now that I am so much better but, no, this is how it was when I wrote this piece – actually I think recording poetry was part of my cure:

WHAT’S NEW AT MUSE-PIE PRESS?

www.musepiepress.com

NOW ON THE MUSE-PIE PRESS SITE

Issue #5

SHOT GLASS JOURNAL

The online poetry journal of short poetry

EDITED BY MARY-JANE GRANDINETTI

Shot Glass Journal Issue #5 features poets from Britain and Ireland in addition to international poets from Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the US. It also features formal poetry forms including the Tritina, the Jisei, the Mirror-Oddquain, the Ovielljo, the Rondel, The Shakespearean Sonnet, the Sijo, the Tanka, and the Triolet, as well as traditional and experimental free verse. We hope you enjoy Shot Glass Journal’s diverse style.

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www.musepiepress.com

Click on Shot Glass Journal in the left margin

If you enjoy Shot Glass Journal, please leave a comment on our website at www.musepiepress.com – click on Comments in the left margin

We’d love to hear from you.

Submissions for the online journal of Fibonacci Poetry

The Fib Review Issue #11

are now being accepted at musepiepress@aol.com

The Fib Review Issue #11 will be posted at the end of December 2011

Submissions for Shot Glass Journal Issue #6

are now being accepted at musepiepress@aol.com.

Shot Glass #6 will be posted at the end of January 2012.

Visit the Muse-Pie website for further information on Submissions.

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