Doing it at all

When so many, or at least some, do so much, so well, or well enough why do I bother? There is the doing it as well as the best. But, is there also the Bo Jo bother of not quite working hard enough? Literal and allegorical: did too much instant karma get me? Wanting to … Continue reading Doing it at all

Making models

Phil asked me, as some have done before, what do I want to do with my poetry. Besides bring in a new age of peace and prosperity with compassion for all life, of course. And, yes, I do want that, but I do two things. I make models of the world as it is, and … Continue reading Making models

Recording in a studio

Yesterday I booked two hours at our community recording studio, Soundworks, at Blackbird Leys Community Centre. I recorded nine poems. Hear them on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/thelastpoet. https://soundcloud.com/thelastpoet. I am getting used to SoundCloud and what it can and cannot do. In the studio, for two hours I got about 18 minutes of poetry recorded, listened and … Continue reading Recording in a studio

Diaspora 101

I am a naive user of federated social media. Loved the Adobe Air Tweetdeck when Twitter's api was still open. But that is an old story. I just opened an account on the big Diaspora pod, diasp.org. I loved the idea of Diaspora Now it has to have a phone app. And Fedilab works well … Continue reading Diaspora 101

Recovering thelastpoet

I have been thelastpoet on Soundcloud for more than 10 years. I am planning now to start using the name and the space. I am negotiating for some time in a local studio. Meanwhile I have uploaded three new pieces. Words only. Rough and ready. Enjoy thelastpoet. thelastpoet · Another story in Ukraine thelastpoet · … Continue reading Recovering thelastpoet

Getting it out there

I was recently asked what I want to do with my poetry. It may once have been self-evident, if only to me. Now it no longer is. What is the point? Why do I do it? To increase empathy: mine and others'. To reduce suffering and increase pleasure. To do this, I make models of … Continue reading Getting it out there

Cafe society

Breakfast at Bannisters. No greasy spoon. Stack of sweet corn fritters (a rare delicacy in Britain) on a bed of baby spinach, no less, served with home made tomato chutney. But the price was nuts. Not unusually so. Just the daily, where cod and chips is now £12. My breakfast with coffee was most of … Continue reading Cafe society

Economic productivity

I have been thinking about "economic productivity". Since retiring (at 67), on a personal level and now on a socio-economic level. It is all over the news. "We must get Britain back to work..." But why? It appears that "economic productivity" has come to mean: working to enrich... who? The already wealthy? If that is … Continue reading Economic productivity

Setting off again: telling stories for love

I do departures. In about six weeks I will set off on a ten-day wilderness (well, Dartmoor) fast, "The Mead of Poetry", led by Tom Hirons and Rozalie (Rozi) Hilton. Before this I have preparation tasks: to complete a day-walk with only water and to write my life story, confidentially. The setting off is formal, … Continue reading Setting off again: telling stories for love

Hard work. Close reading. In translation.

What is translation in poetry? Some poets seem quite translatable: Pablo Neruda; Valérie Rouzeau? I don't know. Hard work. Close reading. In translation. Valérie Rouzeau, Pas Revoir (2003), translated by Susan Wicks as Cold Spring in Winter (2009). With an Introduction by Stephen Romer. Arc Publications, Todmorten, UK, 2009. The poem, or collection of poems … Continue reading Hard work. Close reading. In translation.