Get 27 women writers, plus friends and supporters, in a downstairs bar on a balmy September evening, and you get lots of positive energy, strong readings, an appreciative and attentive audience, and a plethora of verbal surprises. The occasion was the launch of the second Loose Muse anthology, featuring poetry, stories and short plays by …
Category: London
London latte
Friday morning. I'm in the city for a course, and I'm early. Summer's ending. It's a bright, fresh morning and I'm in fine spirits, for no particular reason other than the weather, and that's a good feeling. I have a quarter of an hour before I'm due in the world of work, and I'm going …
from cacti to fishermen
In the last week-and-a-bit we've been to three very different Proms concerts. On Friday 17th August, the Royal Albert Hall was packed out for a Prom celebrating the work of John Cage and marking the centenary of his birth. Many of the pieces were visually as well as aurally fascinating, with singers and instrumentalists dotted …
Saturday swim
Up at 6:30. Straight into swimming togs. Cycle shirt and shorts on top. Pannier packed the night before with towel, goggles etc. Kiss my sleepy, non-swimming beloved goodbye, and then I'm out, on my bike, into the fine, bright morning, cycling south along not quite empty streets, across Clapham Common where a slight haze shimmers …
the upsides of downpours
We've had a lot of rain recently. Slight understatement. And the weather seems to affect my spirits more than it used to. How I loved those grim louring skies when I first moved to London. And I do, still, sometimes, when I'm inside looking out, and not worrying about how drenched I'm going to get …
excuse me
Where have the last three weeks gone? (I could as well ask the same of the last six months...) I'm just about treading water. No new writing but I have submitted to a poetry pamphlet competition, and heard last week that I've had a short story accepted for Wet Ink magazine in Australia. Gold star …
mucking in and agitating
I've recently discovered a wonderful community garden less than 5 minutes' walk from our flat. Yesterday, the first properly fine day after a long wet week, I dropped by for an hour armed with some onion sets kindly sent to us by Nick's mother in Norfolk. I am a gardening novice, but the Doddington Community …
evening buzz
A fine evening on Friday. Balmy would be overstating it, but spring was in the air, it hadn't rained for over a day, and it was light well beyond eight thirty. Near perfect conditions for the private view of the open studio exhibition at Johnsons Island. Brentford Is Brilliant, banners on the streetlights proclaimed, with …
stones and spots
Two cultural outings in this last week. On Monday, to Kings Place for an evening of challenging music performed by Ilan Volkov and friends. I know Volkov as a conductor and have seen him in this role at a couple of Proms concerts. Monday's event was a very different affair, much more initmate and informal. …
two for a tenner
To the Hayward Gallery yesterday evening and for one ten pound ticket got to see two stimulating exhibitions: Jeremy Deller - Joy in People - an overview of Deller's work from the last 20 years. I really like the spirit of his work: enquiring and politically engaged. He's interested in communities and their (often unheard) …
