This is a Lento: “Producing Perfection”
PRODUCING PERFECTIONSmile when you listen to that cool linewhile the beats run on in perfect time,and the hook repeats inContinue Reading
Category: Discussion of poetry
Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Review of memoir Review of new book Review of poetry Review of poetry collection
Lots to love about “Darby, Love…”
“Darby” in the book title, is Darby Hudson, a writer and poet from Melbourne, Australia. “Darby, love…” is how hisContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Media and Technology Meta-data Poetry Review of new book
The reality of a literature blog
This website that you’re on was my bright idea in Jan. 2013, to serve as a showcase for my writing.Continue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of poetry Historical texts painting poem portrait painting Review of Biographical Fiction
Hadrian and Antinous – Love and grief
Marguerite Yourcenar wrote so beautifully about the grief of Roman emperor Hadrian at the death of his lover, Antinous (alsoContinue Reading
Art Creative Process Discussion of poetry Forthcoming Publications lyrics music musicians New poetry by Marthe Bijman poem Poetry
Soul Collective
—Perfect You PERFECT YOU Trace the outline of his face —The amber eyes with feathered lashesThe bold nose with itsContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of genre Discussion of poetry Non-fiction Nonfiction Review of Nonfiction
What is the value of a photograph? – Shop Cats of Hong Kong
Marcel Heijnen is a Dutch photographer who has lived and worked in Asia since 1992. He now divides his timeContinue Reading
Love and forgetting – Beautiful Under Milk Wood
In Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas, “Blind Captain Cat”, who listens to the goings-on in the little Welsh seasideContinue Reading
Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Nonfiction Poetry Review of new book Review of poetry Review of poetry collection
Typos turned me off Michelangelo’s poems
I am often very loathe to give negative criticism of any published book, since a book takes an awful lotContinue Reading
The unexpected benefits of creative partnerships
Here’s a long-post. Expect it to be emo. A few months ago – it feels like a lifetime though –Continue Reading
Poems about cats – What is it with poets and cats?
The Internet is full of blogs and Reddits and substacks and vlogs and IG feeds of people with their cats,Continue Reading
So THAT’S why it tickles your toes!
I found out long ago, that because of the way your brain processes visual information, for instance what you read,Continue Reading
Ancient texts Backstories Creative Process Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Historical texts
The skills and talents of the nobility – Hype or reality?
Last week there was a mean little news snippet in the UK media about Sarah Ferguson – Sarah, Duchess ofContinue Reading
Ancient texts Backstories Creative Process Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Historical texts
Getting to Grips with Transcendent Verses from a Dark and Dangerous Time
One tends to apply your own ideas and values – and judgment – to just about everything you hear andContinue Reading
One Sentence, One Puzzle from Medieval Times
When I wrote the lyrics for my song, “Havn”, I was getting rid of an earworm that had been hauntingContinue Reading
I recognize that lump of rock – Alexa, what is there to know about love, by Brian Bilston
I’m intrigued by those things called Google Easter Eggs – which is the result you get if you type aContinue Reading
When a novelist turns to poetry
Poetry within Fiction: sometimes, for the sake of fully portraying a character, a writer may invent the poetry, stories orContinue Reading
Can you actually recite a famous poem? Bet you can’t.
I thunk me a thought these past few days, which was this: people were telling huge fibs about poetry, judgingContinue Reading
So you want to be a writer?
On the subscription film channel, MUBI, there’s a documentary about the writer Charles Bukowski (1920 – 1994), who wrote acerbic,Continue Reading
A Source for the Perfect Rhyme? Sorry, there’s no easy solution
Rhyming is devilishly difficult. It’s a serious head-scratcher, as people who write poems, lyrics and rap well know. If youContinue Reading
“Don’t die, Dad – but they die.” Les Murray, The Bard of Bunyah, 17 October 1938 – 29 April 2019
The papers have been full with news of the death of Australia’s most world-famous poet, Les Murray. He died yesterdayContinue Reading
Authors to watch Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Humor Humour kunstlerromane Poetry Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel Review of poetry collection
A novel about a poet that’s filled with delightful poetry – Diary of a Somebody, by Brian Bilston
Comment from Brian Bilston: Brian Bilston “What a lovely review. Thank you so much. I’m delighted you enjoyed it – andContinue Reading
Review in a 48-second video – You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston
Compact Crits #6: 48-second review of You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston (poetry) Here’s the full reviewContinue Reading
Authors to watch Backstories Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Poetry Publishing technologies Review of poetry collection Web series and vlogs
Manipulating words like Legos – You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston’s first anthology of poetry contains more than 200 poems, and despite some of them being only four linesContinue Reading
The funny, thoughtful poems of Brian Bilston, the Twitter poet
Brian Bilston’s saucy, witty and insightful poems on Twitter (@brian_bilston) have made him famous. In this podcast (recorded in 2016,Continue Reading
Backstories Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers
Lovely verses and violent deaths – Shanghai Redemption, by Qiu Xiaolong
👉Back to Getting the Hang of the Chinese Novel It has been said that the problem with poetry is thatContinue Reading
Poetry that mixes mother tongues – and my poem about my Grandma
It is very hard to make two different languages rhyme. This struck me again when I was researching the phoneticContinue Reading
Why I hate and love poetry
The fatal problem with poetry: poems Poetry is everywhere. Just when you think poetry is dead, there is rap. IContinue Reading
Best Wishes for the Season – In the words of Breyten Breytenbach
The best way to express my best wishes to my family, friends, followers and fellow book lovers for the newContinue Reading
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars – Verily, A New Hope, by Ian Doescher
Skip the poetry, go to the Full review A Review of This Fine Tale, in Blank Verse and A HeroicContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 