Ensure the work you want to submit is at its best.
Research where to send your work:
Buy the Artists and Writers Year Book, or get it from the library. This tells you everything you need to know plus it is full of good advice about writing in general.
Research the publishing houses you feel suit you. Do they publish similar work? What are their submission guidelines?
Try getting your work in magazines first, to build a publishing CV.
Try to subscribe to, and read the magazines you are interested in being published in.
Publishing Short Stories
Always read some of the stories published in the magazine.
Check the guidelines: word count, form, genre etc
See here for a very good site for fiction writers:
Short Stops: This is a really valuable resource for writers of short stories: competitions, lit mags, workshops and lots more.
Publishing Poetry
Here are a few helpful pieces about publishing poetry from editors of various presses and magazines:
Bloodaxe Books
Shearsman Books
Culture Llama (Short story collections here too)
YouTube: Some poets have gained a reputation using YouTube as a tool to share work:
Hollie McNish
Poems on Ezines:
Hera Lindsay Bird: The Spinoff
Patricia Lockwood: The Awl
Amaryllis: A Swindon Ezine edited by Stephen Daniels
Self-Publishing
If you would like to self-publish your work make sure it looks as professional as possible, and free from mistakes. Look at sample books from reputable publishers to get an idea of style and content. Keep things plain: times font, no borders and poor pictures.
Think about how you might market your book and gain reviews.
You might try print on demand publishing. It is easy to use and you only need to print one copy at a time so it is easy to get a sample of the work.
Lulu Publishing
Blurb
"I am not afraid of Art" - Understanding Literary Cubism
I've been reading the poetry of Max Jacob, given to me by fellow poet and friend Carrie Etter - 'I know you.' she said. She was right, I loved the book. I read in the introduction he was a friend of Picasso and explored cubism in poetry. This prompted me to find out more about 'Literary Cubism.' Although I have long loved the poems and writings of Apollinaire, I had not considered cubism until I started this research. Here's some finds from this essay by Pamela A. Genova: The Poetics of Visual Cubism: Guilaume Apollinaire on Pablo Picasso
"Apollinaire counselled his fellow poets and artists to seize and translate the turbulent atmosphere of the new, to accept nothing at face value and to always seek out the unlikely and the unusual.
Apollinaire believed that life was an inherently artistic adventure, and art a primary element in the experience of life, the two elements indivisible
Literary cubism: the exploration in language of the principles of unlikely juxtaposition, immediate spontaneity, and the reconsideration of the dynamics of the material world.' In this vein, he fashioned unusual linguistic and structural systems."
Pamela A.Genova, University of Oklahoma.
"Apollinaire counselled his fellow poets and artists to seize and translate the turbulent atmosphere of the new, to accept nothing at face value and to always seek out the unlikely and the unusual.
Apollinaire believed that life was an inherently artistic adventure, and art a primary element in the experience of life, the two elements indivisible
Literary cubism: the exploration in language of the principles of unlikely juxtaposition, immediate spontaneity, and the reconsideration of the dynamics of the material world.' In this vein, he fashioned unusual linguistic and structural systems."
Pamela A.Genova, University of Oklahoma.
The rainbow is bent, the seasons quiver, the crowds push on to death, science undoes and remakes what already exists, while worlds disappear forever from our understanding, our mobile images repeat themselves, or revive their vagueness, and the colours, the odours, and the sounds to which we are sensitive astonish us, then disappear from nature-all to no purpose.
Guillaume Apollinaire
How do we write cubist poems?
I'll try and summarise:
Reorganise space, both on the page and in the mind's eye
Be spontaneous and impetuous
Be prepared to be misunderstood, underestimated, and disregarded
Reject fallen idols and cliched forms
Speak in the present the words of the future
Use imagist language
Speak with spontaneity, simultaneity, and the vibrant nature of the concrete world
Cubist poems have a 'fourth dimension', a spiritual quality of the imagination, directly related to the creative process, a subtle perceptual faculty both esoteric and methodical
Perceive in all directions at once, both spatial and temporal, endowing objects with a renewed sense of presence and utility
Play with shape and sound, word and image
"float in the azure of our memories, and partake of divinity, in order to damn the metaphysicians"
Dance around the incandescent fires of passion, fear, and desire
Surprise: the greatest source of what is new - "Surprise laughs savagely in the purity of light"
The three plastic virtues: Purity, Unity, and Truth
Purity: forget after study
Unity: the relation between a newly created thing and a new creator
Truth: search for it - especially in that of the imagination
Finally, be multidimensional: imagery, sound, shapes, repetition and colours
Some cubist poets:
MINA LOY - Human Cylinders
PIERRE REVERDY - Clock
GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE - The Lady
RENÉ MAGRITTE - The Legs of the Sky
MAX JACOB - Rainbow
GERTRUDE STEIN - A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass
How do we write cubist poems?
I'll try and summarise:
Reorganise space, both on the page and in the mind's eye
Be spontaneous and impetuous
Be prepared to be misunderstood, underestimated, and disregarded
Reject fallen idols and cliched forms
Speak in the present the words of the future
Use imagist language
Speak with spontaneity, simultaneity, and the vibrant nature of the concrete world
Cubist poems have a 'fourth dimension', a spiritual quality of the imagination, directly related to the creative process, a subtle perceptual faculty both esoteric and methodical
Perceive in all directions at once, both spatial and temporal, endowing objects with a renewed sense of presence and utility
Play with shape and sound, word and image
"float in the azure of our memories, and partake of divinity, in order to damn the metaphysicians"
Dance around the incandescent fires of passion, fear, and desire
Surprise: the greatest source of what is new - "Surprise laughs savagely in the purity of light"
The three plastic virtues: Purity, Unity, and Truth
Purity: forget after study
Unity: the relation between a newly created thing and a new creator
Truth: search for it - especially in that of the imagination
Finally, be multidimensional: imagery, sound, shapes, repetition and colours
Some cubist poets:
MINA LOY - Human Cylinders
PIERRE REVERDY - Clock
GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE - The Lady
RENÉ MAGRITTE - The Legs of the Sky
MAX JACOB - Rainbow
GERTRUDE STEIN - A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass
Creative Writing Week 5: Editing
Writers' Workshop
Bringing your work for criticism, especially for the first time, can be daunting. Remember, good writers' groups are there to support your work at all stages of development and will take a positive approach to helping you improve. Here are some guidelines I like to set in the groups I facilitate.
- We are here to help and support each other, and encourage writers at all levels to improve, please do so with kindness and respect.
- Express what you liked about a piece first and then find specific details that might help improve the piece. End with saying something
- Be polite: try not to say, "it 's boring" or "I don't understand it." - think about ways to phrase your concerns that will help the writer, "The piece was a bit slow here. It may help to take out some of the adjectives ..."
- Don't get personal, stick to the text.
- The writer makes the final decision on whether to accept or reject any criticism. Respect their wishes and don't push it.
- Be respectful Even if you dislike the piece, the writer has invested time and effort on the work. Try to use the kind of language you would like used for yourself.
- Try not to take it personally: suggestions to improve your work are not criticism of you as a person. Try not to be defensive - listen carefully, write everything down and make. considered decision later - perhaps even two weeks later.
Some editing tips:
- Read your piece out loud several times.
- Make note of the story structure. You might use the 8 point story arc to help you. How can the structure be improved? You may also think about The Story Grid to help you edit plot structure.
- Think about genre and content. See Story Grid 2
- See more about editing developed by editor Shawn Coyne
- Also, Writers Digest has some helpful tips.
- Here are some simple tips for editing your own work: The Write Life
- Here's Magma Magazine's 25 Rules for Editing Poems
- The Purdue Owl Writing Lab has many resources to help you with mechanics: spelling, sentence structure and grammar.
- Clichés can weaken a story, poem or play. Try to avoid them and find a new way, in your own voice. Here's what Writer's Digest have to say about avoiding clichés in writing.
Creative Writing Week 4: An Introduction to Writing Plays
I love writing plays. My pen just goes off with a mind of its own and blah blah blah ... I have lots of dialogue. I often wonder where it all comes from. I usually have an idea, and some characters to play out the idea.
The best resource for playwriting is the BBC Writers Room. You can listen to plays, download plays, learn about plays.
Other resources:
Take a tiny idea and transform it into a full blown farce: How to Write A Play by Alan Ayckbourn 1973
Here's 12 tips for aspiring playwrights by Maxie Szalwinska
Some Scripts:
NOT I Script by Samuel Becket and the drama on YouTube: Not I
The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter 1957 (You can buy the book for this script)
Man with Travel Hairdryer by Katie Hims and the script for download is HERE
The best resource for playwriting is the BBC Writers Room. You can listen to plays, download plays, learn about plays.
Other resources:
Take a tiny idea and transform it into a full blown farce: How to Write A Play by Alan Ayckbourn 1973
Here's 12 tips for aspiring playwrights by Maxie Szalwinska
Some Scripts:
NOT I Script by Samuel Becket and the drama on YouTube: Not I
The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter 1957 (You can buy the book for this script)
Man with Travel Hairdryer by Katie Hims and the script for download is HERE
Creative Writing Week 3: An Introduction to Writing Poetry
The best way to learn about poetry is to read lots of poems. "Poems are the best teachers" Mary Oliver.
I try to read at least one poem a day. This is achievable because they are often short, so even when I have little time I can read a poem and learn something new each time. Learning to write poetry is a continuous journey. When you read poems, read them first for pleasure. Read them again, and again, and again. The poem will reveal itself to you this way, if it's any good, it may not give up its gifts straight away.
Think about:
The shape of the poem. Why the line breaks where it does and what effect that creates.
The sounds of the poem and how they come about: assonance, consonance, alliteration are examples of how poets wield sound into poems.
Meaning may work its way into the mind like magic (you may not be able to explain its meaning, but you feel it). Ask yourself what the poem made you think, feel, see, hear and taste. What did you learn from the poem? Did it change your life?
My life was once changed when I heard Martin Luther King speak his poem/speech:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today."
What was his intention? Freedom! "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Not all poems have such brave intention, they come to us quietly, they come carrying metaphor and sit on our shoulders awhile to guide us through life. They whisper, bother us, disturb us, excite us - and we can't always pinpoint why.
"Metaphor drives the engine of poetry. Figurative language—figures of speech and thought—guides the interaction between poet and reader." Edward Hirsch.
Good luck with the beautiful experience of reading poems.
You can find many great poems online:
The Poetry Archive:
Wendy Cope
Roger McGough
William Carlos Williams
The Poetry Foundation:
Pablo Neruda
Margaret Walker
Carolyn Forché
The Poetry Library
For magazines and publications.
https://www.nationalpoetrylibrary.org.uk
Poetry can now be found in the form of films. Take a look at these.
Poetry Film: http://poetryfilmlive.com/
Animated Poetry - Billy Collins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuTNdHadwbk
We looked at many poems and discussed the devices and forms they used:
Form
The Poetic Line (See 'The Red Wheelbarrow' by William Carlos Williams)
Metaphor
Simile
Ambiguity
Syllable
Rhyme
Rhythm
There are many more. You can learn much on the Poetry Foundation website: LEARN
Keeping reading a wide range of poems and you'll find the way forward to suit your style and voice.
I try to read at least one poem a day. This is achievable because they are often short, so even when I have little time I can read a poem and learn something new each time. Learning to write poetry is a continuous journey. When you read poems, read them first for pleasure. Read them again, and again, and again. The poem will reveal itself to you this way, if it's any good, it may not give up its gifts straight away.
Think about:
The shape of the poem. Why the line breaks where it does and what effect that creates.
The sounds of the poem and how they come about: assonance, consonance, alliteration are examples of how poets wield sound into poems.
Meaning may work its way into the mind like magic (you may not be able to explain its meaning, but you feel it). Ask yourself what the poem made you think, feel, see, hear and taste. What did you learn from the poem? Did it change your life?
My life was once changed when I heard Martin Luther King speak his poem/speech:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today."
What was his intention? Freedom! "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Not all poems have such brave intention, they come to us quietly, they come carrying metaphor and sit on our shoulders awhile to guide us through life. They whisper, bother us, disturb us, excite us - and we can't always pinpoint why.
"Metaphor drives the engine of poetry. Figurative language—figures of speech and thought—guides the interaction between poet and reader." Edward Hirsch.
Good luck with the beautiful experience of reading poems.
You can find many great poems online:
The Poetry Archive:
Wendy Cope
Roger McGough
William Carlos Williams
The Poetry Foundation:
Pablo Neruda
Margaret Walker
Carolyn Forché
The Poetry Library
For magazines and publications.
https://www.nationalpoetrylibrary.org.uk
Poetry can now be found in the form of films. Take a look at these.
Poetry Film: http://poetryfilmlive.com/
Animated Poetry - Billy Collins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuTNdHadwbk
We looked at many poems and discussed the devices and forms they used:
Form
The Poetic Line (See 'The Red Wheelbarrow' by William Carlos Williams)
Metaphor
Simile
Ambiguity
Syllable
Rhyme
Rhythm
There are many more. You can learn much on the Poetry Foundation website: LEARN
Keeping reading a wide range of poems and you'll find the way forward to suit your style and voice.
Creative Writing Week 2: An Introduction to Writing Short Stories
Warm-up: Exercising your voice
Having a good rant on the page can be a great exercise for warming up the voice. See this poem here by Steve Scafidi: “To Whoever Set My Truck On Fire” from Sparks from a Nine-Pound Hammer (LSU, 2001).
The writer gives himself permission to be firey, strong, kind, murderous and bewildered all in one poem.
Ask yourself: What do you feel strongly about? Then freewrite on the subject. Don't hold back!
Short Stories:
When I grow up ;) I'd like to write a novel! Writing short stories has been a great place to start. Many of the elements of writing a novel: plot, character, theme, point of view can be found in the short story. The length of a short story can vary but usually between 1000 to 6000 words. Anything under is usually labelled 'Flash Fiction' or 'Micro Fiction'.
It took me a long time to gather enough resources and to learn the skills I needed to get started with short story writing. I'm still developing this skill, but many of the ideas and elements below have really helped. I'm sure you can discover more helpful tools, there are many books and blogs on this subject, but here's a few to get started.
How to begin?
Which of these short story beginnings make you want to read on?
'They can't shave their heads every day like they wish they could, so their tattoos show through stubble. Little black hairs like iron filings stuck on magnets.' From Mines by Susan Straight.
'The woman showed him into a small room, not unlike a doctor's waiting room except all the magazines on the table seemed to be about fish packing and frozen foods.' From Trawl by William Bedford.
'Dear Friends and family, by the time you get this this letter I will be dead.' From The Last You'll Hear From Me by David Sedaris.
'In the kitchen, he poured another drink and looked at the bedroom suite in his front yard. The mattress was stripped and the candy-striped sheets lay beside two pillows on the chiffonier. Except for that, things looked much the way they had in the bedroom - nightstand and reading lamp on his side of the bed, nightstand and reading lamp on her side. From Why Don't You Dance? by Raymond Carver.
In 1972 my father came back from the moon. From Prison Moon by Molly Black
How will you start your story?
Appearance. Gives your reader a visual understanding of the character. Action. Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives. Speech. Develop the character as a person — don’t merely have your character announce important plot details.Thought. Bring the reader into your character’s mind, to show them your character’s unexpressed memories, fears, and hopes.
Plot:
Try the 8 - Point Story Arc as a way of understanding stories and how they work. Read some short stories to see if you can discover these plot elements.
From, Nigel Watts' Writing A Novel and Getting Published.
Watch Kurt Vonnegut on The Shapes of Stories
Having a good rant on the page can be a great exercise for warming up the voice. See this poem here by Steve Scafidi: “To Whoever Set My Truck On Fire” from Sparks from a Nine-Pound Hammer (LSU, 2001).
The writer gives himself permission to be firey, strong, kind, murderous and bewildered all in one poem.
Ask yourself: What do you feel strongly about? Then freewrite on the subject. Don't hold back!
Short Stories:
When I grow up ;) I'd like to write a novel! Writing short stories has been a great place to start. Many of the elements of writing a novel: plot, character, theme, point of view can be found in the short story. The length of a short story can vary but usually between 1000 to 6000 words. Anything under is usually labelled 'Flash Fiction' or 'Micro Fiction'.
It took me a long time to gather enough resources and to learn the skills I needed to get started with short story writing. I'm still developing this skill, but many of the ideas and elements below have really helped. I'm sure you can discover more helpful tools, there are many books and blogs on this subject, but here's a few to get started.
How to begin?
Which of these short story beginnings make you want to read on?
'They can't shave their heads every day like they wish they could, so their tattoos show through stubble. Little black hairs like iron filings stuck on magnets.' From Mines by Susan Straight.
'The woman showed him into a small room, not unlike a doctor's waiting room except all the magazines on the table seemed to be about fish packing and frozen foods.' From Trawl by William Bedford.
'Dear Friends and family, by the time you get this this letter I will be dead.' From The Last You'll Hear From Me by David Sedaris.
'In the kitchen, he poured another drink and looked at the bedroom suite in his front yard. The mattress was stripped and the candy-striped sheets lay beside two pillows on the chiffonier. Except for that, things looked much the way they had in the bedroom - nightstand and reading lamp on his side of the bed, nightstand and reading lamp on her side. From Why Don't You Dance? by Raymond Carver.
In 1972 my father came back from the moon. From Prison Moon by Molly Black
How will you start your story?
Characters
Your job, as a writer of short fiction–whatever your beliefs–is to put complex personalities on stage and let them strut and fret their brief hour. Perhaps the sound and fury they make will signify something that has more than passing value–that will, in Chekhov’s words, “make [man] see what he is like.” -Rick Demarnus
Appearance. Gives your reader a visual understanding of the character. Action. Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives. Speech. Develop the character as a person — don’t merely have your character announce important plot details.Thought. Bring the reader into your character’s mind, to show them your character’s unexpressed memories, fears, and hopes.
Dialogue
Make your readers hear the pauses between the sentences. Let them see characters lean forward, fidget with their cuticles, avert their eyes, uncross their legs. -Jerome Stern
Point of View
This is a good place to find all the information you need about Point of View. The Beginning Writer.
Point of View
This is a good place to find all the information you need about Point of View. The Beginning Writer.
Try the 8 - Point Story Arc as a way of understanding stories and how they work. Read some short stories to see if you can discover these plot elements.
From, Nigel Watts' Writing A Novel and Getting Published.
- Stasis
- Trigger
- The quest
- Surprise
- Critical choice
- Climax
- Reversal
- Resolution
Here's a short video to help you get started.
Some short stories to try this method on before writing in this way:
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, and some free short stories by Anton Chekhov. Think about the stories you have read in the past, do they fit into this plot structure?
Here is a piece in the New York Times about The Seven Basic Plots. Again, try to organise the stories you love into these types of stories.
If you'd like to read and understand sub-text, I recommend David Baoulene's book: The Story and he has a very helpful bog on the subject HERE
The Bridport Prize accepts stories up to 5,000 words (no minimum). See Short Stops for more ideas of places to read short stories and start learning this craft.
Goodluck writing short stories!
If you'd like to read and understand sub-text, I recommend David Baoulene's book: The Story and he has a very helpful bog on the subject HERE
The Bridport Prize accepts stories up to 5,000 words (no minimum). See Short Stops for more ideas of places to read short stories and start learning this craft.
Goodluck writing short stories!
Creative Writing Week 1: Introduction.
Week 1: The Art of Free Writing:
Free writing can be a great tool to get writing started and improves with practice. The best time to practice is first thing in the morning before you are fully awake, perhaps still in the dream state. I like to free write just before falling asleep (this works for me) and I do this on my phone in the notes section. My notes are full of surprises and I get my best work from this process. See here a post about Virginia Woolf and her approach to writing daily:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/01/25/virginia-woolf-on-keeping-a-diary/
Free Writing: Begin to write without stopping for five or ten minutes. Put down everything that comes to mind on the issue or question. Do not stop to think about spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Simply, write everything possible on the topic freely without stopping. Do not stop at this stage to evaluate the results or worry about sentence structure. The goal is to pour out as many ideas as possible in a steady stream of writing.
See further information about free writing here:
https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas/instructions/freewriting
See further information about free writing here:
https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas/instructions/freewriting
Try a focussed free write using the word 'Waterfall' as a stimulus word. Try any word at home for a timed 5 minutes.
Note: Free writing is not the same as automatic writing.
Note: Free writing is not the same as automatic writing.
Here are some examples of short pieces of writing:
Daniil Kharms: http://www.sevaj.dk/kharms/kharmseng.htm
Gertrude Stein: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gertrude-stein
Here's something more contemporary and narrative from writer Tania Hershman:
http://www.smokelong.com/coat-and-shoes/
Here's something more contemporary and narrative from writer Tania Hershman:
http://www.smokelong.com/coat-and-shoes/
You might also like:
If you would like to read more short fiction I recommend the following websites:
See The Bridport Prize, a writing competition featuring a flash fiction entry: https://www.
And more locally, Bath Flash Fiction: https://
Look through your material and write a 250 to 500 word short piece, or poem on any subject.
Here's some recommended reading to help further your writing:
Short Stories: That Glimpse of Truth: The 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written (Profound, lyrical, shocking, wise: the short story is capable of almost anything. This collection of 100 of the finest stories ever written ranges from the essential to the unexpected, the traditional to the surreal. Wide in scope, both beautiful and vast, this is the perfect companion for any fiction lover.)
Poetry: Staying Alive Staying Alive is an international anthology of 500 life-affirming poems fired by belief in the human and the spiritual at a time when much in the world feels unreal, inhuman and hollow. These are poems of great personal force connecting our aspirations with our humanity, helping us stay alive to the world and stay true to ourselves.
Here's some recommended reading to help further your writing:
Short Stories: That Glimpse of Truth: The 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written (Profound, lyrical, shocking, wise: the short story is capable of almost anything. This collection of 100 of the finest stories ever written ranges from the essential to the unexpected, the traditional to the surreal. Wide in scope, both beautiful and vast, this is the perfect companion for any fiction lover.)
Poetry: Staying Alive Staying Alive is an international anthology of 500 life-affirming poems fired by belief in the human and the spiritual at a time when much in the world feels unreal, inhuman and hollow. These are poems of great personal force connecting our aspirations with our humanity, helping us stay alive to the world and stay true to ourselves.
Socks
For Kim Moore
If you were a pair of socks Martine, would you display yourself in dirty little piles about this room, sitting about with other dirty socks failing to reach the wash basket in such a demonstration of filthy deeds? How long would you hang about with such vagrant items, itching and holing around, the muck of you an irritant to those who love and care for your well-being, those who share your foul spaces, cluttered moments, inconsiderate escapades of slattery? If you were a pair of socks would this behaviour continue, or would you strumpet and slurf your dirty way to the wash basket with a face like Desdemona in her final moments, waiting for Othello to forgive her in that last leap to the basket, the denial of your love for other dirty socks. O Martine! I can not walk by. This makes men mad, it is the very error of the moon.
O Frances, a guiltless death I die.
#slaternsunite
If you were a pair of socks Martine, would you display yourself in dirty little piles about this room, sitting about with other dirty socks failing to reach the wash basket in such a demonstration of filthy deeds? How long would you hang about with such vagrant items, itching and holing around, the muck of you an irritant to those who love and care for your well-being, those who share your foul spaces, cluttered moments, inconsiderate escapades of slattery? If you were a pair of socks would this behaviour continue, or would you strumpet and slurf your dirty way to the wash basket with a face like Desdemona in her final moments, waiting for Othello to forgive her in that last leap to the basket, the denial of your love for other dirty socks. O Martine! I can not walk by. This makes men mad, it is the very error of the moon.
O Frances, a guiltless death I die.
#slaternsunite
WHO IS A SURREALIST AND WHO IS NOT? AND WHO CARES? Penelope Rosemont
"Knock hard. Life is deaf." —Mimi Parent
For a long time I've been drawn to the surrealists and this month I decided to get to grips with what it really means to be a 'Surrealist'. I am interested in this subject because the word 'surreal' is often attributed to the work I write. But am I a surrealist? And who cares?
This week, I ordered David Gascoyne's book of 1935 and now published by Enitharnon, A Short Survey of Surrealism. David Gascoyne was a translator of the 'leading' French Surrealists: Dali, Ernst, Breton, Eluard and others. I was struck by the lack of women. Surely there were women.
"Certain critics and curators have attempted to isolate women surrealists from the Surrealist Movement as a whole, not only by reducing their work to the traditional aesthetic frameworks that surrealists have always resisted but worse yet by relegating them to a subbasement of the art world known as “Women’s Art.” Ironically, the old (mostly male) critics who ignored or minimized women in their studies of surrealism are not that different from these newer (often female) critics who ignore or minimize surrealism itself in their studies of women who took part in it. Each of these one-sided and erroneous views reinforces the other, and both prop up the insidious fiction that surrealism is yet another “Men Only” movement." Penelope Rosemont, Surrealist Women (Surrealist Revolution) University of Texas Press.
Some of them have been reduced to shadows of the more famous men. Take Lise Deharme: "In recent years, historians such as Marie-Claire Barnet, Mary Ann Caws, Renée Riese Hubert, Andréa Oberhuber, and Penelope Rosemont, have begun to un-do the "reducing" of Deharme to "a failed love story." These scholars have set out to establish a more dynamic conception of Deharme's reputation."
I searched 'women surrealists' and found a list on Wiki. This is where you fall down a fantastic rabbit hole. Don't follow me, you might never get out! I'll make a list of women whose poetry I can make a link to and then a further list of Surrealist writers.
SURREALIST POETS:
Aase Berg (born 1967) is a Swedish poet and critic, among the founding members of the Stockholm Surrealist Group in 1986. EIGHT POEMS
Joyce Mansour (1928-1986) was an Egyptian-French poet. She first encountered Surrealism in Cairo, but moved to Paris in 1953. FIVE POEMS
Olga Orozco (1920-1999) was an Argentine poet of the Surrealistic 'Tercera Vanguardia' generation. THREE POEMS
Alejandra Pizarnik (1936-1972) was an Argentine poet heavily influenced by Surrealism. SIX POEMS
Gisèle Prassinos (1920-2015) was a French writer of Greek heritage, associated with Surrealism since her first publication at the age of 14. ONE POEM
Penelope Rosemont (born 1942) is an American writer, painter, photographer, collagist and cofounder of the Chicago Surrealist Group. Her edited anthology Surrealist Women demonstrated the breadth of women's contribution to surrealism. MY TRIP TO RUSSIA also editor of Surrealist Women: An International Anthology (Surrealist Revolution Series)
Blanca Varela (1926-2009) was a Peruvian poet. Octavio Paz characterized her poetry as in the "spiritual lineage" of surrealism. THREE POEMS
Unica Zürn (1916-1970) was a German writer and artist. She wrote anagram poetry, exhibited automatic drawing and collaborated with Hans Bellmer as his photographic model. Nine Anagrammatic Poems
Dorothea Tanning (1910–2012) was an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, writer, and poet, whose early work was influenced by Surrealism. She became part of the circle of Surrealists in New York in the 1940s, and was married to fellow Surrealist Max Ernst for 30 years. FIVE POEMS
Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) was a British-born Mexican Surrealist painter. She met the Surrealist Max Ernst in 1937, and had a painful and complicated relationship with him. Much of her work is autobiographical. ONE POEM
OTHER WRITERS AND POETS WHERE NO WORK CAN BE FOUND ONLINE:
Lise Deharme (1898-1980) was a French writer associated with the Surrealist movement. WIKI PAGE
Valentine Penrose (1898-1978) was a French surrealist poet, author and collagist.
Guia Risari (born 1971) is an Italian writer, novelist, essayist, translator.
Ginka Steinwachs (born 1942) is a German scholar and writer. Her doctoral thesis on André Breton was published as Mythologie des Surrealismus.
Haifa Zangana (born 1950) is an Iraqi writer active in surrealist activity in London.
⇻
Penelope Rosemont asks in Surrealist Women (Surrealist Revolution) University of Texas Press,
"WHO IS A SURREALIST AND WHO IS NOT? AND WHO CARES?"
"Neither silly nor simple, these questions are vital for anyone who wants to know the truth about surrealism. Critics who attempt to define the movement in aesthetic or literary terms, as a “style” or a “school,” overlook the crucial fact that surrealism is above all “a community of ethical views,” as Toyen put it in a statement included in this collection."
"Many are the writers who at some point in the course of their careers have expressed themselves in a surrealist voice—"
All the women included here have been co-thinkers and co-dreamers in surrealisms revolutionary project. More precisely, for the purposes of this collection, I define a surrealist as one who
(1) considers herself/himself a surrealist and/or
(2) is recognized as surrealist by surrealists and accepts being so designated, and
(3) takes part in surrealist activity by:
(a) producing work recognized by surrealists as a contribution to surrealism;
(b) collaborating on surrealist penodicals;
(c) participating in surrealist exhibitions;
(d) publishing under the movement’s “Surrealist Editions” imprint;
(e) cosiging surrealist tracts;
(f) taking part in Surrealist Group meetings, games, demonstrations, or other activities; and/or
(g) otherwise publicly identifying herself/himself with the aims, principles, and activity of the Surrealist Movement.
FINAL WORDS
If you are interested in participating
in the activities of
the Surrealist Movement,
please write us at Black Swan Press
c/o Charles H. Kerr Company
1740 West Greenleaf Av
Chicago, Il 60626
For orders phone 773-465-7774
Let us know, in as much detail as possible:
1) your views regarding contemporary revolutionary thought and action;
2) your orientation toward surrealism and its project here and now; and
3) what contribution(s) you believe you can make to surrealist revolution today.
The God Baby
My new chapbook, The God Baby, is a collaboration with artist Jill Carter and includes stunning prints: website HERE
Limited copies are available to buy in the UK
Sheehan’s is a unique voice, a hallucinogenic mix of colour-clashing syntax and formal innovation. Every time you think you know what to expect, Sheehan’s poetry charabanc swerves onto a track you never knew existed, leaving you breathless and exhilarated. Supported by Carter’s anarchic illustrations, these poems surprise and amaze by turns, ambushing the reader with tenderness, humour and political rage. A truly unmissable ride. - Jacqueline Saphra (latest book, All My Mad Mothers, Nine Arches Press)
"I was instantly hooked – the surreal yet grounded storylines, the sentences crackling with nervous electricity, the subtle interweaving of the political with the personal, and the innovative yet tempered and often lyrical use of language." Ian Seed: Stride Magazine
"Sheehan has a way of putting things that sound logically impossible but are metaphysically very real. An impressive, funny, and entertaining surrealism one can believe in." Robert Vas Dias
"The artwork and the poetry blend perfectly to present a very special, damaged account of parenthood, and childhood – in lots of ways the two are intertwined. Hilda uses her fantastic surreal style to bring humour and surprise to the poetry, but it is never far from feeling very real and painful. This pamphlet carries greater weight than many collections I have read this year and I recommend everyone read Hilda’s poetry, she is truly unique and wonderful, making the world a better place through her askew poetry!" Stephen Daniels, http://vpresspoetry.blogspot.co.uk/p/tell-mistakes-i-love-them.html
Jill Carter is a multi-media artist based in the UK. Her diverse performative practice explores narratives of identity, creating dark, quirky and engaging off artworks and collections. She enjoys drawing, printing and transforming findings and offerings into stitched and bound talismanic objects. Passionate about journaling, her one off books are badly behaved and full of curious observations and musings.
Limited copies are available to buy in the UK
Sheehan’s is a unique voice, a hallucinogenic mix of colour-clashing syntax and formal innovation. Every time you think you know what to expect, Sheehan’s poetry charabanc swerves onto a track you never knew existed, leaving you breathless and exhilarated. Supported by Carter’s anarchic illustrations, these poems surprise and amaze by turns, ambushing the reader with tenderness, humour and political rage. A truly unmissable ride. - Jacqueline Saphra (latest book, All My Mad Mothers, Nine Arches Press)
"I was instantly hooked – the surreal yet grounded storylines, the sentences crackling with nervous electricity, the subtle interweaving of the political with the personal, and the innovative yet tempered and often lyrical use of language." Ian Seed: Stride Magazine
"Sheehan has a way of putting things that sound logically impossible but are metaphysically very real. An impressive, funny, and entertaining surrealism one can believe in." Robert Vas Dias
Jill Carter is a multi-media artist based in the UK. Her diverse performative practice explores narratives of identity, creating dark, quirky and engaging off artworks and collections. She enjoys drawing, printing and transforming findings and offerings into stitched and bound talismanic objects. Passionate about journaling, her one off books are badly behaved and full of curious observations and musings.
The God Baby
A god came out of a woman
and took over her house.
‘I am a god!’ he screamed
from his baby mouth
and in no language.
This god was massive: 25lb in her arms!
And her opening, from out he came
was a secret cave where light beamed
through at certain times
of the day – and out
had come this god
looking nothing like his father.
and took over her house.
‘I am a god!’ he screamed
from his baby mouth
and in no language.
This god was massive: 25lb in her arms!
And her opening, from out he came
was a secret cave where light beamed
through at certain times
of the day – and out
had come this god
looking nothing like his father.
March 2017: Surrealism (1)
I like to turn to the surrealists for inspiration. The poems I write may not always eventually be surreal, but reading the surrealists and using surreal techniques can lead the way towards writing something true and fresh.
“The word
``surrealism'' having thereupon become descriptive of the generalizable
undertaking to which we had devoted ourselves, I thought it indispensable, in
1924, to define this word once and for all: SURREALISM, n. Pure
psychic automatism, by which it is intended to express, verbally, in writing,
or by other means, the real process of thought. Thought's dictation, in the
absence of all control exercised by the reason and outside all aesthetic or
moral preoccupations.” Andre
Breton.
Some favourites of mine below and suggested reading:
Short Stories
I've spent the last week reading short stories. Mainly because I have a unit to teach at New College, and each time I teach it I have grown myself as a writer and teacher, so I end up rewriting the whole unit! The pleasure of reading and discovering new stories can take you to new imaginations. I started with Best (British) Short Stories 2016 (Salt) I wanted to read what writers are writing and publishing now. There is a lively introduction by Nicholas Royle and he reminded me to read some of the excellent journals that publish short stories, in particular, Brittle Star, Lighthouse, and Ambit.
I've also been reading, That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the finest short stories ever written. Selected by David Miller.
'Any anthology is a weird wonky wonder ...' he writes.
And it is a wonky wonder. I have loved revisiting The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, and How to Write a Short Story by Sean O'Faolain.
It's hard to teach people to write, and giving structures and science can help a great deal. I was reading these stories with structure in mind, I wondered how they fit into Nigel Watts’ eight points, from Writing A Novel and Getting Published. Here's my conclusion from The Red Shoes.
•Stasis
ONCE upon a time there was little girl, pretty and dainty. But in summer time she was obliged to go barefooted because she was poor, and in winter she had to wear large wooden shoes, so that her little instep grew quite red.
•Trigger
In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker’s wife; she sat down and made, as well as she could, a pair of little shoes out of some old pieces of red cloth. They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they were intended for the little girl, whose name was Karen.
Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first time on the day of her mother’s funeral. They were certainly not suitable for mourning; but she had no others, and so she put her bare feet into them and walked behind the humble coffin.
•The quest
Just then a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old lady; she looked at the little girl, and taking pity on her, said to the clergyman, “Look here, if you will give me the little girl, I will take care of her.”
Karen believed that this was all on account of the red shoes, but the old lady thought them hideous, and so they were burnt. Karen herself was dressed very neatly and cleanly; she was taught to read and to sew, and people said that she was pretty. But the mirror told her, “You are more than pretty—you are beautiful.”
•Surprise
Meeting the soldier: Now every one came out of church, and the old lady stepped into her carriage. But just as Karen was lifting up her foot to get in too, the old soldier said: “Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!” and Karen could not help it, she was obliged to dance a few steps; and when she had once begun, her legs continued to dance. It seemed as if the shoes had got power over them. She danced round the church corner, for she could not stop; the coachman had to run after her and seize her. He lifted her into the carriage, but her feet continued to dance, so that she kicked the good old lady violently. At last they took off her shoes, and her legs were at rest.
•Critical choice
At home the shoes were put into the cupboard, but Karen could not help looking at them.
Now the old lady fell ill, and it was said that she would not rise from her bed again. She had to be nursed and waited upon, and this was no one’s duty more than Karen’s. But there was a grand ball in the town, and Karen was invited. She looked at the red shoes, saying to herself that there was no sin in doing that; she put the red shoes on, thinking there was no harm in that either; and then she went to the ball; and commenced to dance.
•Climax
She danced, and was obliged to go on dancing through the dark night. The shoes bore her away over thorns and stumps till she was all torn and bleeding; she danced away over the heath to a lonely little house. Here, she knew, lived the executioner; and she tapped with her finger at the window and said:
“Come out, come out! I cannot come in, for I must dance.”
And the executioner said: “I don’t suppose you know who I am. I strike off the heads of the wicked, and I notice that my axe is tingling to do so.”
“Don’t cut off my head!” said Karen, “for then I could not repent of my sin. But cut off my feet with the red shoes.”
And then she confessed all her sin, and the executioner struck off her feet with the red shoes; but the shoes danced away with the little feet across the field into the deep forest.
•Reversal
On the following Sunday they all went to church, and she was asked whether she wished to go too; but, with tears in her eyes, she looked sadly at her crutches. And then the others went to hear God’s Word, but she went alone into her little room; this was only large enough to hold the bed and a chair. Here she sat down with her hymn-book, and as she was reading it with a pious mind, the wind carried the notes of the organ over to her from the church, and in tears she lifted up her face and said: “O God! help me!”
•Resolution
Then the sun shone so brightly, and right before her stood an angel of God in white robes; it was the same one whom she had seen that night at the church-door. He no longer carried the sharp sword, but a beautiful green branch, full of roses; with this he touched the ceiling, which rose up very high, and where he had touched it there shone a golden star. He touched the walls, which opened wide apart, and she saw the organ which was pealing forth; she saw the pictures of the old pastors and their wives, and the congregation sitting in the polished chairs and singing from their hymn-books. The church itself had come to the poor girl in her narrow room, or the room had gone to the church. She sat in the pew with the rest of the pastor’s household, and when they had finished the hymn and looked up, they nodded and said, “It was right of you to come, Karen.”
“It was mercy,” said she.
This might help you understand plot structure:
I've also been reading, That Glimpse of Truth: 100 of the finest short stories ever written. Selected by David Miller.
'Any anthology is a weird wonky wonder ...' he writes.
And it is a wonky wonder. I have loved revisiting The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, and How to Write a Short Story by Sean O'Faolain.
It's hard to teach people to write, and giving structures and science can help a great deal. I was reading these stories with structure in mind, I wondered how they fit into Nigel Watts’ eight points, from Writing A Novel and Getting Published. Here's my conclusion from The Red Shoes.
•Stasis
ONCE upon a time there was little girl, pretty and dainty. But in summer time she was obliged to go barefooted because she was poor, and in winter she had to wear large wooden shoes, so that her little instep grew quite red.
In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker’s wife; she sat down and made, as well as she could, a pair of little shoes out of some old pieces of red cloth. They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they were intended for the little girl, whose name was Karen.
Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first time on the day of her mother’s funeral. They were certainly not suitable for mourning; but she had no others, and so she put her bare feet into them and walked behind the humble coffin.
Just then a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old lady; she looked at the little girl, and taking pity on her, said to the clergyman, “Look here, if you will give me the little girl, I will take care of her.”
Karen believed that this was all on account of the red shoes, but the old lady thought them hideous, and so they were burnt. Karen herself was dressed very neatly and cleanly; she was taught to read and to sew, and people said that she was pretty. But the mirror told her, “You are more than pretty—you are beautiful.”
Meeting the soldier: Now every one came out of church, and the old lady stepped into her carriage. But just as Karen was lifting up her foot to get in too, the old soldier said: “Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!” and Karen could not help it, she was obliged to dance a few steps; and when she had once begun, her legs continued to dance. It seemed as if the shoes had got power over them. She danced round the church corner, for she could not stop; the coachman had to run after her and seize her. He lifted her into the carriage, but her feet continued to dance, so that she kicked the good old lady violently. At last they took off her shoes, and her legs were at rest.
At home the shoes were put into the cupboard, but Karen could not help looking at them.
Now the old lady fell ill, and it was said that she would not rise from her bed again. She had to be nursed and waited upon, and this was no one’s duty more than Karen’s. But there was a grand ball in the town, and Karen was invited. She looked at the red shoes, saying to herself that there was no sin in doing that; she put the red shoes on, thinking there was no harm in that either; and then she went to the ball; and commenced to dance.
She danced, and was obliged to go on dancing through the dark night. The shoes bore her away over thorns and stumps till she was all torn and bleeding; she danced away over the heath to a lonely little house. Here, she knew, lived the executioner; and she tapped with her finger at the window and said:
“Come out, come out! I cannot come in, for I must dance.”
And the executioner said: “I don’t suppose you know who I am. I strike off the heads of the wicked, and I notice that my axe is tingling to do so.”
“Don’t cut off my head!” said Karen, “for then I could not repent of my sin. But cut off my feet with the red shoes.”
And then she confessed all her sin, and the executioner struck off her feet with the red shoes; but the shoes danced away with the little feet across the field into the deep forest.
On the following Sunday they all went to church, and she was asked whether she wished to go too; but, with tears in her eyes, she looked sadly at her crutches. And then the others went to hear God’s Word, but she went alone into her little room; this was only large enough to hold the bed and a chair. Here she sat down with her hymn-book, and as she was reading it with a pious mind, the wind carried the notes of the organ over to her from the church, and in tears she lifted up her face and said: “O God! help me!”
•Resolution
Then the sun shone so brightly, and right before her stood an angel of God in white robes; it was the same one whom she had seen that night at the church-door. He no longer carried the sharp sword, but a beautiful green branch, full of roses; with this he touched the ceiling, which rose up very high, and where he had touched it there shone a golden star. He touched the walls, which opened wide apart, and she saw the organ which was pealing forth; she saw the pictures of the old pastors and their wives, and the congregation sitting in the polished chairs and singing from their hymn-books. The church itself had come to the poor girl in her narrow room, or the room had gone to the church. She sat in the pew with the rest of the pastor’s household, and when they had finished the hymn and looked up, they nodded and said, “It was right of you to come, Karen.”
“It was mercy,” said she.
This might help you understand plot structure:
Flarf
Flarf is not easy to get right. It does make me laugh, and think, and wince.
Steven Waling reminded me of this process on his visit to Swindon in February. In the poem below I googled Syria and Rainbows, then cut and pasted the text in the search lines. I then sculpted it into something.
You can read better Flarf here as I'm not entirely sure I have made one. Can you make a Flarf? I'm not sure Flarf cares.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-flarf-poetry
rainbow of the famous rainbow
massacre has a double car
with the jihadist
I think they will agree to temporary f
amous Rainbows (at least 46)
via stop
to take a bite
in the Bay of Auckland
near Syria the community
early Tuesday (opening a new front)
with the jihadist warrior
we are going to bomb rainbows, it is obvious -
Steven Waling reminded me of this process on his visit to Swindon in February. In the poem below I googled Syria and Rainbows, then cut and pasted the text in the search lines. I then sculpted it into something.
You can read better Flarf here as I'm not entirely sure I have made one. Can you make a Flarf? I'm not sure Flarf cares.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-flarf-poetry
rainbow of the famous rainbow
massacre has a double car
with the jihadist
I think they will agree to temporary f
amous Rainbows (at least 46)
via stop
to take a bite
in the Bay of Auckland
near Syria the community
early Tuesday (opening a new front)
with the jihadist warrior
we are going to bomb rainbows, it is obvious -
A lot to say
I love stories told mainly in dialogue. It's a great way to explore subtext: what's said/held back/inferred. In 'Beginners' by Raymond Carver, we have a story told almost entirely in dialogue. Carver is a master at this, and of handling subtext.
Have a read and try short story using mostly dialogue. What can you show in the relationships between your characters and the stories they tell? Can you handle this in poetry? Try a Dramatic Monologue:
BEGINNERS by RAYMOND CARVER in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Have a read and try short story using mostly dialogue. What can you show in the relationships between your characters and the stories they tell? Can you handle this in poetry? Try a Dramatic Monologue:
BEGINNERS by RAYMOND CARVER in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
More Than Meets the eye
Each week I encourage my students at New College, Swindon, to read something new. It doesn't matter if you are writing a novel, a poem, or a play, wide reading can help you become a better writer.
I've chosen a few brilliant pieces that I feel are surprising and make up new realities for their subjects.
I've chosen a few brilliant pieces that I feel are surprising and make up new realities for their subjects.
Ange Mlinko is writing about poetry here in More Than Meets the I, but it rather reads like a poem. 'poetry is more plastic than sculpture, has more microtones than any formal musical system.'
Angels by Russel Edson on the Poetry Foundation website
"Like birds, and yet so human . . .
They mate by briefly looking at the other.
Their eggs are like white jellybeans."
They mate by briefly looking at the other.
Their eggs are like white jellybeans."
Chocolate Dog by Shawn Misener on Fictionaut
"My house is your house is built by radio signals beamed from the bottom of the ocean."
Gazpacho by Shawn Misener on Fictionaut
"For a brief and torturous moment I could sense her presence locked up in the Tupperware, like some twisted and desperate ghost ..."
Free write about something you know very little about. Write down the word then write without stopping for ten minutes. What you don’t know, make it up. Choose an object, person, animal. The stranger the better.
Read the above stories and poems to help you into the idea.
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