I don't know whether you will remember my congratulating you on the T.S. Eliot half-a-year ago. I've now managed to get hold not only of Nigh No.., but Almanacs as well - love your way with words. And just now I have discovered your addition to one of my favourite institutions (and Andrew Motion's most lasting legacy from his Laureateship) The Poetry Archive - your readings really bring your poems even more to life. I have been trying to persuade Neil Astley at Bloodaxe to claim suffucient grant to allow a really good "How To Perform Your Poems" from actors who are "resting" from theatre, film or TV - those specialising in voice over work would do a splendid job, I'm sure. I'm sure you have practised lots to achieve such mistress-y over the craft. Thanks so much for the enjoyment you bring to so many people. My own chit-chat is on several Networks: Open Salon (as Christo46); American Journal under my full names (Christopher James Heyworth) and Facebook at facebook.com/cjheyworth How I envy your facility. Sorry not to have seen you "live" yet.
I'm glad you've revived your blog, I visited it a couple of times last year when I bought your first book 'Almanacs'. I love your second book too. Look forward to more.
Thanks Christopher: and I do remember, yes! I'm still a bit startled by those post-Eliot bolts from the blue : ) Well, I will take a wander through those links and see if I can find you...
as for practice...funny thing that, I've come to the conclusion that the only way to decide whether a poem is "live" or not is to read it aloud over and over again...a lot of folk work like this, I know...if I can't be arsed to hear myself speaking it, I know it's not working : )
it's all about speech/voice as far as I'm concerned...even on the page, it's voices bubbling up from the hinterlands of white space...
I hope you will believe that it shows, your reading aloud habit. I seem to remember reading the same about the composition habit of Dylan Thomas, and I have always treated any poem that strikes me as "worth it" to the reading aloud treatment, which was fine when I was a teacher, even though a great many of my pupils/students considered me to be totally bonkers I'm sure. Now that I'm retired, I must be becoming one of the murmuring oldies who so amused me when I was young. I hope to urge far more people to check you out at the Poetry Archive, and I think you will find enjoyment at the Polyverse Poets site if you will check it out. Susan Culver's US site Poetry Friends is also of consistently high quality.
I don't know whether you will remember my congratulating you on the T.S. Eliot half-a-year ago. I've now managed to get hold not only of Nigh No.., but Almanacs as well - love your way with words.
ReplyDeleteAnd just now I have discovered your addition to one of my favourite institutions (and Andrew Motion's most lasting legacy from his Laureateship) The Poetry Archive - your readings really bring your poems even more to life.
I have been trying to persuade Neil Astley at Bloodaxe to claim suffucient grant to allow a really good "How To Perform Your Poems" from actors who are "resting" from theatre, film or TV - those specialising in voice over work would do a splendid job, I'm sure. I'm sure you have practised lots to achieve such mistress-y over the craft.
Thanks so much for the enjoyment you bring to so many people.
My own chit-chat is on several Networks: Open Salon (as Christo46); American Journal under my full names (Christopher James Heyworth) and Facebook at facebook.com/cjheyworth
How I envy your facility. Sorry not to have seen you "live" yet.
I'm glad you've revived your blog, I visited it a couple of times last year when I bought your first book 'Almanacs'. I love your second book too. Look forward to more.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christopher: and I do remember, yes! I'm still a bit startled by those post-Eliot bolts from the blue : ) Well, I will take a wander through those links and see if I can find you...
ReplyDeleteas for practice...funny thing that, I've come to the conclusion that the only way to decide whether a poem is "live" or not is to read it aloud over and over again...a lot of folk work like this, I know...if I can't be arsed to hear myself speaking it, I know it's not working : )
it's all about speech/voice as far as I'm concerned...even on the page, it's voices bubbling up from the hinterlands of white space...
and thanks to you both for liking Almanacs, which I rarely read from, but sometimes think was subtler...
ReplyDeleteyep, I will have to be more disciplined about the blog this time...
I hope you will believe that it shows, your reading aloud habit.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember reading the same about the composition habit of Dylan Thomas, and I have always treated any poem that strikes me as "worth it" to the reading aloud treatment, which was fine when I was a teacher, even though a great many of my pupils/students considered me to be totally bonkers I'm sure. Now that I'm retired, I must be becoming one of the murmuring oldies who so amused me when I was young.
I hope to urge far more people to check you out at the Poetry Archive, and I think you will find enjoyment at the Polyverse Poets site if you will check it out.
Susan Culver's US site Poetry Friends is also of consistently high quality.