A summer of writing, pride and magic

Hello!

I hope you are having a nice summer, or whichever season it is with you. This has been a unique few months for me - very, very hot and sunny, with some incredible experiences, and moments of real magic. I have grown in confidence, and know myself better. 

 I enjoyed some big writing moments, from being published in Lighthouse and reading at the launch, to being featured on the Eat the Storms podcast, to taking part in Writing Dance and getting braver and freer when it comes to moving my body.

 There is so much more that I am proud of - read on to learn more!

Grants and commissions

My DYCP grant from Arts Council England is allowing me to spend some quality time on my poetry and performance skills. I have had my first sessions with each of my mentors, Caroline Bird and Rommi Smith. They have been really helpful, and I am excited to see what I can achieve in the coming months.

 I am enjoying working on my piece for Dibby Theatre's First Dibs project. Our Monday night study sessions have come to an end, and we are busy preparing our work for the showcase, The Assembly, which will take place in November, at HOME. Do consider coming along!

Writing Dance

Last year, I was selected for the Writing Dance project with Yorkshire Dance and The Writing Squad. Back in December 2020, we did some Zoom sessions, exploring writing and movement. My article on this experience, "Teamwork, freedom, and surprising myself", was published by Yorkshire Dance.

 After working virtually, it was really special to be able to meet in person for a week in July, at the Yorkshire Dance studios. Travelling to Leeds every day was a big change, and an adventure. 

 In time, I felt really at home at Yorkshire Dance - one memorable lunchtime, there was a thunderstorm outside, and I felt so cosy and safe in the studio. 

 I met lovely people, and was able to work in several different pairs and groups, to create a series of really diverse mini-projects. I enjoyed exploring new ways of moving, and I'm looking forward to further developing some of what I wrote.

 Overall, the Writing Dance week was, for me, a successful return to in-person collaboration, and I left feeling hopeful and empowered.

Proud publications and podcasting!

I've been part of a number of publications - and a podcast! - this summer, and I love that there has been a running theme of Pride and queer celebration.

 Exploring my identity, comforting readers who may be struggling, and fighting for justice and acceptance - it is so important, and is what I want to be doing as a writer.

 My essay "Becoming myself in the city" was commissioned and published by Aurelia Magazine, as part of their Future Hope series with Manchester International Festival. 

 In the essay, I look back over my time in Manchester, my coming out, and how walking in the city has helped me to take back control and work out what I want in life. I hope you enjoy it.

 A dream came true when my poem "The second time I am diagnosed with PCOS" was published in Issue 22 of Lighthouse, a magazine that had been on my radar for many years.

 I performed at the launch, which was a really nice evening. I am really keen to raise awareness around PCOS - especially as a queer voice.

 It was lovely to have my short story "Siren" published in York Literary Review 2021, and to attend the launch night. "Siren" is a coming-of-age story inspired by some of my own experiences, and my love of the Indigo Girls.

 My poem "Footseeds", about accepting both my height and my queerness, was published in the Pride issue of The Adriatic, with a perfect illustration by Kelsee Porter.

 My poem "This Pride" was published in the gorgeous A Pride of Lines zine from Coin-Operated Press. In the poem, I think back on my first two Manchester Prides (2018 and 2019), and the huge difference between them.

 I was delighted to have three poems - "Fishtails", "Like Christmas", and "Encore" - and a fiction piece - "A starfish is rejected" - published in Giving Room Mag, in their Queer Nostalgia issue. 

 I also have three poems in the first issue of with confetti. I hope you enjoy "Argo", "I've learnt I love women", and "Relief". 

 It is an honour to be here at the beginning of this new queer platform, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they create next.

 My poem "Tomato season" was published in July's Visual Verse. I responded to the below image by Maria Victoria Rodriguez. and also thought about growth, and how personal and individual it is.

 I also have a poem in August's Visual Verse. "The sherbet day" was inspired by separation, distance and memory, as well as by this image by Veronica Lissandrini.

 I have enjoyed curating Foxglove Journal, and sharing my poem "Carnota", about one of my favourite places. 

 I visited when I was living in Galicia, and it was so beautiful there. I hope to return one day.

 Last, but very much not least, it was great to be invited to be a featured poet in the Eat the Storms podcast, and especially the Pride Party issue. 

 I enjoyed sharing my work, hearing friends read, and discovering some queer writers who were new to me. It was a warm, gentle evening.

 Coming up: I have a poem about desire and loneliness in the next issue of Under the Radar, which I can't wait to share. Watch this space!

Workshops and events

As well as the Lighthouse launch, I attended Sale Out Loud and shared some of my new poems with the lovely, supportive crowd there.

 I attended a fascinating Writing Squad workshop by Lenni Sanders, where I was introduced to flarf poetry, and we worked on a group poem about tadpoles, which was really fun.

 I attended Poetry Business workshops with River Wolton - who combined poetry with meditation, Suzannah Evans - who had us thinking about the future, and Andrew McMillan and Warda Yassin, who had us focusing on everyday objects and memory.

 I'm looking forward to an autumn of more Writing Squad and Poetry Business workshops. I am also hoping to run more workshops myself, so if you would be interested in attending, or in hosting me at a group or organisation, please do get in touch!

Baking, theatre, and languages

The Village Bakers had our first social back in-person, in Manchester Gay Village. It was wonderful to see many of my friends again, as well as some new faces. 

 I loved writing about the social - and many other exciting baking shenanigans - in our Summer Newsletter. It also includes my poem "Donuts at Southport".

 I also had a great time touring Oldham Coliseum Theatre as part of the Pathways creative group. It is a beautiful building, and I hope to stay involved in projects there.

 A languages update: I am enjoying refreshing my Mandarin Chinese on Duolingo. At the moment, I am working on subjects such as shopping, food, and hobbies. I am looking at hopefully taking the HSK Level 2 exam soon (I did my Level 1 a few years ago following my visit to Beijing).

 Thank you for sharing my writing journey with me - I hope you have enjoyed this update! 

 Hope you have a nice September.

 Speak soon,

 Liz

Hello from 2021!

Hello!

 I hope you are doing okay at this very strange and difficult time in the world. I haven't posted on this blog in a while, as I am working on a new website, which I am looking forward to sharing with you. However, I want to give you an update of what I got up to creatively in 2020.

 It was a very different year - certainly unique for me within my lifetime. The pandemic meant that I was unable to see many of my friends and loved ones, and there has been so much general fear and anxiety. The writing groups and spoken-word nights that I used to go to have either stopped or have been moved online. I have become very adept at using Zoom!

 I am grateful to the people and groups that have really stepped up and have been there for me and many others at a time that would otherwise have been very lonely. Huge thanks to The Writing Squad, Out on the Page, The Poetry Business, Arvon, Sale Out Loud, LGBT Foundation, and AKT, as well as my personal social groups and Zoom quiz team.

 A key achievement for me was getting through to the first stage of Penguin Random House's Write Now scheme, with my Young Adult novel-in-progress. It is a queer, coming-of-age story set in Salamanca, Spain, where I once studied. Through Write Now, I had a feedback session with Editor, Becky Brown, and I attended the Write Now Day, which allowed me to meet so many lovely people and make some friends.

 I also achieved one of my dreams as a writer - being published in Popshot, both in print and online, and having my poem illustrated. "What I always wanted poetry to tell me" means so much to me, as it really is what the title suggests. I was overjoyed to be able to put that message out there and help people feel comfortable in their body and identity. Chu Chu Briquet did a gorgeous illustration to go with it.

 

 This was one of several collaborative pieces I have been involved in recently, and I am excited by this trend. Through editing and illustrating Foxglove Journal, I have long been collaborating with writers. However, collaborating as a writer myself, with creators of other media, is something I had hoped to do more of, and I am very happy with how it is going.

 I was delighted to be chosen to represent Manchester City of Literature in the Bus Poetry Project in Tartu, Estonia. My poem "Arrival" was selected to be translated into Estonian, and feature on buses in the city. I cannot wait to see the translation, and a photo of my poem on a bus, and to share it with you.

 After a workshop with The Writing Squad and Manchester Poetry Library, I wrote the surreal poem "The goldfish library", which was published in Push. I was later commissioned by the Writing Squad for a special poetry project, which I will be able to talk more about in the future. I worked with brilliant Hannah Hodgson, who gave me feedback to develop two of my poems. They are about a cat and goslings - but also about so much more. I am looking forward to sharing them.

 

 It was lovely to be selected for Yorkshire Dance's Writing Dance project, where a small group of writers and dancers worked together to create new work, experiment, and just get to know each other and have a really nice time. I found this experience very freeing, and it inspired work that I am looking forward to returning to and developing further.

 My poem "Balloon Street" was published and illustrated by lovely Scrittura Magazine. 

 My poem "New Year" was published in The Gentian's Reflections Issue, as well as several of my photos - and I even provided the photo for the front cover, which is a new and exciting achievement for me. You can see more of my photos on my travel blog, and I provide all of the photos for Foxglove.

 

 Irisi published four of my poems - "The first time", "Summer in Manchester", "Perfume" and "Star and bird and egg and rose" - as well as recordings of me reading them, and one of my photos, for their Hope issue. Creating this multimedia experience was really enjoyable, and I would love for you to have a listen or explore.

 One of my proudest moments of 2020 was collaborating with Unheard Poetry to mark World AIDS Day. My poem "Beyond words" was combined with a beautiful visual, and many different voices, to create a powerful multisensory piece. Artist Clare Johnson also created an artwork inspired by my poem. It was such an honour to see the team work together to allow my poem to become so much more.

My photos from World AIDS Day 2019, which inspired "Beyond words"

 I feel I have got much more confident about raising my voice on issues I care about. I had two poems, "Silent" and "Return", published by adda to raise awareness of climate change. I was longlisted for the Quiet Man Dave Prize with my fiction piece "Waiting for Felix", about queer love and family.

 I was Commended in The Bangor Literary Journal's 40 Words Competition with my poem "Stars", about mental health and loneliness, and I was Highly Commended in the Eighth Annual Bangor Poetry Competition with my poem "Something happened", about human connection and support.

 I was part of two Manchester anthologies - Mancunian Ways from Fly on the Wall Press, which features my poems "Arrival" and "On this hot May afternoon", and The Buzzin Bards 2020 Anthology, which includes my poem "Farawayland". It is wonderful to be able to share my love for this city. 

 I also have three poems in the Hidden Voices 2020 Anthology: "Why I usually like being queer", "Feed", and "Céline at Cannes", the third, a celebration of filmmaker Céline Sciamma. Another poem inspired by Céline's Portrait of a Lady on Fire, as well as by the amazing queer women's community in Manchester, is "The ballad of the red plaid", which was published by The Writing Squad as part of the Staying Home project.

 I had several poems published by Visual Verse in response to their 2020 image prompts: "Across the ocean" is about an American writer I love, while "Tracks" is about the ache of someone driving away from you, and having no idea when they will return. "At nineteen" is a sonnet on queerness and self-acceptance, "Salvation" remembers how I used to hatch ladybird eggs, and "Finding the yeti" is about airships, and believing in things. "My own valley" is a particular favourite of mine: a fierce cry of self-love after the end of a relationship.

 I continued editing Foxglove Journal, and it has been a great way to connect with people around the world, and share their fascinating and diverse writing. I also published two of my own poems over 2020: "Octopus dusk" and "How it was", both inspired by my time living in Vigo, Galicia, with its hills and sunsets and foals and frogs.

 I attended Arvon's Queer Poetry course with Caroline Bird and Richard Scott, which was amazing - I will probably write more on this soon. I also hosted a Writing Squad open-mic, which was great fun, and I have performed at a number of magazine, anthology and book launches, and at open-mics - particularly the monthly Sale Out Loud, which is such a warm and supportive community.

 I will do another blog post soon, bringing you my 2021 news so far. Already, some lovely things have happened with my writing and creative projects, and I feel that my confidence is growing. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed this catch-up. Please do get in touch if you would like to collaborate with me, or float any project ideas.

 Many thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Queers of Manchester, and "Arrival"

 Hello!

Photograph by Tom Quaye

 I felt incredibly proud to be featured by Queers of Manchester on their Facebook and Instagram pages. 

 Tom Quaye took the above photo of me, which I love, and you can also read my poem "Arrival". This sonnet describes my growing sense of belonging in Manchester, having previously lived in a number of different places.

 Many thanks to Queers of Manchester for choosing me and showcasing my writing, and to everybody who has responded so positively and kindly to the posts - it feels amazing.

 Liz x

Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op #3

 Hello!

 I was very happy to be invited to perform at the third edition of the Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op. This is a spoken-word night with a difference - each of the five guests reads their own work, a piece by another writer, and some song lyrics that they admire or which have a personal meaning for them.

 It was a beautiful evening, with spring just arriving. I made my way to Gullivers, a venue I really like and where I performed last year, at Bad Language.

 I would be reading first, which was slightly daunting, but I embraced the challenge. I was very moved when my friends Hayley and Andy arrived to support me - it was lovely to be able to share my passion for poetry and performance with them.

 I read four of my poems which, although I chose them primarily because I liked them, happened to be a good taster of my work, touching on some of my key themes.

 These included bodies and identity in "Blood ghazal", travel, nature and memory in "Peaches", destiny and chance in "17th February", and Manchester and belonging in "Arrival".

 For the poem by somebody else, I chose "Venus" by Carol Ann Duffy, as I love its simplicity, and how it combines very intimate moments with a moment watched by people all over the world - a lover's body with the transit of Venus.

 For my song lyrics, I recited "Point Hope", by Indigo Girls, written by Amy Ray. Amy is a big inspiration to me as a writer, and I chose "Point Hope" because its message is so important, and because for me it is a remarkable example of how to write respectfully and well about something that seems so awful as to be unwritable.

 I enjoyed hearing the other four performers, including Jane Bradley, with whom I got talking after the gig, and who had some remarkable stories to share involving togas and babies. She hosts the spoken-word night That's What She Said, which I hope to visit soon and maybe even perform at.

 I hadn't known exactly what to expect from the Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op, but it turned out to be a wonderful night out, and I certainly intend to return for more poems and song lyrics, and the great sense of camaraderie and support.

 If you would like to invite me to perform at an event, please do get in touch.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Speak!

 Hello!

 Last night I visited Speak!, one of the last of the big Mancunian spoken word nights I hadn't yet been to. It was a different atmosphere to what I had experienced at other nights, with more people, louder music, and generally, for me, a more intense vibe.

 However new it felt, I threw myself into my set, performing my poems. The crowd were into it, with laughter in the right places, and I got some good feedback afterwards. The other acts were diverse and interesting, and I was glad I decided to give Speak! a go.

 Liz x

Flim Nite - Pan's Labyrinth

 Hello!

 I had been hoping to get involved with Flim Nite, a cinema-inspired performance night, since I first learnt about it. My fellow New North Poet Jasmine Chatfield, is one of the organisers, and it sounded intriguing.

 When I heard that they would be taking on Pan's Labyrinth, I just had to be there - I studied this film for my Spanish A-Level, and it is one of my all-time favourites. It was so lovely to be welcomed there to read my poetry. I wrote two poems, a sonnet and a ghazal, especially for the occasion.

 The large audience at the Three Minute Theatre were warm and listened intently, and it was a great experience. It was fascinating to see and hear how the other performers interpreted the film.

 I hope to return to Flim Nite in the future, and look forward to seeing what films they have lined up for us to revisit and respond to.

 Liz x

The Poetry Business New Poets Prize

 Hello!

 It is lovely and very encouraging to learn that I was shortlisted for The Poetry Business's 2017/18 New Poets Prize. I look forward to entering more competitions in the future.

 Congratulations to the winners!

 Liz x

The Poetry Shed - Sheepgoat

 Hello!

 I'm delighted that my poem "Sheepgoat" has been published by Abegail Morley on her site The Poetry Shed.

 I hope you enjoy it.

 Liz x

The Mancunion - Poet of the Week and Segovia

 Hello!

 I'm very happy to be the first Poet of the Week in The Mancunion! I hope you enjoy the feature, which tells you a bit about me and showcases my poem "Segovia".

 If you would like to learn more about this Spanish city, check out Parts One and Two of my travels there.

 Liz x