Autumn, Arvon, and adventures in theatre

Hello!

I hope December is treating you well. Here in Manchester, we have had some snow, some sleet, and some beautiful blue-sky days, great for walking in the hills and by the canals.

 Since my last blog post in summer, so much has happened - I have made my acting debut on both stage and screen, attended a brilliant Arvon course, performed at a castle, and been meeting up with the Village Bakers in-person again - so, eating lots of cake! 

 I hope you enjoy learning more about my autumn, and thank you for sharing my writing life with me.

First Dibs - The Assembly

The First Dibs programme has been a huge part of this year for me. Dibby Theatre selected me back in March as one of five queer writers to take part, developing our skills, and writing a new play.

 I have written The Reason for Geese, a one-person show about time-travel and finding yourself, set around the canals of Manchester. I portray all of the characters - geese, swans, a cat, a bee - using my own body and voice. It has been a new challenge for me, and I am so proud of what I have achieved.

 We shared our work at a showcase event, The Assembly, as part of Push Festival at HOME. The week leading up the The Assembly was intense but incredibly rewarding, as I worked one-to-one with Leo Skilbeck as my Director, at The Edge in Chorlton, and then at HOME.

 Leo is amazing, and really helped build up my confidence in my work and in myself. The First Dibs writers also had a photoshoot with Jordan Roberts, and I love my photo!

 The night of The Assembly was one I'll always remember. I loved being in the theatre, working with a group of other people, sharing the adrenaline, and celebrating together when we had finished. I made some great connections and friends.

 I got some lovely feedback for The Reason for Geese, and am excited to share it again in January, as part of a very exciting opportunity. I am looking forward to letting you know more, so watch this space, and keep an eye on my Twitter!

Advent at Oldham Coliseum

I was commissioned to write two of Oldham Coliseum's 2021 Advent plays - and then I was asked to act in one of them! It was a really fun experience, and I hope you enjoy watching them.

 'Christmas Octopus', brilliantly acted by Brianna Douglas, is about an octopus costume, finding and accepting friendship, and understanding yourself.

 'Truffles', performed by me, is about food, family, and adventure.

 I have another project with the Coliseum coming up, that I hope to share soon. This theatre - both the physical space and online community - has become so special for me, full of warmth and magic, and I'm so glad I found it this year.

Autumn at Arvon

I was over the moon to be able to attend Arvon's 'Poetry - Expanding Your Reach' course at Lumb Bank, near Hebden Bridge. I last stayed there in Summer 2019, and it was a life-changing experience. Now, I returned in autumn, and the hills were full of orange and red trees. It was gorgeous.

 Our tutors, Mimi Khalvati and Katrina Naomi, were both fantastic, and helped to focus me on what I need to do next with my poems. Leo Boix was our guest poet, and I loved his work. As a linguist, I was especially interested in his thoughts on, and stories about, literary translation.

 I loved being part of a little community, in our cottage in the countryside. The food was glorious, and I enjoyed taking my turn at cooking, helping make vegan butternut squash risotto (it was amazing!). Our nights chatting by the fire are something I'll really miss. I've definitely made some friends.

Out and about with my poems!

A lot of spoken-word events moved back to being in-person during the autumn, and it was nice to catch up with friends, and travel a bit, even just to Salford or Sale! However, Zoom events have their own advantages, and I hope that organisers will keep doing them, as well.

 I was invited to perform and run a workshop at Fatty Acid, a queer night at Partisan Collective. I had a really nice group for my workshop, and I'm proud of the work we produced. I then performed at the cabaret, in a line-up of incredible and unique acts. It was fabulous, and I felt such freedom and pride. The queer community is amazing.

 I then took a tram to Sale, for my first-ever in-person visit to Sale Out Loud. It was lovely to see the brilliant Sarah, who hosts the night, and to finally meet some poets I had only seen on a screen. We sat in a circle and took turns reading our poems, and it felt very cosy and equal and supportive.

 I then made my return to Verbose, now in the upstairs room at The King's Arms in Salford - such a cool space! I shared some poems, and enjoyed some really dynamic and diverse performances.

 Next, there was the Young Identity Christmas party - a great evening, which really refreshed me. I performed at the open mic, enjoyed some excellent cake, then walked home, through the Manchester Christmas lights, feeling positive and hopeful. 

 In the virtual realm, the Writing Squad held another Home Concert, and it was a calm, safe space to share our work, both poetry and music. One of my favourite things is to listen to people play guitar and sing, so it felt like I was getting a free gig, and it was lovely to be able to contribute.

 Finally, one of the most unusual, but most brilliant gigs I've done - I was invited by Northern Poets Society to perform at Clitheroe Castle! 

 It was very cold, but the atmosphere among the poets was so special. It was an adventure, and definitely a highlight of my poetry year.

On the page!

I had an exciting delivery - a batch of copies of Not About Now, the Writing Squad anthology in which I have two poems. If you would be interested in buying a copy from me, do get in touch!

 This was a really nice project - it was funded by Simon Armitage and, at a time when I think a lot of us felt pressure to write directly about the pandemic, we were told that we didn't have to. Hence, Not About Now! I wrote about goslings and cats and helicopters, but also about loss and hope.

 I am also proud to have one of my poems about PCOS - 'Why we wait to find out why I am bleeding again' - published in Kissing Dynamite Poetry. 

 Be aware that this poem has medical themes, but it is told through metaphor, without anything spelt out.

 I have continued to take part in Visual Verse's monthly writing challenge. In September, I responded to the below image by Vika Wendish, with my poem 'Analysis'.

 In November, I wrote 'Eve', in response to this image by Frederick Cayley Robinson. I found this one really interesting, and I definitely want to further explore the world I created.

 Most recently, I wrote 'Os cabalos', inspired by this image by Monica Silva, as well as by the horses of Vigo and Galicia, and my time living there.

 Coming soon: I have a poem, 'Satisfied' in the upcoming issue of Under the Radar, which has been a dream journal for me. I can't wait to share it!

Workshops, shows, friends and fun

I have had three lovely Writing Squad workshops in person. We looked at writing the invisible with Andrew McMillan here in Manchester, and I took the train to Leeds to look at metaphor with Francesca Haig, and myths with Malika Booker. 

 On the day of Malika's workshop, it was extremely windy and snowy, and it was a real adventure getting there! I'm very glad I did.

 There have also been some great Squad workshops on Zoom - these are usually on a Thursday night, and are a nice, relaxed way to spend an evening. We looked at writing the taboo with Jenny Danes, settings and senses with Aoife Inman, and rituals with Georgia Affonso. 

 I attended online Poetry Business workshops with Ann and Peter Sampson, Malika Booker, and Suzannah Evans. These are usually in the mornings, and help me get into a poetic frame of mind for the rest of the day.

 I enjoyed two shows at Oldham Coliseum - Gypsy Jam, a passionate, musical coming-together of cultures that was an honour to witness, and Love n Stuff, a play with many characters, amazingly acted by just two people. My brain was constantly tricked into thinking there were more people on stage! 

 With Dibby Theatre, I attended an early table reading of Chris Hoyle's play-in-progress, The Alleyway of Dreams, which was fascinating to be part of. I also saw Nathaniel Hall's First Time at Contact Theatre - having studied the text, finally seeing it performed was a really special experience.

Baking, crafting, candles and community

The Village Bakers have been meeting in person again, which has been fabulous. And I was able to make my famous Biscoff Banana Bread once more! 

 As always, I really enjoyed curating our Autumn Newsletter, with news, delicious bakes, and an interview with one of our lovely Bakers, Andrew. I hope you enjoy it.

 I have enjoyed getting out and about to other LGBTQ+ events, too, from making a clay octopus, to weaving a rainbow bracelet.

 I enjoyed decorating some candle jars for this year's World AIDS Day vigil in Sackville Gardens, which was an extremely moving and powerful event.

 I am still learning Mandarin Chinese, working on my guitar skills, and baking. I am also trying to do more cooking, and have got back into watching The West Wing, which I was a big fan of as a teenager. I am very ready for a Christmas rest, and lots of reading!

 

 Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and being part of my creative journey. I hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable festive season, and that 2022 brings some hope and happy times.

 Warmest wishes,

 Liz x

Exciting news and cool collaborations

 Hello!

I hope you are well. I have been enjoying spring - it has been lovely to see friends for the first time in a year, have picnics, and go for walks. There has been blossom, fluffy goslings and cygnets, bees and bluebells, and I have been feeling hopeful and positive.

Grants and commissions

Amazing news - I have been awarded a DYCP grant from Arts Council England, to develop my poetry and performance skills. My focus will be on really embracing and owning my queerness in my work, and I will be mentored by some fantastic poets. I cannot wait to get started.

 At the end of March, I delivered my "The Little Things" commission for Beetfreaks, and we had a lovely presentation evening. I performed my spoken-word piece, "Rockpools", which looks back over the first year of the pandemic, and how different communities supported me. I am currently working on putting together a film version to share on here, so watch this space!

 The First Dibs theatre-writing course is going well, and I am building up my spoken-word show. We have had guest workshops from Leo Skilbeck, Louise Wallwein, Cheryl Martin, and Scottee & Friends. I am enjoying the course literature - Temi Wilkey's The High Table and Philip Ridley's Vincent River were especially moving.

Teaching

I work as a languages tutor, and I had been hoping to start tutoring poetry as well. So, it was brilliant to deliver my first solo poetry workshop, to Durham Poetry Society. Entitled "The magic in the mundane", I crafted the workshop around finding moments of magic in our daily lives, at a time when travel, adventures and excitement can be limited. 

 I also led a segment of the Writing Squad's "Workshop workshop", which was a series of mini-workshops led by different writers. My section looked at mythical creatures, exploring them in new ways, and using humour. The writers came up with many different characters, with drafts involving centaurs, gnomes, mermaids, flower fairies, and more.

Publications and collaborations

My favourite thing as a writer is working with other people to create something amazing, and there has been so much of that recently to creatively fulfil me. I hope that this continues.

 Firstly, my poem "Whale baby" has been published in the Growth Issue of Popshot, and illustrated by Simona de Leo. Her artwork is perfect for the poem, and makes me happy whenever I look at it. 

 My poem explores different options that I have considered for having a child as a queer woman, as well as the equally-valid option of not choosing that path at all. That this poem has found a place in such a widely-read magazine feels really empowering, and I hope that it will reach and comfort people.

 Secondly, Unheard Poetry have made a gorgeous film from my poem "The frog pool" - you can watch it by clicking the orange title. The poem is also below.

 "The frog pool" is part of the Dreams for Green series, which is a celebration of our planet and a call to protect it. I feel incredibly strongly about this, and write about it often. So, I was really happy to be part of Earth Zine from Coin-Operated Press, with my eco-poem "How to draw a fish".

 The poem was then also featured in the Press' 2020-2021 Annual, which was really cool.

 More excitement came when my poem "Winter blazer" was chosen for the first-ever issue of Skirting Around, a magazine exploring clothes and identity. 

 My poem tells the story of the first time I bought and wore a "men's" suit blazer, and the range of emotions that it made me feel. I filmed myself reading the poem for the website (wearing the very blazer!), and also read live at the launch, which was a really fun evening.

 Three of my poems were published in the Amy Ray Zine. Songwriter Amy Ray is one of my biggest inspirations, in my writing, activism, and being comfortable with my identity. It was an honour to be part of the zine, which was created to celebrate Amy on her birthday in April.

 It is also lovely to have two of my queer poems in Issue Three of Queerlings - I had hoped to be part of this journal for a while. I hope you enjoy "My other half" and "Indigo nights".

I am also pleased to have three poems - "Imperfect days", "The player", and "Why you should exist" in the She Speaks anthology from Tipping the Scales. You can read it online here, or buy the paperback here.

In May, my poem "Risen" was published in Visual Verse. We were challenged to respond to this intriguing image by an Unknown Artist.

I also have poems coming up in Lighthouse, The Adriatic, and Under the Radar, and my queer coming-of-age short story "Siren" is going to be published in York Literary Review. I can't wait to share them all with you.

 Finally, as always, Foxglove Journal publishes a poem or fiction piece every week - I love editing and taking the photos for Foxglove, and am proud of how the site has grown. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Spoken-word, events and workshops

I was a featured act at Open Dyke Night, run by LQW, and performed five of my most passionate and rallying poems, addressing queerness, self-love, belonging, and the environment. The audience were warm and supportive, all the acts were brilliant, and it was a very special evening.

 My poem "Pilot" was showcased by Young Identity for Earth Day, with a film of me performing it. It is so important to me to keep sharing this message - we need to reduce waste, stop polluting the oceans, and protect whales and other animals. 

 I shared a film of my poem "What I always wanted poetry to tell me", to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. You can also read the poem at Popshot, here.

 I took part in two editing workshops, one with The Writing Squad and Charlotte Wetton, and one with Fly on the Wall and Nikki Dudley. They were quite different, and it was interesting to get new perspectives. I certainly feel that I have more tools now for editing my poems.

 I have also enjoyed workshops with Andrew McMillan and Sarah Fletcher through the Poetry Business, and with Rachel Long, Steve Dearden, Sian Meades-Williams, Jamal Gerald and Keisha Thompson through The Writing Squad. Having access to these organisations has been so helpful to me throughout the pandemic.

Baking, languages and other fun

It was lovely seeing many of my friends from Village Bakers in person for the first time in over a year, when we met for our socially-distanced Spring Picnic in Heaton Park. I enjoyed discovering a rainbow ice-cream cone!

 You can read all about the Picnic, and much more, in our Spring Newsletter, which I curated as Head of Media and PR. It features delicious bakes by our members, an interview with lovely baker Sakander, and my poem "Apple crumble", which talks about baking and mental health.

 I am very proud to have completed the Irish course on Duolingo, and I am now continuing my work on Mandarin Chinese, as well as starting Finnish. I will let you know how it goes.

 That's all for now! Many thanks for reading, and for sharing my writing journey. I hope you have a lovely summer - or winter, depending on where in the world you are!

 Liz x