English Poet - News
Photo above is looking out across Hudson Bay from Churchill. This is ‘polar bear’ country in the sub-Arctic, northern Manitoba, in late August – where I spent a terrific three weeks exploring and such like…
Since summer 2015 writing reviews for ‘Trip Advisor’ (26 so far); with near 17,000 readers to date. Look for me on ‘sanewtOn’; for information/humour and reflection, on places in the UK and Canada…
February, wrote a short commentary: ‘Confessions’ on some musings from Charles Bukowski (poet from LA, now deceased) – 575 words. Another commentary in March, on the opening nine stanzas of ‘Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner’ –1,760 words…
Sept/16, got a short article into the Bronte Society Gazette (UK). My file is ‘Haworth’, recounting four days-an-nights, tracking down the famous family at work-an-play, in a small village up in the Yorkshire hills…
Jan/2017, finished a short essay on Annie Pootoogook (1,800 words), a native artist from northern Canada (Cape Dorset) – published by Americana/Mensa in the UK. She died in Sept/2016, in Ottawa, after producing wonderful pictures from ink drawings and coloured crayons…
A new poem about the Bronte family; going into a summer publication of their Gazette – titled, ‘Grand designs: studies of the inner workings in Ars Poetica’. A new story, ‘Julian at Haworth’ follows on from the poem…
August/17, I went to the Yukon Territory, for the history and three famous writers (Robert Service, Jack London, Pierre Berton) and amazing landscapes. I was invited to read at events for Service and Berton, in front of their log-cabins and attended another reading for London’s work. ‘My Yukon Adventure’ is a short file on this holiday, with photos – published in the Klondike Sun newspaper in November…
June/2019 – completed a new essay: ‘Peter Trower Esquire (2010-2017): memories of his last years’ – after befriending him in North Vancouver till he died in November, shortly after I visited him in hospital. I saw a lot of him back then, because we lived so close. SFU library (in BC) accepted this essay for their Special Collections, where Peter’s archives are held…
October/19 – finished a new essay on John Heath Stubbs, a writer in West London. Who lived close by me in Nottinghill (1980-2000) and attended my church, to become friends. He was poet and teacher at Merton College, Oxford…
November – completed a new short exploratory essay on, Literary Theory for the layperson, about 4,000 words – why we read and write?…
May/2020 – finished a new essay, ‘English Education: schools and colleges et al’. It’s over 5,000 words; a personal account from being a student then teacher, writer and reader…
August – published an ebook (by Weslond Books), ‘To the Promised Land: California from the 1960’s towards 1991’. A long novel (108,000 words), about the new counter culture and people involved – first begun in 1976…
March/2021 – new WB production of ‘John Keats (1795-1821): poesy burning bright’; a short essay on three of his popular poems. 109 copies, specially printed/bound in North Vancouver and distributed privately as collector’s item…
December/2022 – completed ‘Mayfair Games’ with twelve chapters, foreword and afterword. I created a coloured front-cover from an ole photo taken in Kensington, behind Sheffield Terrace.
This book is an exploration of casino gambling and forays around the wider city of London…
‘Yorkshire Fair’ — is also complete, set in a northern county, with great history and beautiful countryside. Twelve longish chapters cover all the places we hear about and think to visit – except we can now read about them here…
‘Westward Ho’ – continues past No.15, with a view to more sketches and a framework of ‘foreword’, ‘afterword’ and poems. About the people/exploration of the Western Rockies/USA, after the 1800’s – with Nez Perce Indians and American frontiersmen. This project still evolving…
April/2023 – thirty copies of ‘Mayfair Games’ printed/bound in North Vancouver, to be sold and distributed widely…
Short sketches – continue, like farm scenes in the UK (from the 1960’s); childhood scenes and travel episodes — short essays too (like a file on Hemingway and then Scott Fitzgerald)…
I wait for inspiration and never stare at blank pieces of paper… My interests are far and wide, with my writing ventures following on behind sometimes…
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