This year has been a rather unusual one for the life of a poet. I never imagined that I’d end up writing an academic book, but that’s exactly what has happened. Ekphrastic Poetry in Practice: Art and Words in Conversation is close to completion, and will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in late 2027.

I will reveal more about the book and its journey in another post. All I can say for now is that it is based on my PhD thesis, with some additional research that I have conducted since, and that eleven other fantastic writers are contributing to the book in various different ways.

Working on the book has reminded me how much I enjoy writing of all kinds; not just poetry. In a summer of back-to-back heatwaves (living in a flat, with no garden) I have found much solace in writing and editing. I have also really enjoyed running an online ekphrastic writing course in recent weeks, and although my own poetry muse seems to have gone to ground for a while, I am gradually coaxing her back to life.

Recent poetry highlights have included a couple of poem publications. ‘Craquelure’ was published in The Pomegranate London issue 10 – a fabulous magazine that focuses on writing about artists, their creative process, or artistic environment. The poem was originally written as part of my PhD. I was also really pleased to have my poem ‘Sprouts’ appear in the Neurodiversity themed issue of Lighthouse Journal, alongside some incredible work by other neurodivergent writers. Here’s a photo of the journal, sitting alongside my trusty old Poetry Submissions Notebook.

You can also see a photo here of Divergent Writers: Confronting Disability, Illness, Neurodivergence and Ableism in Creative Writing, an academic book that was published earlier this year, in which I have a chapter. It has been several years now since Dr Christie Collins asked me to write something for the book. I said no, at first, because I was too busy, but she kept asking, and I’m really pleased that I did eventually say yes. Here’s the blurb for the book:

Bringing together essays from neurodivergent and disabled writers, and writers with chronic illnesses, this collection explores the impact of these experiences and the struggle against such biases within the field of creative writing. Whilst neuro-divergent and disabled writers publish world-class poetry, prose, and drama that moves readers and wins awards, they face many difficulties accessing these achievements – difficulties which often go unnoticed, unmentioned, and underappreciated. Visibility, insight, alternative approaches, and thorough research are all needed to create more inclusive writing environments. This book confronts these issues head on, calling for diversity in the creative writing field, community, and industry, and more equitable spaces in adjacent arenas from academia to publishing.

Broken into four sections, this anthology focuses on creative writing programs, classrooms, the community, and its people, combining narrative, research and practical contributions to the field to offer a mix of practical strategies, personal and pedagogical interventions, critiques, and craft meditations that explore teaching, transformation, evolution, embodied craft, visibility, belonging, injustice, otherness, and views from the outside. With essays and excerpts written by authors and educators from across seven countries, who are each impacted by a wide range of disabilities, including ADHD, autism, blindness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, stroke aphasia, cerebral palsy, bipolar, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis, this collection informs, deconstructs and re-imagines to reform and revolutionize normative structures within writing institutions and communities.

I haven’t had the brain-space for anything as full-on as The Sealey Challenge this year, but I have managed to build up a small pile of poetry collections to read through gradually, as and when I make the time. I’m currently enjoying Polly Atkin’s Emergency Dream, and have savoured every morsel of The Green Month by Matthew Francis, which I picked up at the Aberystwyth Poetry Festival, and have been dipping in and out of ever since. Perhaps I’ll share more details of my poetry reading on here, if I make good progress on my own book.

Recent performances have included readings at the Aberystwyth Poetry Festival, the Silver Street Bristol Poetry open mic, Urban Wordsmiths in Cardiff, and The Murenger in Newport. Do let me know if you’d like to invite me for a reading.

I will soon be advertising more creative writing courses, most of which will be taught online, so watch this space for details!