Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Guest Blog from Pete Cardinal Cox, Poet & Writer

For National Poetry Day I was well away from the local poetry scene in blustery Newquay for my Nephews wedding. I did however take the opportunity of the long train journey (made longer on the return by having one cancelled) and quiet times in the surfer hostel I stopped in to start a new poetry cycle. At the moment Im at the stage of sending out the first few fruits of this harvest to see if it has the potential of interest from publications. More on this in later postings, perhaps.
 
One of the other things that I have been writing for a few years now are articles for the local arts cinema. I first went to one of its screenings over thirty years ago (it was a Russian film, halfway through they came out and admitted they had shown the reels in the wrong order) and been a regular attendee for twenty. With every screening they give away a sheet of notes about the cast and crew and an article relating to the film in some way. These articles are usually cribbed from some source or other, production information, for instance. A few years back I thought that for a few films I could try and cobble together an article for them. Good practice for me, something original for them. Some seasons there might only be one film that Ill contribute something to (this season it was a list of ten British-ish animators to accompany a screening of an Aardman Animation film) but some seasons I might manage a handful.

Unfortunately I have to report another death in the small press scene. Stephen Owen, who edited the quirky and idiosyncratic4th Dimension died earlier this year. He had published work by me in the past and Id hoped to have that honour again. Our thoughts are with his family.

A magazine that has been going for many years and yet only just come to my attention is the Maidenhead based publicationSouth. It recently produced its forty-fifth issue and has an editorial policy that ensures it picks the best poems, not just work from familiar names. To find out more go to its website at www.southpoetry.org

© Pete Cardinal Cox

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