Three Events

Good things come in threes, so say superstitious fools. But maybe they're right as here are three poetry events that you ought to go to. It beats sitting alone in the cold and dark, doesn't it? DOESN'T IT?!?

Dr Who Open Mic night - 25th November  - from 7:30pm  - at The Blind Poet, Edinburgh
https://www.facebook.com/events/579726702076934/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar
I shall be reading a set alongside Kevin Cadwallender and Tracey S Rosenberg, and a host of open-mic-ers. The event is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, but all things doctery and sci-fi are welcome!

Talking Heids - 26th November - from 7pm - at Sofi's Bar, Edinburgh
https://www.facebook.com/events/157377047806858/?fref=ts
The human whirlwind, Colin McGuire, presents Rob A. MacKenzie and Rachel Amey, with open mic opportunities. I may also read a piece or two.


10RED December - 4th December - from 7:30pm - Persevere Bar, Edinburgh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOy5C7Z0egk&feature=share
Kevin Cadwallender and Lara S Williams present a not-so-silent night of poetry, prose and music from 10 writers and artists, including the enigmatic pickled egg muncher, Russell Jones.





Russell Jones

1 in 5 teenagers will experiment with poetry

A few months ago I was obviously quite bored as I decided to make a silly little image about the potentially-harmful effects of writing poetry. It can destroy families. It's apparently become the most popular thing I'm ever likely to write in my life, with around 1000 people "sharing" it in the last 2 days alone. If only my poetry had such an audience! Well here it is anyway, if you're not on the BaceFook time-leech

Russell Jones

Publications Update

Hark! In a futile effort to promote some of the books and magazines and so on that my work has appeared in more recently, here is a pretty mundane list for you to ignore. However, many of them are probably worth checking out. Good toilet reading, bed reading, reading reading. Get reading!

This site will also undergo a bit of a makeover soon, even its mother thinks its lazy and has let itself go a bit. So check back soon to experience the marvels of "subsections" and "different colours". Add some spice to your life.

Recent-ish publications include:

Cambridge Library “Poem a Day” booklet 2012 (March 2012) and online with audio http://www.cambridgelibraries.ca/poetrydisp?ID=181&Year=2012– “The Elephant Wash”

New Writing Scotland: 30 (2012) - “Down on the Beach”, “The Flat Opposite”

The Istanbul Review (2012) - “God Has Still Not Appeared to the Birds”

Poetry Planet: Animals and Creatures (2013) – “The Ant Swap”

KaffeeKlatsch (2013) – “Night Camp”

Octavius Issue 2 (2013) – “Last Stop”, “Sum Total”

In on The Tide (Dunbar Wee Festival of Words, 2013) – “Request”

Harbour (Dunbar Wee Festival of Words, 2013) – “Old Man of the Sea”

And Other Poems (2013) – “Old Man of the Sea”

The Scotsman (3 Aug 2013) – “Blue Planet”

Double Bill (due 2014) – “Judge Dredd”

  

Meanwhile


Russell Jones

Buy "Spaces of Their Own" NOW

Well I'm waiting on that dreaded ISBN to register so that "Spaces of Their Own" can sell on Amazon, but in the meantime you can buy it on my blog. Go here and get it, now!

http://spacesoftheirown.blogspot.co.uk/



Russell Jones

"Spaces of Their Own".....LAUNCH

If you like gin and poetry then put on some clothes and dry your eyes, because Santa Claus is coming to town 5 (and a bit) months early, carrying books and intoxicants!

July 14th is the official launch date of "Spaces of Their Own", my most recent collection of poems, and this time they're science fictional...ooh.

From computers who judge your life's decisions, to monkey mind reading; from a romance between two protons in the Large Hadron Collider, to downloadable dreams; this collection ought to appeal to poetry and sci-fi fans alike. And if it doesn't, then there's rhubarb gin to drink and forget your woes.

It's a celebration, thrice! Not only is it the launch of "Spaces of Their Own" but it's also the launch of Anne Connolly's "Not Entirely Beautiful" and the first birthday of ickle wickle press, Stewed Rhubarb!

There will also be readings from the humanoids known as: Rachel McCrum, Katherine McMahn, Jenny Lindsay, Tracey S. Rosenberg, Harry Giles and hopefully a video poem from Lucy Ayrton.

Doors open at 5:30pm, The Whitespace Gallery (11 Gayfield Sq, Edinburgh, EH1 3NT)
Tickets are a meager £3, as are the books.

If you're on "Facebook" and you "like"things and have "friends" then you can also join in here, and invite other "friends": https://www.facebook.com/events/467082390051895/?ref=22

Now put that puppy down -


Russell Jones

Data Dump Sci-fi Poetry Award 2012

I've just now received two editions of Steve Sneyd's "Data Dump" (issues 183 and 184) in the post, which to my delight include a short list, and list of winners, for the 8th Annual Data Dump Award for science fiction poems published in Britain in 2012.

The keen-eyed among you will notice several nominations from Where Rockets Burn Through. The dull-eyed won't, but you've just been told, so read it again and brighten your cataracts:

SHORT LIST
Paul Farley, "The Circling Stars" (The Dark Film, Picador)
Bryn Fortey, "Singing" (Poetry Cornwall, iss 35)
W.N. Herbert, "Ice Station Zog" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)
D.S. Ketelby, "Lewisham, Monday. 10:47AM" (Banana Wings, iss. 51)
John Light, "Alone at Last" (Apocalypse: Poetry from the end of the world, Atlantean)
James McGonigal, "Inflight Memories" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)
Peter E. Presford, "Waiting Game" (On The Other Side of Dreams, Malfunction, Pantheon)
George Stevens, "In Robo Parentis" (Handshake, iss. 83)
Jon Stone, "What Robots Murmur Through Broken Sleep" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)
Barnaby Tidman, "Megara" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)
J.S. Watts, "Steelyard Sue Builds a Baby" (Songs of Steel-yard Sue, Lapwing)
Neal Wilgus, "O Brave New Atlantis Or, Lo! Passtellologue-Scriptolloids" (Awen, iss. 77)


AND THE WINNERS ARE....

FIRST PLACE
J.S. Watts, "Steelyard Sue Builds a Baby" (Songs of Steel-yard Sue, Lapwing)

SECOND PLACE
Jon Stone, "What Robots Murmur Through Broken Sleep" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)

THIRD PLACE
Barnaby Tidman, "Megara" (Where Rockets Burn Through, Penned in the Margins)


Congrats to all! If you'd like to read any of the poems from the folks published in Where Rockets Burn Through then you can buy several copies of the book here:
http://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/where-rockets-burn-through-2/



Russell Jones

Other people's whisky and scrambled eggs

It's a rare occasion for me to post about anything other than myself. Very rare indeed. But prepare yourself for a shock...I'm about to! Perhaps I'm turning a new leaf, one which cares about the goings on of other bipedal mammals, the intricate nuances of existence outside of my own mottled skin. Perhaps. But don't worry, I'll drown a bag of puppies afterwards, just to keep equilibrium.

Two thing I shall tell you, and no more, cur. And this they be:

Non-me Thing number 1...

The tremendous Claire Askew, as part of "Women Supporting Women", has been involved in a project with vulnerable girls and women in Edinburgh. It has meant them reading and writing poetry, and then making short films based on their words. It's coming to an end, but they don't want it to fade into the ether! No, they want to get those poems and put them onto paper for the world to read! Do check out this link, read a bit more about the project and see if you can help out (yeh, I'm talking money here, Scrooge):  http://www.sponsume.com/project/making-it-home-project-help-us-build-book


Non-me Thing number 2...

Penned in the Margins, dynamic and free-wheeling publisher of poetry, short prose, essays and glory, are touring with their "Electronic Voice Phenomena", featuring music, poetry and performance that, much like a zombie gnawing on the face of "Dr" (she isn't) Gillian McKeith, is inspired by Konstantin Raudive's "experiments" of the 1970s in which it was claimed the voices of the dead were captured in white noise. Ah...ahahah. Ahem. Find out more here!
Website  electronicvoicephenomena.net
Facebook facebook.com/electronicvoicephenomena
Twitter  @_EVP


 That's all for now. Go away.

Russell Jones

Reviews Round-Up

Ahoy!

You’ve noticed that absence in your life haven’t you? A slow grinding down of your soul, that terrifying whisper of isolation? Well by now you’ve probably worked out that it’s because I’ve not been updating this blog very much. But worry not, lamb, I’ve a bounty of book reviews to keep your brain cell warm.

First it’s worth mentioning our event at the Scottish Poetry Library on April 25^th (starting 6:30 – get there early for a seat): Rockets For Edwin Morgan. It’s a celebration of the great man himself, with sci-fi readings from Ron Bultin, Pippa Goldschmidt, AndyJackson, Claire Askew, Ian McLachlan, Kelley Swain and James McGonigal. BOOK YER TICKETS NOW. A blog ditty penned by my cursed hand is here.

And now a host of reviews! If you don’t already own Where Rockets Burn Through: Contemporary Science Fiction Poems from the UK then I can only assume you’ve been incapacitated for the last 4 months, or that you’re just a terrible person. Salvation can be found here: Penned in the Margins.

And so to the reviews, keep 'em coming!

Star * Line (please scroll to the bottom of the page):

“I should probably check my enthusiasm and not say this is a landmark anthology, but I believe it is a major one [...] This is fresh stuff, and very accessible”

Poetry Scotland Reviews:

“An achievement and a milestone”

John Field writes a poetic and insightful review, with pictures to boot!

“When Rockets Burn Through is an anthology with considerable ambition.”

StarBurst awards 8 out of 10 stars:

“Science fiction and poetry, on paper at least, should be the perfect marriage. And, fortunately, it is! [...] an excellent addition to the science fiction poetry genre”

Geek Chocolate published the most ‘critical’ review of the book to date, summarising:

“as with the exploration of the universe, those scattered diamonds in the night are the reason for the journey through the dark spaces between”

The Telegraph calls Where Rockets Burn Through:

“an unusual stocking filler”

The Skinny:

“science fiction and poetry are, on this evidence, very complimentary forms”

Sidekick books call it:

“moreish work [...] a real genre zapper”

Russell Jones

Poetry Scotland Review reviews Where Rockets Burn Through!

Sally Evans of Poetry Scotland has written a substantial review of Where Rockets Burn Through. I urge you, as a midwife might urge a woman with child to 'push' or 'breathe', to read it and then go and buy several copies and bathe in its glory. Push. Breathe. Read. Buy.

http://poetryscotlandreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/sci-fi-poetry-liftoff.html?m=1


Russell Jones