Day 3: Chromosome Medley

This is the poem which won 3rd place in the Genomics Forum Poetry Competition. Click it to enlarge and then use the magnifying glass that appears to get a good old look-see, you kinky git.

Russell Jones

Kiss my face

Could it be Christmas already? Or your birthday, perhaps? What's that? No it's nothing to do with your recent success with the alcoholic nymphomaniac at the office party or a pity gift because you're so adorably lonesome. Though you are.

For the foreseeable future (I give it a week) I'll be posting a poem a day for you to love, hate or be completely indifferent to.

The first one is inspired by a painting (above) by a rather marvelous and strange artist friend of mine, Daniel Young.

(click to  ENLARGE)

Russell Jones

Shhh Wan, it's a library

The AHRC-funded "Poetry Beyond Text" exhibition has kicked off at the Scottish Poetry Library. Berets and bongos are flying, the books are covered in vomit, blood and a little bit of wee.

Come along to the SPL on Wednesday 15th June to hear a menagerie of poets read their work for the "Chinese Whispers" event. The collection is formed by artists and poets who responded to one another's work through their various mediums.

There might be free wine! And fist fights! And me, drinking the maybe-free wine!

Starts at 6pm



Russell Jones

Manuscripts A-go-go

Since the dawn of my poetry writing "career" I've written X to the power of X poems. Most of them are rubbish.  But like a mushroom on a turd, from the crap pile emerge two decent collections of words.

I've finally put together two manuscripts of poetry which I have written (pretty much) in the past 5 years. But I've no publisher - - see where this is headed? Use yer noggin'

As a lesser form I've sent them off to a few publishing folks in the past and had some mightily fine rejections including "we love this but you're not Welsh". Never have those words hurt so much.

So if you know a publisher who's just dying for mushrooms, send them my way and you can rub my belly. A  FREE sample (the first is free, after that you pay...any way you can) is below, "Barracuda" (a kind of surreal sea-side jaunt):


Click to enlarge. Ohh yeh you like that...

Russell Jones

Shore Arches

Where have I been? Where have YOU been? You never call any more, I'm starting to think that night we had was just a joke. And to think I loved you.  I opened my heart and let you crawl in like Luke Skywalker in that ubiquitous arctic scene. You scumbag. Kiss me.

Well it's been some time since I last posted anything so here are two mind-bendingly astonishing events for you to add to your diary so your life seems a little less like natural yoghurt and a bit more like popping candy milkshake blended with cocaine and dark rum:


The Arches, Glasgow,
24 May, 7pm to infinity

Short film night Focus Left returns following its launch last year – and a highly successful youth edition at Glasgow Film Festival.

I'll be reading Edwin Morgan's science fiction poem, "In Sobieski's Shield" over Dan Warren's short film based on the poem, to live music.


Shore Poets, Lot, 4–6 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU

26 June, 7:45 - 10:15pm
	A night where magical poets hit you with their wands: Jane McKie The Mark Ogle Memorial Award Martin McIntyre, Russell Jones Music: Blue Flint

Russell Jones

Plod Cast

Hear Ryan Van Winkle interview myself and Sophie Cooke on the Scottish Poetry Library pod cast. Do it.
http://scottishpoetrylibrary.podomatic.com/entry/2011-04-12T01_03_14-07_00


Russell Jones

Science Pestival

Fat and lazy as we all are, I'm sure we'd like more time to waste shovelling corn down our gullets and fraternising with daytime crapavision.

Well, since I work in a school I get school holidays so can do exactly that. Ha! You and your stinking "real job" suck. Bet you feel really stupid now, don't you, Thicko McJob?

Sadly I seem to have filled my man hours with "things" involving "people" and "stuff". Mainly because it's International Science Festival (http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/) time here in Edinburgh. So here is a list of things (that you won't give a pigeon foot about but) I am involved in next week:

12 April (6:30-9:30pm, if you believe it), "Desert Island Poems"
Me, Ryan Van Winkle, Harry Giles and Peggy Hughes talk about our favourite poems and poets at the Central Library boardroom, Edinburgh

13 April (6:30pm-infinity), "Genomics Forum Poetry Competition"
Myself and Sophie Cooke (who won the competition, damn her) will read our winning/runner-up (damn me) poems to the public at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh

14 April (6-7:30pm) "Nothing but the Poem (science fiction poetry)"
Lilias Fraser hosts a group discussion on sci-fi poems, of which I've been enlisted (payment in wine and Pringles) to offer my tuppence at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh

Also watch the skies (or this site) for my SPL Podcast on science fiction and science in poetry, due to be broadcast soon. It was a 30 minute interview but likelihood is my segment will be 30 seconds because I kept swearing and/or giggling like a little school girl.


Peace, wimp




Russell Jones