Broadcasts Like Buses

J.S. had a lovely time talking to Suzie Thorpe on Cambridge 105 this morning about Years Ago You Coloured Me. Rumour has it that her Bookmark interview for the same radio station might also have been on air this afternoon, but this morning's broadcast words and the radio station's written words on Facebook and their website were strangely divergent on the matter.

An investigation of Cambridge 105's schedule for the day has, however, unearthed the fact that J.S.'s Bookmark interview about Witchlight, A Darker Moon and Years Ago You Coloured Me was scheduled to be broadcast today at 1pm as part of the Bookmark programme. Who knew?

It seems that radio interviews are indeed like buses: nothing for ages and then two come along together.

We are hoping that one or both interviews were recorded for podcast purposes and will be available for your further listening pleasure. If they are, we will post them here in due course. Check back over the next week or so to see...

Colouring Cambridge 105

Tune in to Cambridge 105 tomorrow morning, just before 11.30am, to hear J.S. Watts talking to Suzie Thorpe about the launch of her new poetry collection, Years Ago You Coloured Me.

Years Ago You Coloured Me - Launch and Preview Readings

To celebrate the launch of J.S.'s new poetry collection, "Years Ago You Coloured Me", which was released at the beginning of this month, there are going to be a variety of events and "occurrences" taking place across March.

The wonderful Cambridge-based Allographic is helping to give the book a grand start with two (not one, but two) events at which J.S. will read from her new collection. 

The first preview event is on Sunday, 27th March, when J.S. will be the guest poet at the monthly Allographic evening held at CB2, Norfolk Street, Cambridge. The evening kicks off at 7pm and there will be open mic slots as well as J.S.'s reading. Why not bring one of your own poems along?

The second event is on Tuesday, 29th March, beginning around 6pm, at the Cambridge Art Salon Gallery, 1 Thrifts Walk, Cambridge. This is going to be a joint fund raiser for the Cambridge Literary Fringe Festival, "In Other Words", and the official launch reading for "Years Ago You Coloured Me", with plenty of opportunity to buy J.S.'s new book (hint, hint), plus there will be a variety of other fine poets performing alongside J.S.

There is no entrance fee for either of these evenings, but donations will be sought and appreciated.

Hope to see you at one or both of these events!

International Women's Day Issue

Issue 42 of literary magazine A New Ulster is available NOW. It's March and this edition celebrates International Women's Day. There are over a hundred pages of poetry and prose in celebration of women, including three poems from J.S.Watts.

There are also some wonderful words from the likes of Peter O'Neil, Marie Maxwell and Eithne Lannon.

You can read the magazine online for FREE.

Years Ago You Coloured Me - The Launch

It's March and J.S.Watts' brand new poetry collection, Years Ago You Coloured Me, is out from Lapwing Publications. Cue fanfare of French Horns and a month long launch!

Years Ago You Coloured Me (ISBN 978-1-910855-15-7) is a poetry collection echoing with things, times, places and people lost and not quite lost, as well as those never lost while memory lingers. These are poems of influence and resonance, both past and current, capturing personal and broader histories, and the shadows that sometimes follow. What is history, after all, if not selective, recorded memories? The past tells stories as we choose to recall them. The personal is there, plus the wider matters that shaped it. We have only to remember to remember. That is an art.

Included amongst the poems in the collection are: Bonedancing, which was shortlisted for the 2008 Wells Literary Festival International Poetry Competition; Green Rushes, nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize and View From Sheep Field Barn, Much Hadham, which won won third prize in the Yeovil Literary Prize for Poetry 2015.

You can see full details over on the Books page of this website (just scroll down to the Poetry section of the page) and needless to say, you can buy the book on Amazon and from this website, as well as from the publisher, Lapwing Publications, and selected stockists.

To celebrate the launch, there will be a variety of events and "occurrences" taking place across March, including several opportunities to hear J.S. read from her new collection. Check back regularly for further details, including news of the end of March launch event and a special, pre-launch event preview reading.

Catstar/Starcat

The polemical world of Clockwise Cat has brought out a new edition of the magazine, Catstar/Starcat, dedicated to the memory of David Bowie "that cosmic subversive who's returned at last to his ethereal home". Within it, J.S.Watts reviews a poetry pamphlet by Jack Phillips Lowe, "Jupiter Works on Commission", which has little to do with David Bowie and everything to do with blue collar America, but is still worth checking out.

The Rising Dawn

A belated whoop, whoop! "Clockwise: The Rising Dawn", volume 11 of the Latchkey Tales anthology series, is out and available to buy on Amazon. It contains a brand new poem by J.S.Watts, Early Morning Drifter.

You can find the book on Amazon here