It is this day

Today - Shakespeare Day - was going to be the launch of my fourth poetry collection, The Shadow Factory. 










I'd delayed it because it was published in the depths of winter, and I don't do well with things that require A Rising To The Occasion  in the dark half of the year, and I still think I was right to do so because Hours Space in my native city of Bristol on an evening like this, with the windows open, and free wine, and good company ... it would have been perfect. 

I suppose I could do something swishy and Zoomy to replicate a launch from home, but I don't do that well with High Tech Thingies either. At any time of year. So here's a low tech impression of what The Shadow Factory's launch would have been like. 

There would have been a reading of wonderfully witty and sometimes surreal poetry by Dominic Weston, who is seen here actually reading at Hours (but not at my launch, obvs). 

There would have been FREE wine from Isla Negra, home of Pablo Neruda, in  choice of colours, and nibbles in the form of cheesy biscuits made by my friend, Chris Lindop.  

And there would have been me, reading. Here I am, looking serious in Frome, in a photo by David Goodman.

I'm now going to attempt to convey how the evening might have felt to a member of the audience, through the words of Dorothy Porter, in a poem from her marvellous thriller-in-verse, The Monkey's Mask, which you can read here.

As for The Shadow Factory, I'm determined it will get its launch once we're allowed to reconvene. In the meantime, we're all kind of living in it anyway, this sleepwalking half-life those of us who aren't frontline workers inhabit. 

I can't post you any free wine - we've drunk it - but if you'd like to read The Shadow Factory sooner rather than whenever, message me on Facebook or Twitter or through the comments on this blog. They are £10 each with free P&P and a free bookmark, unless you are a poetry reviewer who would like to review it, in which case you can have a papery or an electronic copy for free.   

Already published reviews can be read here and here.