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Website Users are reminded that these listings are taken from a 2009 issue of ARTEMISpoetry

Second Light News:

FIFTY-FIFTEEN FESTIVAL, 19-21 NOVEMBER 2009

A festival of readings and workshops celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of Second Light Network will take place at the Artworkers Guild venue, Holborn, London. Booking forms will be available in July (by post to those not on e-mail) for priority booking by the end of August. Arrangements will generally parallel those for last year’s Autumn event. Please book early as there will be a lot of pressure on places. The ‘Fifty’ element in the title is ‘fifty years of the rise and rise of women’s poetry’. So what was beginning to take off in 1959? It’s difficult to pin-point a base year when women began to find the inspiration, not simply to pursue the lone woman artist road, but to feel themselves part of a highly charged large-scale movement. In 1959, Sylvia Plath wrote some remarkable, now well-known poems, including The Bee-Keeper's Daughter, The Colossus and Mushrooms. The imaginative power and raw assertion in these poems energised many women writers. It was the beginning of a certain kind of female-artist self-awareness which had to be renewed many times but in the end there was exponential progress. One of our ways of celebrating is to include in the rich festival line-up a reading by the very distinguished poet, Anne Stevenson, one of the poets whose development has spanned over fifty years. We are delighted she has agreed to read. Other poets involved in aspects of the festival include Alison Brackenbury, Katherine Gallagher, Caroline Price, Mimi Khalvati, Myra Schneider, Lynne Wycherley ...

    SECOND LIGHT (SLN) POETRY COMPETITION, 2009

The Judge is Pauline Stainer, whose latest collection, Crossing the Snowline (Bloodaxe 2008), has been received with acclaim by reviewers. We included a review in ARTEMISpoetry Issue 1 and Pauline kindly read for Second Light at the Autumn Festival 2008, following up with a workshop at the May event this year. Writing in Poetry Review for Spring 2009, Alex Smith says, ‘ The work of Pauline Stainer is so extraordinary that it is difficult to convey its power adequately ... Each line and word is carved with such precision that images often have the force of myth...’

   All women aged 30 or over may submit. The closing date for receipt of entries is, 1st October 2009. An entry form will be available from July. A note for your diaries for no later than 1st September then: ‘Must send poems to SLN Competition!’ Members of SLN may submit one poem free of charge.

Spreading the News

We love spreading good news so members of Second Light are encouraged to let us know about their successes, publications, forthcoming events or workshops that they will be running. Max 60 words including contact details. 1 item per category per issue. The 5 categories are: ‘Comps & Calls’, ‘Events, Courses & Workshops’, ‘Publications’, ‘Other News & Successes’, ‘Resources’.

   For e-notices, remaining 2009 deadlines are 30 June, 31 August and 31 October. For ARTEMISpoetry Issue 3 (November 09) the deadline for Members’ News is 30 September 09. Submit online at www.secondlightlive.co.uk/resources/submitnews.shtml or, for those without internet access, by post to Administrator, Second Light Network, 20 Clovelly Way, Orpington, Kent, BR6 0WD.

SecondLightLive

We have sound. Our intention is to build up a sound archive of the winning poems from the online Poem of the Month competition. Lotte Kramer’s poem ‘Bilingual’ was the overall winner amongst poems chosen by our judges from the secondlightlive web site. This is a wonderful lyric poem, essentially about surmounting the trauma of emigration and drawing on two cultural traditions. You can hear Lotte read her poem by going to the website www.secondlightlive.co.uk and clicking in the link in the right side menu.

ARTEMIS – snippet

Artemis’s bow is symbolic of both the crescent moon and of inner self-esteem. (She is of course the goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals.) In some ancient cults she was thought to be the sister of Apollo. The many-breasted Artemis of Ephesus represented motherhood and fertility. (Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology) (with thanks to Carol de Vaughn, ed)

ARTEMISpoetry – submissions for Issue 3, November 09

Poetry Submissions Deadline: 31 August 09. Women poets only, of any age. Strict submission limit: a maximum of 4 poems; the total number of lines in all should not exceed 200 lines (i.e. you could send a poem of 200 lines and this would restrict your submission to just one poem). Two copies, A4 paper copy only, typed or neatly handwritten. Each numbered sheet to bear the poet’s contact details (name, address, telephone, email). Send to Dilys Wood, 9, Greendale Close, London, SE22 8TG. Please write “ARTEMISpoetry 3” on your envelope.

Our poetry editor for Issue 3 is Katherine Gallagher.

Katherine Gallagher has tutored for Second Light Network on several occasions and serves on the Committee. Formerly Writers Inc Education Officer, she runs regular workshops in East Barnet and Kentish Town (Torriano) – see www.katherine-gallagher.com for a listing of multi-media and other workshops she has led. Her first full-collection Passengers to the City was shortlisted for Adelaide Festival’s 1986 National Poetry Awards. With her 4th collection, Circus-Apprentice (Arc Publications, 2006), chosen as Poetry Kit ‘Book of the Month’ (March, 2007), and widely reviewed, she “ reflect(s) on poetry – writing or tutoring, (as) having become my way of life’. The Australian Broadcasting Commission is featuring her work on Poetica, going out on the 27th June, 2009,
repeated 2nd July, 2009. Her New & Selected Poems are forthcoming from Arc Publications in October, 2009.

Artwork Submissions Deadline: 30 September 09. Black/white photographs or line-art, maximum of 4 pieces. We leave it to readers’ imagination what artwork items are particularly suitable for ARTEMISpoetry. Female nudes are fun but we do not want to appear to have nakedness on the brain, so what about portraits of women’s faces, clothed women, some illustrations relating to women’s struggles... Cartoons representing women, if anyone has that rare skill... Paper copy to Dilys Wood (see Poetry)

Cover art: colour submissions for cover art are invited. Paper copy to Dilys Wood (see Poetry).

Members’ News: to arrive by 30 September 09 (see Second Light News / Spreading the News).

Some of the collections we planned to review in the current issue were not available in time but we expect to include them in the next.

REVIEWS PLANNED FOR ARTEMISpoetry Issue 3:

Gillian Clarke, Elaine Feinstein, Judy Gahagan, Martha Kapos,
Antjie Krog, Ruth O’Callaghan, Sharon Olds, Ruth Padel, Geraldine Paine

Comps & Calls:

The Havant Literary Festival have an open poetry competition on the theme of Water, deadline 1Aug 09, 1st prize £250, 2nd prize £100, 3rd prize £50. Judge Anne Stewart. Download Entry form at
www.secondlightlive.co.uk/downloads/hlf09.pdf or visit www.havantlitfest.hampshire.org.uk or email: [email protected].

Farringford, Isle of Wight Home of Lord Tennyson, are running a series of bicentennial events from May to August. They “have joined up with the Poetry Society and are calling on guests, visitors and
poets” to provide a poem that marks the year. More at www.farringford.co.uk or Tel: 01983 756515.

Events, Courses & Workshops:

Simone Mansell Broome: Monday Morning Masterclasses, ‘Room to Write’ workshops, playwriting, public speaking, ‘Tree’ workshops and much more at the Ceridwen Centre, Carmarthenshire. Contact Simone for dates & details: [email protected].

Tricia Corob, gnostic and poet, has run interfaith meditation and spiritual studies workshops for 13 years. Contact Tricia on 0207 7222 3341, [email protected] for details of workshops currently running in Highgate, London (June dates) and opportunities to work with Tricia in India. Workshops include meditation, suitable for advanced students and beginners, and reflection on literature from sacred traditions.

June English (6th June), Katherine Gallagher (25th July, 12th September), Myra Schneider (11th July), Mandy Coe (3rd October). Saturday Afternoon workshops in beautiful Salisbury House, Bury St. West, Edmonton, N9. £30, £24 concs. Info: 020 8881 1418 [email protected]. The Historic Chapels Trust has invited Kate Foley, along with others (Second Light members included are Marianne Burton, Ann Drysdale, Joy Howard, Gina Shaw, Anne Stewart and Christine Webb) to give a reading from the popular anthology, A Twist of Malice, at Walpole Old Chapel on 5th July, 7:30pm. More at www.poetrypf.co.uk/eventslisting.html or visit www.walpoleoldchapel.co.uk.

Poetry & Voice Workshops: led by Katherine Gallagher at Torriano, 99 Torriano Ave., NW5. Dates: 13th June, 18th July. Info: 020 8881 1418. £17, £13 concs. 1 - 5 pm.

Alyson Hallett is running a series of Creative Writing Courses by the Sea in the secluded coastal village of Welcombe in North Devon. “(with)... gentle guidance and tuition, you will be given the time and space to put pen to paper and write in a variety of ways...” Call 01288 331416 or visit
www.way2go4.com/writingcourses/ for full details.

Lotte Kramer has a new collection out (her thirteenth!): Turning the Key (2009, Rockingham Press). There is to be a launch reading on 13th June at 10:30 am at the Great Northern Hotel, Station Approach, Peterborough, run by Writers in Peterborough.

Maggie Sawkins: Havant Literature Festival 25 Sep to 4 Oct 09. Theatre, readings, talks, street players, book fair, workshops, poetry, children’s events, exhibitions, ghost walk plus short story and poetry competitions. Finale features WordFest – a day of storytelling and music, family comedy and poetry in the Gothic Library, plus headline act Louis de Bernieres and the Antonius Players.
www.havantlitfest.hampshire.org.uk email: [email protected].

Anne Stewart is running a workshop in Blandford, Dorset: The Trouble with Trouble – working with the tough stuff. Friday, 5th June, 2 to 4:30pm, followed by readings at 7:30pm with East Street Poets. Booking Form at www.poetrypf.co.uk/images/esp09.pdf. She’s also reading at the Poetry Café in Covent Garden on 24th June and the Salisbury Poetry Café on 25th June. Details at
www.poetrypf.co.uk/eventslisting.html.

Publications:

A.C. Clarke has a new poetry collection, Messages of Change, out from Oversteps Books (www.overstepsbooks.com) (reviewed in this issue. ed)

Simone Mansell Broome has a new poetry collection, Juice of the Lemon, out from youwriteon.com, December 2008, ISBN 978-1-8492310-7-7, £4.99.

Rebecca Gethin’s first collection, River is the Plural of Rain, was published by Oversteps Books in March 2009.

Chrissie Gittins: I’m delighted to say that my new poetry collection I’ll Dress One Night As You is now well and truly published – and orderable from your local library, from bookshops, and online from amazon.co.uk or Salt Publishing www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/9781844715169.htm.

Lucy Hamilton’s Sonnets for my Mother, is out from Hearing Eye and there will be a launch reading at the Torriano Meeting House, (near Kent House, London), on 5th July. (see article “Writing from the rough: poems about grief”, ed).

Lotte Kramer’s thirteenth collection, Turning the Key, is out from Rockingham Press in May 2009. There is to be a launch event on 13th June (see Events...)

No More Mulberries, Mary Smith’s debut novel, is set in Afghanistan in the foothills of the Hindu Kush and tells the story of British born Miriam and her Afghan husband, Dr Iqbal. It is a story about commitment and divided loyalties. Published by YouWriteOn.com No More Mulberries is available on Amazon and from Waterstones and WH Smith. £6.99 ISBN: 978-1-84923-420-7

22 poems by Second Light members appear in an anthology, And the Story Isn’t Over..., and CD, And the Story So Far..., (bilingual: English / Romanian) recently published by poetry p f. They celebrate an ongoing collaboration between poetry p f and the University of Bucharest. Available from www.poetrypf.co.uk/shop.php – and type Story in the search filter). (Also see Other News)

Other News & Successes:

Margaret Eddershaw: won second prizes in Wells Literature Festival 2008 and in the Poetry on the Lake formal section (with a sestina created at Second Light’s Residential week at Launde Abbey). The sestina features in her dramatic poem show, Brief Encounters, created for and performed at Chester Literature Festival last October, under the aegis of Artistic Director, Gill McEvoy.

In December, 2008, Katherine Gallagher received a £2,000 Authors’ Foundation Grant towards her next collection from the Society of Authors, London.

Chrissie Gittins: had a short story Just One of the Girls broadcast on BBCR4 on 6th May. It’s part of a group of stories about 21st Century Families and involves a visit to a clothes shop for cross dressers.

Gill Learner won 2nd prize in the Cannon Poets Silver Jubilee competition. The theme was ‘play’. She is also one of eight winners of a competition to find poems for the Polesworth Poetry Trail in North Warwickshire. She also had a poem Highly Commended in the Petra Kenney poetry competition, 2008.

Gol McAdam won First Prize for her script, The Midwood Story, in Sussex Playwrights’ Screenwriting Competition. A rehearsed reading took place in May as part of the Brighton Festival. Also, she has three poems in the international women’s anthology, Not A Muse. Contributors from 24 countries include Erica Jong, Sharon Olds, Lorna Crozier, Tammy Ho, Phoebe Tsang, Michelle Cahill, et al.

Janine Pinion and Gill McEvoy both had poems commended in the First Thursday Poetry competition.

Second Light and poetry pRO: Several Second Light members took part in the Romanian UK Tour in celebration of the 1st year of collaboration between poetry p f and Prof. Dr. Lidia Vianu of the University of Bucharest: Maggie Butt, Caroline Carver, Pat Earnshaw, Katherine Gallagher, Alison Hill, Angela Kirby, Philippa Lawrence, Ruth O’Callaghan, Carolyn O’Connell (by proxy!), Maggie Sawkins, Anne Stewart and Margaret Wilmot. (More about the poetry pRO project and tour, and a link to photos at www.poetrypf.co.uk/poetrypro.html).

Events (readings & a translation workshop for students of Middlesex University) took place in London, York, Cambridge, Teddington and Southsea. The Grand Finale was hosted by the Romanian Cultural Institute, who invited us to stay for a concert by (excellent!) young Romanian musicians.

Elena Nistor, who often travels over to the UK from Bucharest to attend Second Light readings and festivals, was one of the two Romanian translators representing the University of Bucharest
throughout the tour and, as a compulsive snapper, soon became the designated ‘official tour photographer’. These photographs are included courtesy of Elena:

Southsea Top: Maggie Sawkins & translator, Lavinia Zainea. Bottom: Lavinia and Caroline Carver.

Univ. Middlesex Top: Maggie Butt with the festival programme. Bottom: Lavinia, Anne Stewart and Katherine Gallagher, stepping into the daffodil field (reputedly planted for a ‘Churchill’ visit)

Grand Finale at the Romanian Cultural Institute, Belgrave Square
Top: Helen Burke, all the way from York...
Middle: Philippa Lawrence and Dilys Wood prepare to listen... Bottom: Angela Kirby, ready to read.