Established Poet?

Hello folks!

It’s been forever since I wrote a blog. So here one is.

You know when most things in your life feel settled and you’re happy, as sane as it is possible for you to get?

Boring, right?

No??

JUST ME?

Brain of mine has decided to ruminate heavily on some questions the last few days.

Namely:

What does it mean to be an established poet?

I try hard not to overthink being a poet, not because I’m not driven and ambitious, but more, that way more often than not leads to feeling competitive, and the comparative, and it ruins how I feel about my own work (because art is subjective, everyone does different things, and rejection sensitive dysphoria looks for any crack to come in and fuck you up)

But the word ‘established’ is a hard one to pin down. Apparently, it means that you have stuff published.

But there are performance poets out there who have not published a word other than from their mouth to the audience and they feel like they’re established to me.

Someone at work said the other day that ‘we’re new until we retire, and then we’re experienced’, which I love and have stolen forever, but I don’t think poets retire. I can’t think of one elderly poet I’ve known who has said “time to stop writing verse”. There’ll always be a draft knocking about, either in the brain, on paper or device.

And I’m not even really sure that stops when any writer dies. Words live on. Interpretations do, too. (Or perhaps we go from ‘aspiring writers’ to ‘expiring writers’, which is a slip of the tongue I heard recently, adored, and immediately wrote down.)

And I’m not here to win a race. It’s lovely to hear nice things about your work, to know people enjoy the words you put out, to be asked to come perform, but what means the most is the community that comes with it. Colchester (and surrounding poets) are brilliant, and without them giving the odd pointer, the plentiful opportunities, and humouring me, I’d have gone quiet long ago, so if anything, it’s all their fault if I annoy you.

But whatever established is, I’m not sure it’s tangible enough to pin down, or even if it’s something to aspire to. I think I’d like to always be learning, playing, because if you’re not continuing to learn and enjoy then what’s the fucking point?

ON THAT NOTE….

…..COME TO POETRY’S A DRAG!! Next is 10^th June, 7pm start for a workshop with Dr Lee Campbell, then open mic.

Future ones will be second Tuesday of the month going forward.

It isn’t just for poets. It’s for everyone. We hope to entertain you, teach you something, and you’re welcome to come in drag, to perform or just to enjoy. Every month will have a workshop before the open mic, and they’re not just for poets. You can draw, you can note ideas for a story, you can just look at creative people thinking, maybe listen to what they’ve written on the same night’s open mic or the next, or just come a little later for the performances at 8.

We (Lorna Mackinnon and I) are a bit excited. We will be in shoddy, joyfully amateur drag.

Dragonfly Lounge, Colchester, Just turn up 😊

I’m also performing on 19th June at Colchester Arts Centre – which I am absolutely stoked about – supporting Andy Riley, whose Bunny Suicides books had my siblings and I cackling for years.

AAAAAAND also, in collaboration with the fantabulous Helen Miller, whose art adorns the front page of this website, join #poetryartcollab – more details here: