I Will Laugh. A #Poem

On 30/01/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Poetry2 Comments

Here’s another poem for you. And a quick sketch to go with it. Something to confirm my intentions to be positive this year. I Will Laugh If I seek enjoyment in this world of misery am I then pretending blindness to the facts or do I defend myself against those negatives combining to defeat our …

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Cocktails with a Dead Man, by Joe Albanese: #BookReview.

On 27/01/201927/01/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Poetry, Reading, Review

106 pages Poetry This is a mix of the intensely personal, regarding love and its outcomes; the general as it relates to writers a group; and life in many of its guises. Poetry, and the reader’s response to it, is always personal. So, my review here can reflect only my experience of reading the collection …

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A #Poem on a Social Evil.

On 23/01/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Poetry3 Comments

An illustrative poem for your amusement. Pyramid Selling I who squat atop the all too ready fools who mass beneath my banner of false promises my lies my cheats deceits my tales of easy wealth made in a trice or quicker soon grow powerful and rich at their expense Please feel free to comment and …

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A Protest Poem.

On 21/01/201921/01/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, opinion, Poetry, politics6 Comments

Picture reproduced courtesy of Creative Commons Licence by kind permission of Donkeyhotey Are You Proud of Your Record to Date Mrs May? Are you proud of your record to date Mrs May Are you proud of the men in your club Do they fill every day with delight at their pranks Do they make every …

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Capturing the Creative Craving

On 16/01/201922/01/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Photography, Poetry, Progress8 Comments

Children at the edge of the North Sea, Hornsea, East Yorkshire, England. This year I'm determined to concentrate on my creative needs. I write and I take photographs. I also love making pictures with pencil, pen, and paint, though those skills I've yet to hone. So, these Wednesday posts will display my efforts in this …

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Invitation to Poetry, by Mihai Brinas: #BookReview.

On 17/10/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Reading, Review

Poetry is such a subjective literary genre that it’s often difficult to reach a conclusion about whether a collection is very good, difficult, obscure, or any of a mixture of reactions. This assortment is by a poet whose first language is Romanian: whether English is his second language is unclear, but the standard of its …

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What Next?

On 23/08/201823/08/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Poetry, Progress2 Comments

Best laid plans… I woke last Thursday intent on starting a new short story. My usual method is to gather two or three characters, get to know them, select a theme or two, and begin writing, allowing the story to unfold. It’s worked in the past, so, although I haven’t done it for a couple …

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The #Writing’s Done. What Now?

On 15/08/201817/08/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress3 Comments

I’ve spent the better part of three years on a project, writing a novel each year, and found the void at the end of that process strangely debilitating. So, what do I do know? Fantastic Books Publishing launched Blood Red Dust, book 1 of the Generation Mars series, on 18th October 2016. War Over Dust, …

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Travelling Light, by Vickie Johnstone: #BookReview.

On 13/09/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

I exercise a degree of caution when reviewing poetry, since I’m by no means a competent practitioner. Therefore my judgment is necessarily both subjective and lacking in personal experience. This is a pleasant read with a great deal of variety in the poems offered. There's rhyme and blank verse here. For me, the blank verse …

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Looking for the Best Word? Tip #41

On 09/06/201709/06/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Word Choice

Here’s a bit of help for writers who want to make their work more interesting, varied, accurate and effective by using the most appropriate words. There are also insights into some peculiarities of English for those learning the language. A good thesaurus gives substitutes for the idea of a word, but not all are true …

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love of the monster, by AM Roselli, Reviewed.

On 09/05/201709/05/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Poetry, Reading, Review, Uncategorized

Poetry can be sublime, complex, evocative, tantalising, inspiring, provoking, sensual, thoughtful, engaging and many other things. AM Roselli’s poems manage to fit all these qualities. I first encountered AM’s remarkable poetry and artwork via her website, anntogether.com, to which I was directed by another friend online. I was engaged at once. This is a woman …

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At the End of a Long, Long Road.

On 06/02/2017 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer13 Comments

Far together have we travelled Trod road trail and path and track Up hill steep down dale deep Slipped on shale and shingle scree Marked deep mud with steps of purpose Wandered waters topped with stones Clambered rocks and limestone pavements Stepped up stiles and crossed fell walls Splashed in rock pools furrowed sands Followed …

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Submit, Publish, Repeat, by Emily Harstone, Reviewed.

On 01/01/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Reading, Review2 Comments

This little eBook is worth its modest price for the links alone. It’s a basic journal setting out the process, pitfalls, opportunities and rewards relating to writing for literary journals. With chapters on Why You Should Submit…, How To Know When Your Work is Ready…, Basics of Submitting, and many others, it provides useful information …

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Against the Night, by P M F Johnson, Reviewed.

On 12/12/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Poetry, Review

Poetry is more difficult to review than novels or nonfiction. For me it is, anyway. As a writer of prose, often puzzled by the brevity and density of poetry, I feel less qualified to comment on technical aspects. What I can do, however, is describe how the poems made me feel, what I experienced as …

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Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy, by The Junk Talk Poet, Reviewed.

On 05/02/201630/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Literature, Poetry, Reading, Review

I’m cautious about reviewing poetry: it’s an esoteric art form with echoes of the world of the contemporary arts. In other words, a field full of the pretentious attempting to bamboozle the unwary, and too often succeeding. It differs from the world of visual art in the amount of cash thrown at it, of course, …

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