Editing fourteen poems, a new job at Arvon, Dead [Women] Poets at Winchester, and other updates

Autumn's really here, and I'm not very happy about the end of summer, but there are so many exciting things on the horizon, I'll take the change in weather.

Today the wonderful Ben Townley-Canning at fourteen poems announced something I've been very excited about but been keeping under my hat for a few weeks now... he's asked Troy Cabida and I to join fourteen poems' editorial team. And of course we accepted, thrilled not only to be working with Ben on such an incredible journal and press, but also delighted to be working with each other, long-time poetry pals dating back to our days in the Roundhouse Poetry Collective. This is truly the dream team - I loved working with Ben on Bi+ Lines - and I can't wait to start reading hundreds, nay, thousands of queer poems in the months to come, and choosing a handful of pamphlets to work closely on with their authors. (Also, Troy is launching his debut collection Neon Manila imminently and I'm hosting one of the events - keep your eyes peeled for that!)

I'm also extremely excited for a Dead [Women] Poets Society séance that's coming up on 11 October at Winchester Poetry Festival with the incredible Joelle Taylor and Mary Jean Chan resurrecting! This is an unbelievable line-up and I can't wait to host them, hear them talk about Adrienne Rich and Bing Xin, and hear new work from the two of them. If you're in the area, or day-trip-distance, come along - Winchester's lovely and the whole programme is great. Dead [Women] Poets Society has also kind of taken over the festival, with our artist Lily Arnold illustrating many of the writers taking part - including John Keats.

My other big bit of news: I've just started another job, as Arvon's Learning Manager. It's a maternity cover, three days a week, and I'm really looking forward to getting properly stuck in and, of course, visiting the beautiful residential houses. I'll be organising Arvon visits for schools and other groups from partners like the Royal Court and First Story, plus other exciting engagement projects, soon to be announced.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping up other freelance projects, like community projects for Milton Keynes Lit Fest and administrating the Tadeusz Bradecki Prize, and running my own workshops too.

It's suddenly all got quite busy and I'm still trying to navigate the freelance cycle of being between projects, feeling like I'll never work again, having to spend more time writing applications than creative projects... and months later, doing so much work that I don't have time for writing, either. There's got to be a balance in there somewhere. This is also to say: I'm very excited (clearly) right now, but have been struggling this year. I mean, please refer back to the Some Mice post.

I'm going on lots of marches, too (maybe see you at one), and feel simultaneously aghast at the state of the world, our government, the hike in transphobia, the genocide in Gaza, encroaching war in Ukraine, humanitarian crises in Sudan, the climate crisis... and kind of hopeful, or determined to do something. I don't know what exactly, but I know that writing poems isn't enough. Marches, and petitions, emails to my MP, the weekly spending strike for Gaza and boycotts are a good start, I think. Oh, and if you're in the Society of Authors, consider following Fossil Free Books and don't forget to vote in the Membership Committee elections by 22 October.

Well, onwards, and I hope autumn's filled with sunshine for you, reader.