Loose Muse

The past couple of weeks have been a royal pain as I’ve been struggling extra hard with the work/writing balance, and the last few weeks the need to earn a crust has proved victorious.  Any writer out there who has faced this dilemma will know what I mean, that it’s hard to get it right, and that writing is one of the least lucrative professions there is, though often one of the most satisfying.  So most of have some kind of other work to pay the bills and afford us some of life’s little luxuries, like eating, or being able to pay the rent.

Of course, this often breeds incredible resentment…I’m three quarters of the way through writing a historical novel (about 90,000 words written, only another 30,000+ to go), and instead of working at the ‘day job’, what I really want to do is get my heroine out of the latest sword-swiping crisis she’s got herself into and move into the sex’n’drugs’n’rock’n’roll elements of the story.  Sadly it’s usually a couple of days before I have the time and opportunity to pick up where I left off, by which time I’ve often dropped the literary stitch, and it takes me ages to get back into the narrative…

I was at Sally Blackmore’s brilliant Paragram event earlier this month in Chertsey, featuring alongside SaraMae Tuson, and we both had an fantastic night, with a lively and appreciative audience, which is always a bonus when you’re a poet.  In the Q & A session after our readings, we were asked the usual ‘Do you earn a lot of money through writing poetry’, which is always greeted with hoots of laughter, and a resounding ‘No!”  It’s not much better for short story writers or novelists; I read somewhere recently that even a successful novelist can only expect to make around £5,000 a year from a novel, so we’re not exactly talking J.K.Rowling-style earnings. The next question is usually, ‘Well, if you’re not earning any money out of it, why do you do it?”.

SaraMae and I both agreed on this one – and I think most other writers/poets will concur – because there’s no real alternative.  I write because I must, because when it’s flowing and I re-read what I’ve written, it brings me only huge satisfaction, and pleasure.  And when I’m at a good gig like Paragram, it’s marvelous to know that there are people who are listening, understanding, and valuing what I’m saying, that my poetry has touched some elementary emotional button inside them that they can relate to.  Then money becomes a total irrelevance, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Do let me know if you agree (or disagree) with anything I’ve said.  It really would be good to hear from you. And please, please do send me a poem or short story for the Monthly Muse page.  This month we’ve got a new piece by Dzifa Benson, entitled In the Company of Trees.

Just to remind you, the next Loose Muse event is on May 9^th, and will feature fresh and dynamic poet Miriam Nash making her first appearance, plus all the way from Holland, Dutch writer Vrouwkje Tuinman making a welcome return.  Another great night of great words, so do join us…you won’t regret it.

Come share the passion, share the joy,

Last week, having finished a reading in Acton – yes, they have poetry in Acton, promise! – I was with some friends from the Middle East, many of whom were writers and artists of some reputation.  We were talking about literature in general and the fact that a lot of writers who don’t write in English aren’t able to make a mark on the ‘literati’ here because they find it so hard to get their work translated into English in the first place.

Fair point, I believe.  It made me start wondering why this is.  Translation and publication of the work of overseas writers who might have a limited appeal with book lovers here is certainly one reason.  It’s an expensive risk that publishers might not be willing to take.  Doubtless there are other reasons, political correctness and the short-sightedness of some publishers/book sellers amongst them.  I read somewhere that bookshops were reluctant to put Steig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy on the shelves because they honestly felt people wouldn’t buy books by authors with foreign names.  Word of mouth sorted that out, and it’s a shame Steig wasn’t around to reap the benefits.   But there are many foreign writers living in the UK right now who deserve a much bigger audience, and whose work, if translated well into English, would enrich all of us who value good writing and the fresh perspectives of life and literature that a foreign writer can give us.

Over the years Loose Muse has featured some exceptional foreign writers, many living here in exile, whose work I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy if it hadn’t been translated into English. For example, fine Iranian poet Ziba Karbassi, Jordanian novelist Fatiah Saudi, Iraqi writer/novelist Haifa Zangana, and Dutch writer/poet Vrouwkje Tuinman ….all crafting excellent work, sometimes exploring difficult and painful themes.  My chat last night gave me a couple of ideas as to how Loose Muse might bring more women writers who are not writing in English into a modest but essential limelight.  So watch this space…and if any of you have ideas, suggestions or thoughts on any of the above, please do let me know…the Loose Muse website is an ideal place to voice those opinions, as well as helping our events to make the kind of difference I’ve always wanted them to make.

Just go on to http://www.loose-muse.com to give us your comments, and also to see what else is going on in the world of Loose Muse.  Plus, do send me a poem or short story for the Monthly Muse page.  This month we’ve got a new piece by Naomi Woddis entitled Singultus, a poem with more layers than an onion, and just as likely to make you cry.

Just to remind you, the next event is on April 11th and will feature the exceptional novelist Miriam Halahmy, and one of my all-time fave poets Charlotte Ansell.  A truly brilliant night, so do join us…you won’t regret it.

Isn’t it strange how when you get older, you really do start reflecting on the things that you experienced when you were younger, and how the world has changed, sometimes, but not always for the better.

I’ve always known I wanted to write, and I cut my writing teeth at the age of 18 working as a Cub Reporter for what was then called the Walthamstow Guardian. Just before I left high school I had confessed to my head teacher at school that I wanted to be a journalist, to which the response was (and I promise you this is true!) “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a girl…girls become secretaries until they get married!’ As you can imagine, the seeds of my own feminism were planted at that moment, and flourished when I left school and subsequently became a junior reporter at the local paper. A couple of years later I went to Canada, and contacted the daily paper in Vancouver for a job, to be told “If you were a man we would hire you tomorrow, but unfortunately…..” So I went to work in a bank instead until I left Vancouver and traveled down to Mexico…and the rest, as they say, is history.

It would be easy to think that everything is completely different now. Certainly I can’t imagine a teacher admonishing a young girl in high school now for wanting to be a journalist, and getting away with it. But scratch beneath the surface of today’s more enlightened attitude to women and writing, and you soon begin to realize there’s still a lot to be done. And I guess that’s why Loose Muse is important…so it can give all of you women who write another platform for sharing and expression. La lucha continua!!

The next event is on April 11th and will feature Miriam Halahmy, a sensational novelist, whose brilliant book for young teens ‘Hidden’ tells the story of two teenagers on Hayling Island who save a drowning immigrant. I read it, and it made me cry! Also, we have the exceptional poet Charlotte Ansell, joining us from her barge in Sheffield. She a poet whose work I have always loved, and once you’ve heard her I’m certain you’ll agree. A truly brilliant night, so make sure you come and join us.

And do log on to the Loose Muse website – www.loose-muse.com – to see what marvelous new piece has been chosen to grace our website pages this month. Tell us what you like, and what you’d like to see, and send me a poem or short story to go on the website too…that’s what it’s there for.

Come share the passion, share the joy,

Agnes Meadows

Very much looking forward to an informal dinner tonight with a whole bunch of my pals to celebrate my birthday. I have every intention of eating too much pizza and tiramisu (come on…it’s my birthday), and catch up with some of my favourite people. Sadly, my lovely friend Naomi Woddis won’t be able to join us as she’s still extremely poorly, but I shall certainly be thinking of her tonight.

I shall also be visiting her on Saturday, and hopefully joining in on one of her latest creative projects. As well as being a fine poet, she’s also a very competent photographer, and during the months of her confinement, when she’s been too unwell to go out into the world, she’s taken some very fine photographs of various things in her garden, and has invited various writer friends to choose one of a selection of her photos and then write a poem about them. There’s one that particularly appeals of footprints in the snow, and being of a Gothic bent, I’m thinking of something suitably creepy…will let you know how it goes. The project is called ‘Picture This’, and the link is http://cursesandriots.wordpress.com so go take a look…it’s good stuff.

Tomorrow is Loose Muse March event, with features from poet Cath Drake (sharing some of her new performance work) and playwright/poet Claire Booker (with one of her short plays). Also on the bill as special guests are US writers/poets Adrienne Odasso and Amanda Johnson. Margaret Eddershaw was also going to join us, but she lives in Greece and is at the mercy of Athens Air Traffic controllers who are on strike (again!)….booooo!! Nevertheless it promises to be a good one, so come and join us if you fancy a night of fabulous words.

Also, don’t forget to send me a poem or very very short story so that it can go on the Loose Muse Website….or even just your comments on all things Loose Muse. I want to make the website a real platform for thought and debate. And Dzifa will slap me hard if I don’t mention the Loose Muse website address is www.loose-muse.com

Come share the passion, share the joy,

Agnes Meadows

That was amazing!  The Anthology launch last Wednesday at the Whitechapel Art Gallery was truly amazing, with 27 readers in a fabulous venue, an enthusiastic and eager crowd applauding in all the right places, and everyone having a great time.  Apart from a date with Johnny Depp, what more could I possibly want!
 
I’ve had nothing but good comments ever since from everyone who was involved as well as others came along to listen.  The whole thing really did run like clockwork, and everyone who read their work did so with enthusiasm, wit and charm.  I smile as I write, and feel really pleased that it was such a good experience for everyone involved.  So thank you to all of you who helped make it such a great night, everyone who submitted and whose work was included, the team at the Whitechapel who were incredibly kind and good humoured throughout, and Racheal and Linda who helped me on the night. We even managed to sell 52 books, which is fantastic. But if any of you out there in the Blogosphere want to buy more do let me know as there are still lots left over to make sure the books balance. 
 
Do let me know what you think of the anthology – comments always welcome – and the new website.  And I will be choosing a piece of work each month to go on the website page, to keep everything fresh, vibrant and alive.  The next Loose Muse is on Wednesday 14th March, featuring poet Cath Drake and playwright/poet Claire Booker, plus THREE Special Guests – Amanda Johnson and Adrienne Odasso from the USA, and Margaret Eddershaw from Greece – so it promises to be an even bigger, brighter, bolder LM than usual.

And if you fancy coming to hear more of my work, I’m performing at Jumoke Fashola’s amazing Jazz Voice Jukebox at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (Upstairs) on Sunday 11th March.  It’s a great night of poetry and jazz, kicking off at 7.30 p.m. so do come along and listen to some of my new stuff as well as a couple of old favourites.

Come share the passion, share the joy,

Agnes Meadows

Hi gang, At last…..yeeeehaaa!!! We have lift-off!!! Loose Muse has entered the Blogosphere, with it’s own dedicated website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (and probably all sorts of other things I don’t know about), thanks to my chum and fellow-writer Dzifa Benson, who has nagged me senseless and made sure I don’t cry when it all gets too much for me.

To say I’ve been running around like a headless chicken for the past month is an understatement, and anyone who thinks that producing an anthology containing the work of 34 women writers is a piece of cake needs taking in hand. But, although it’s been incredibly hard work, the result is so, so worth it.

We’re launching the first ever Loose Muse Anthology of New Work by Women Writers on 29th February, at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, and it’s going to be A-MAZING! Kick off is at 7.00 p.m. and we have 29 readers, so things are going to have to be run very tightly to fit everyone in. It’d be fab if you could be there to share what promises to be a fantastic night. I’ve already managed to sell two copies, so get yours now while stocks last. Only £7.00 on the night, £7.99 thereafter.

And when the launch becomes another fragrant episode in the balmy nights that are Loose Muse, well…I have to start all over again…because the next Loose Muse is on 14th March, and will feature poet Cath Drake and poet/playwright Claire Booker. So one way or the other I hope to see you soon, Come share the passion, share the joy,

Agnes Meadows
Host and Coordinator
Loose Muse