Last Friday I attended a 4 hour taxidermy class where I preserved a mouse, now named Marlowe. I booked this class because taxidermy has always interested me and inspired some of my more gruesome poems. As a huge fan of 19th century gothic fiction the love of taxidermy seems almost natural, as the pieces are uncanny and often comical. I found the experience a very relaxing and calming one. When carefully making incisions, pulling the skin away, cutting through bone and removing all organs and flesh I found myself completely immersed in the activity. By taking something tiny apart you really have to concentrate and the mouse did take all of that 4 hour session to preserve correctly. Although activities such as this appear grotesque and morbid it is actually extremely fun and does take a lot of patience. I recommend for all creative writers to go out and find inspiration from strange places.
Future & Writing
Most of those on the Creative Writing module dream of becoming best-selling authors and professional writers. However this has never been an aim of mine. I write mostly poetry which is not really a form one can earn enough money from to make it a full-time profession, therefore I do not dream of become a writer. Instead I dream of becoming a lecturer and teaching people who have the potential of becoming great critics and writers.
My goal is to complete my Joint Honours in English Literature & Creative Writing, take up a Masters in 19th Century Literature & Culture and then to finally do a PhD. These plans require a lot of commitment, dedication and funding. However I have determination to do this.
John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars
I finally got round to reading The Fault in Our Stars recently as I had unfortunately been putting it off as I had never been a fan of teen fiction. Although this novel is categorised as a teenage fictional piece of literature I found the vocabulary much more advanced than I had expected which gave it a sophisticated tone. Hazel is a very well developed character and although the storyline is a basic cancer romance, a theme which is appearing more common throughout adult fiction, I still found it very enjoyable. The literary references and humorously intellectual conversations between Hazel and Augustus portray teenagers in a refreshingly mature and sensible. The novel became so moving I did cry a couple of times, however not from the theme of cancer but from the reluctance of character to let others become close to them. I imagine having a terminal illness or any form of cancer would make you consider how others would react to your death and how hard it would be for them. I believe John Green has written a very moving and intelligent novel and it is definitely worth reading even if you are not a young adult or teenager.
Module Progress: A Reflection
Writing to Order is an unusual module mainly because there isn’t a reading list and there is a portfolio submission rather than academic essays. My initial reaction was a positive one as I didn’t have a mountain of books to read. However this module is much more enjoyable than I thought it would be, as we have had to study and attempt various forms of literary works, such as scriptwriting, teen fiction and graphic novels. I had never attempted to write for anyone other than adults and I mainly stick to poetry as that appears to be my safety net form. I have enjoyed exploring different forms greatly and will continue to challenge myself.
He’s Gone
Torn blue jeans paired with faded bobbled jumpers,
Always creased.
Stories of motorbike trips,
And all the dangers you survived.
But the motorbike is long gone.
Instead toy cars and Lego have taken its place.
All existence of your past life is replaced,
By family portraits.
Tending to your tropical fish,
And sometimes getting tearful,
When the neons bash their bloated flesh against the glass.
As though you knew they are trapped,
And resented the plastic treasure chest that mocked their native seabed.
Yet I cannot quite understand,
Why you drove to the copse that day.
Why you’d park your car,
Under an ageing sycamore tree,
Whose rings confess its age.
Why you’d climb that tree,
Like a mischievous child on an endless summers day.
Then unravel.
Until your feet dangled,
Above the bonnet.
Suspended.
John Siddique’s Question Exercise
My 5 questions to find out who someone is:
- What is the worst thing you have ever done?
- What do you wish you could change about your life?
- Where is ‘home’ to you?
- What are you most proud of?
- Who inspires you?
Poetry with John Siddique
John Siddique the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at York St John University gave a lecture today which I found fascinating. As a student at York St John I feel honoured to have such a prolific poet in residence and I have spoken to him at events in the university. The first time I met Siddique I remember having a debate about Palahnuik’s Fight Club and I argued that the novel was better than the film and he argued the opposite case. I immediately felt like he had a large knowledge of literature and poetry.
In today’s lecture Siddique said something that really inspired me: “Poetry is meant to be read aloud.” This statement really encouraged me to perform my poetry and to gain a voice as a poet. Therefore I am very thankful for his lecture.
Kokoro: An Afternoon of Poetry and Music Inspired by Japan
I did not know much about Japanese culture before this event and now I feel more confident reading Japanese poetry. The different themes of the event made the time fly by and helped guide me through Japanese culture. Performance poetry has interested me for many years and after seeing Henry Raby perform at my poetry event it has encouraged me to engage with performance poetry more. I found the Tsunami piece particularly moving as it evoked the drama of the wave and the silence of the aftermath.
Birdsong: York Theatre Royal
Last night I attended a performance of Birdsong at York Theatre Royal as I booked a free ticket as part of the York Literature Festival. I read Birdsong many years ago and unfortunately it did not enjoy the novel greatly. Luckily this production did engage me a little more. However I found that the characters hadn’t been developed enough for me to become emotionally attached. The set was incredible and the stage directions were innovative, therefore this made up for the lack of emotional response I experienced. Overall it was a pleasant evening and worth going to.
Science & Poetry: Wave Theory
The tiny gravitational waves are a pulse,
A pulse that gives life to the universe.
So small that they go unnoticed,
Like stepping back from Earth and gaining perspective.
The world is smoother than an orange.
Our deep black ocean floor,
And Everest are just minuscule cuts and dents.
These waves like the bottom of our sea and our mountains,
Are so unfathomably small that we are blind to their existence.
But once on Earth the mountains are beacons reaching to the Heavens,
And the ocean is a bottomless pit.
Look closely and you will see,
The waves are here, just below the surface.