Launching My Debut Collection!
Hello everyone!
I can't believe it's been over a decade since I was active on ABCtales - it's been so lovely to explore the site again and revisit everyone's work.
I'm sure most of you won't remember me, but this site was such an important step in my writing journey. It was where, at sixteen years old, I first started sharing my poetry. This community helped me develop my craft and supported me through the ups and downs of my teenage years.
Leaving ABCtales behind whilst I was at university was difficult, but felt like what I needed as I dedicated my time to studying and starting teacher training.
I'm now thirty-two and a full-time English teacher. This year, I married the love of my life, a wonderful person who has edited every poem I've written for the past five years, and I published my first collection of poetry!
Walrussey is a collection of 28 poems which explore the climate crisis and its impact on marine ecosystems. I was honoured to have it blurbed by Penelope Shuttle, who said the following:
"This brillianty-titled collection describes an abundance of sea and shore creatures, capturing them in a visionary net of language. Meticulous and lyrical attention to detail is evident throughout; the poems are inventve, compassionate ; they convey the fragility of life and the long planetary history we share with our fellow creatures."
Walrussey is now available to purchase from my publisher, The Black Cat Poetry Press: https://www.blackcatpress.co.uk/product-page/walrussey
If anyone has any questions about publishing with small presses, please do ask away.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone at ABCtales, past and present, for being such an important part of my life, and for all the support and feedback you offered me when I was first starting out as a fledgling poet <3
Magic, very big congratulations on your first collection - I'm sure lots of people will remember you! If you'd like to email me the details of your book, plus a jpeg of the cover art I'd be very happy to put it on our front page where it deserves to be (claudine@abctales.com)
So lovely to hear from you, Claudine! I've sent you an email with all the details :) Thank you so much!
Hello again - I haven't received your email. Could you please try again?
Edit: it was in our spam folder, don't worry! I will do it tomorrow and send you a link!
How lovely to hear from you Rebecca. I missed the comments that you were kind enough to make on my poems before you went to Durham university and wondered ever since of your whereabouts. Great to learn about your debut in print and congratulations on your wedding. I have self-published four poetry collections but they are not for sale but to give away to friends. At eighty-eight years of age there's no future for me in the literary world. Keep in touch if you can. Best wishes.
Hello Luigi! So wonderful to hear from you too, and to see you're still writing and sharing on ABCtales. I really must post some of my poetry on here again and start commenting on other people's work - I've really missed this community! Thank you so much for your kind words and wishes and I'll definitely keep in touch :)
It's lovely to hear from you Magic, glad you're doing well and enjoying the fruits of your labour. Teaching English must be such a positive vocation, which I'm sure you excel at.
Good luck on your future ventures, and congrats on the poetry collection, you must be over the moon.
Jenny.
Hi Jenny! So wonderful to hear from you too! I had a few difficult years in tough schools, but I'm now working at an amazing school with fantastic students, definitely feel I'm where I'm meant to be :) There are two copies of Walrussey in our school library and the kids are very excited about seeing their teacher's book on the shelf - it's all very surreal!
I decided during 2020 that I wanted to get back into poetry and focus seriously on getting published - it's been a journey, but so pleased to finally be able to hold my little book of poems in my hands!
Hope you're well and wonderful to see you're still writing - I'll need to get stuck back in to everyone's work and maybe post a few poems myself :)
I'm glad you've given your time and voice to the climate crisis. Poetry and passion may sway a heart. Old cynic that I am, I believe our children's children are doomed. Not metaphorically, literally. I've bought a copy of your poetry. Hope is the coin of understanding. I hope to learn more.
Hi there, celticman! So wonderful to hear from you! Yes, the planet is on fire and in my helplessness, I turned to poetry, and then things didn't feel quite so futile. Thank you so much for buying a copy of Walrussey, I really hope you enjoy the oceanic odes and their inhabitants :)