#WFest Q&A with SM Jenkin

 As part of the all day #Wfest, I participated in a Q&A session, talking with Sam Fentiman-Hall about my work and what inspires it. Here is the text, in full:

SM Jenkin is a regular performer on the UK live lit scene, has performed internationally, and has been published in numerous literary anthologies and magazines. Her poetry debut full length collection ‘Fire in the head’ was published in 2018. Here is some more info about SM. (Detailed post with poetry links!) 

What sort of topics do you write about?

(SMJ) My poems are inspired by unspoken/ erased histories. For example, I wrote my poem about Anne Pratt when I found out that she was a Medway girl! She was a self-taught botanical illustrator, and she was taught at Eastgate house. Until recently there was no mention of her at all. Especially local history. It bothered me that I had been to/ past this building so many times & had no idea about her. Other poems are inspired by the beautiful landscape of Medway. I guess I write about things that I am afraid of losing, to keep them preserved in some way.

What are you working on now?

(SMJ) A chapbook with Rosemary McLeish written in response to 'the unspoken aspects of war', it covers a lot of ground. Working with Rosemary really stretched and challenged me. She’s inspired me to have courage. I’m sorry she won’t see it in print. Her work is amazing. Breathtaking honest and a timely riposte to a lot of some rather rose-tinted ideas about the war, about the empire. It's some of her most challenging work. I’m also now working on my second solo collection. I want to explore a little more about my mother’s unspoken stories and history, what it means to be a second generation Irish woman. I can be brave about it, because of women like Rosie.

What writers do you like/admire?

(SMJ) Famous ones? Dylan Thomas, Angela Carter, William Blake and WB Yeats obviously, Kate Bush, Maeve Brennan, Carol Ann Duffy and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Rosemary McLeish obv., Spreken, Setareh Ebrahimi, John Wilmot. I’ve found that attending the Confluence sessions has exposed me to many writers, and I admire their work. You’ve gathered a terrific ensemble of writers in the @Wrdsmithery publishing house.

What was the idea behind your forthcoming collaboration with Rosemary McLeish?

(SMJ) We were inspired by the number of collaborative poetry projects that are going on right now. For me it was 'one mans trash', collaboration between Spreken and Matt. We liked each others’ work, so the only question was, what to write about. As feminists, this informed our ideas, We realised how much of the reality of women's lives is forgotten or erased. There were a lot of myths milling about how wonderful “the war” was, Bulldog spirit and all that jazz. when the reality is that for civilians and women particularly was different. Many things had remained unspoken. It needed to be said. And that was our starting point.

Did you find it easy or hard to collaborate on a poetry collection with another poet?

(SMJ) Rosie was easy to work with, brave, honest and encouraging. But also not allowing me to take an easy option. All I had to do was respond to what she had written, stay within the brief and be honest. The quality and honesty of her work encouraged me out of my comfort zone. She had a real spark to her, and this can encourage you to do more than you thought possible.

What are your tips for juggling real life with poetry?

(SMJ) I find deadlines really help. I know how tricky it is to balance paid work, caring and general life with trying to also be a creative person. It’s easier to find slots of time if I can see that there is a goal to meet. I know how to ration time then. If I have a poem that’s due at the end of the month, I can then plan out slots of time to write in. It gives me an incentive. Ask yourself: Is this necessary? Also, “how does this help me"? Does it give me a chance to develop as a writer? or to get my work seen?

Details about the #WFest are available here: https://www.wordsmithery.info/wfest-2020

Here you can watch some videos of SM Jekin’s work:

MedwayMermaid https://youtu.be/twmDT99ZimI

Prisoner convention three poems Inverlair lodge (from my forthcoming collection with Rosemary McLeish. Rhiannons song (unpublished) and only a fool from Fire in the Head https://youtu.be/4nzmGlqmX8s

And you can bookmark an interview for later!

YouTube interview: Thanet writers meet SM Jenkin https://youtu.be/IbkW7x618mg

You can follow SM on social media.

Facebook (

https://www.facebook.com/SMJenkinWriter/

) , Twitter (@sajenks42), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/smjenkin42/) and Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/smjenkin)

Buy a copy of her book here: https://www.wordsmithery.info/fire-in-the-head

National poetry day -#truth. Child of softer days

I am a child of softer days,
sheltered in the fur of the
Celtic tiger, skins thrown over the
bare bones of the wild Atlantic
Way. My summer visits
home were warm, my tread
softened by busy hands.

I am a child of softer days,
resting on the feather bed made
by my mother, clean conditioned
hospital corners shaped in the
Victorian shade of all saints hospital.
NHS lino breaking the hungry brick
Of Dicken's workhouse.

I am a child of softer days,
cushioned by my mother's silence
from the broken glass of 1970s
England, shattered during three-day
weeks, bins caressed by ruptured
black bin bags, caressed by hungry
rats in ghost towns along the chalk-lined
borders.
Paddy was just my uncle's name.

I am a child of softer days,
the fall of October's ripened
fruits will bruise me.
Will cut my tongue.
I am a child of softer days.

Fire in the Head launched in a Roundabout Way

Performers at Fire in the Head Launch.
Photo by Sam Fentiman-Hall 

It was a dark and dreary winters night...

I'll start that again. It was standing room only at the Poco Cantina at my book launch last night.

Thank you to everyone who participated by reading, listening or by joining in on our #Invicted poem.

Copies of Fire in the Head are available from me at a gig or from the Wordsmithery website.

My books have arrived!

They have arrived! Copies of my debut collection Fire in the Head, available now to order from Wordsmithery.info

Fire in the Head - debut collection launch

Yes, it's finally here. My Debut collection “Fire In The Head” will be launched at Poco Loco, Chatham on the 28th of November at 7:00pm. I wanted to draw attention to the many different stories of Medway, including the time that William Blake was arrested here.

The launch is being held on the anniversary of Blake’s birth. The book remembers the stories, people and myths of Medway that often get overlooked. Medway is a place that has many stories and many people passing through, it is a place of transition and transformation. I include myths woven into the fabric of the place.

To find out more about the event visit the Facebook event page
https://www.facebook.com/SMJenkinWriter
@sajenks42
https://www.instagram.com/smjenkin42/

Reviews of Fire in the head:

“You can taste the tang of the Medway in these sharp, observant poems, where myth and history gang-up on the present to tell new tales. A fine line-up from poet, SM Jenkin, to waken the sleepers and inspire fresh dreams.”

Caitlín Matthews (author of Diary of a Soul Doctor and King Arthur’s Raid.)

“In this collection, Chatham based poet SM Jenkin, interweaves myths of seal wives and Medway mermaids, with her own stories and experiences. She questions what it means, if anything, to be ‘adjusted’ in the world and contrasts her philosophies with rich imagery, exploring the ferocity of nature and her thirst for its wild freedom.”

Isabelle Kenyon (Fly on the Wall Poetry Press)

Raw Red peaches - instapoem

Late night fridge poem by S M Jenkin

one thousand red peaches
rain raw honey blood seas
as rose mist sprays
over my diamond tongue

#Invicted on tour - Once Upon a Mic

The #Invicted collective of Poets from Medway are back on tour

Catch us at Once Upon a Mic, a lively mix of poetry, music and comedy.
Upstairs at the Castle, Whitechapel, last Friday of the month.
£4 online, £5 on the door (CASH ONLY)
Be sure to arrive by 7.30 to guarantee a seat!

We will be performing on Friday, 28 September
The hosts will be the soulful Math Jones & the irrepressible Jah-Mir Early

Details:
Once Upon a Mic
Tickets from Eventbrite
Facebook
 

Big Trouble at Little Roc - Open Mic

A terrific evening of spoken word awaits you at the Little Roc cafe in Rochester. Come and join us, be swept away by the scorching words burned out by the fire in our heads

#cpcfire Camden Chocolate poetry club

Billing at the Camden chocolate poetry club, May 2018

The noisiest and liveliest spoken word event I've been to so far in London, the Chocolate Poetry club spoken word night in Camden is also one of the most inviting. I'd recommend a visit. It's regular open mic is held at the Camden Eye pub but they also host spoken word gigs at festivals out and about in the UK.

Details here: http://chocolatepoetry.com/

punch drunk dreams

punch drunk dreams : SM Jenkin

punch drunk dreams

those languid peach dreams
recall light in petals
his honey drunk friends
sing deliriously
but never
could she have
you
 here

_______________________________________________________________
Fridge poem by SM Jenkin

Words of the month: Skull, Ghost, Twitch

The Veil Blinks by SM Jenkin

Photo:Pixabay (creative commons)

The veil blinks,

is noticed to twitch, 

once, from the other side

as children dance from

door to door,

cheap plastic caressing

their faces; 

skulls, green drowned

faces melting into innocent

necks. Tonight, it’s 

dad’s turn

and he is glad there have been

no sexy vampires, yet.

It was their game, 

once.

And he watches from the gate,

as some other man’s child wobbles 

past in a dirty white duvet,

scissored holes for eyes.

And he chances a brief look

at his watch, feeling the 

hour hand spinning 

like a helicopter,

lifting his hand.

Until the veil twitches

shut again, for another year.

And he didn’t think of her

once.

Inspired by Lisa Vigor’s Inspirational words of the month, Oct 2017  #Ghost #Twitch #Skull as posted by Lisa on youtube here

Blogging and competitions

After a long break, I've started to send out work to competitions and for consideration for publication. I have come across some restrictions on what I can send out that I haven't encountered before, and I find it somewhat perplexing.

Some editors now consider work posted to blogs etc as self-published and therefore ineligible for their prize or their magazine. Others go further and consider work posted to social media as being "published". I can understand why editors will want to limit their input to material that has not been published elsewhere, avoiding the "I can get it free somewhere else so why bother buying". This also limits the possibility - perhaps - of plagiarism and the messy business of trying to put it right.

However, the restrictions on material published online in forums/ social media is proving difficult for people who want to workshop material, especially those facing barriers to joining the traditional ways of work shopping new material. For those of us without a suitable editor/ critical friend, or the chance to join a writers group, how do we access a suitable critique? If there aren't any writers groups meeting locally, or if our work pattern or caring responsibilities means we can't go, what then?

Writers don't work alone - we are a part of a community. How do you manage to get feedback from your friends without self publishing on shared sites?
_______________________
Picture sourced from Pixabay

Confluence Medway - looking for submissions

Confluence, where the Delta meets The World

Do you have poetry, short plays or short stories that you would like to share?  A new online writing magazine from the fabulous team at Wordsmithery is looking for contributions. They will publish four times a year (August, October, February and May)

The team are looking for submissions from "the Delta and beyond" - within a shout of "the river"

The topic for Issue one is "memento fluvium" or "remember the river". Be as free with this as you wish - the deadline is midnight on 15 July 2016

More details on how to submit work can be found here confluence medway - submissions

ROUNDABOUT NIGHTS PRESENTS - The Defamation Of Mickey Two Suits

Come and join the delta poets tonight as they spin the stories of the damned

Barred... Bard?

7.30pm at Poco Loco Cantina, on the road from Chatham to Rochester

An Assemblance of Judicious Heretics, their exciting collaborative litart project this year is underway. I'm waiting with bated breath.... 

ME4Writers

The Heretics on Facebook

Written Worlds, Inspiring Places

Yes, Rochester literature festival is fast coming our way and I'm very excited about it!

The theme this year is Written Worlds, Inspiring Places and I can't think of a more apt description

Is this really the fourth year that the full festival has been running? It doesn't feel like it, but 'tis true Each year following the garden party launch back in July 2012 the theme has been something different, from the first Other Worlds, Other Voices, to the Byronic Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know to the Live'n'Local least year.

The festival will run from Saturday, October 1 to Sunday, October 9 2016 and details of the line-up are available from the festival website here.

Olivetti Typewriter. Image credit: SM Jenkin

Knowing how many people are involved in making sure this is an accessible community event I am sure that details of other events and activities will be added closer to the time

Roundabout Nights - where do they get it from?

Roundabout Nights are back!
And they want you to talk about your mother.....

OK, maybe not.
A selection of The Medway Delta's finest writers dig out the bones and shapings of their ancestors, and share the tales of the ones who made them

If you have some writing or music to share, please bring it along and join Philip Kane, Sarah Hehir, Dean Volante, and Barry Fentiman-Hall on the stage

Thursday, 17 March 2016 7.30 - 10.30
At the one and only Poco Loco Cantina, 58 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4DS

Hotel dreams Del Estrocho

Hotel Dreams Del Estrocho 

Facing the police flag kicking the sky, 
car exhausts trails dividing the square, banditos on the sly
on the 8th floor, facing away from the view, 
basking in bright weather, coaches with penguins all taunting you,

with cloud soft forms of what could have been,
all the leopard seals and wildlife and icebergs unseen.
Words formed, above the mute phone,
with intimate touch blazing across the screen,
 bald truth reminding you of the obscene
illusion that you are ever alone

Image credit: hot black (morguefile)

image sourced from Morguefile

Londonium 2016 - Mindful Writing

boxes blinking bright in
hoarded sunlight, corralled by
black cabs,
diverted the famous grey
flows of metamorphic concrete

layered down.
the Romans river anchored
offshore, the sign of the skyscraper
follows the length of the
high Thames

London

_____________________________________________________________________________
Mindful writing is the practice of capturing a moment in writing, described by Satya Robyn as a small stone. Satya describes a small stone as a "short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment".

I think the practice is a terrific way of learning to pay attention. A great description of how to do this very simple exercise can be found here.

Picture sourced from Morguefile

Tinsel haiku

Moulting tinsel trails
 uproot solstice echoes at
 the empty table