Waterlines

Phoenix rising from the canal, Oxfordshire

Since the beginning of the year I've been working on several Canal Laureate projects with The Poetry Society and the Canal & River Trust, and contributing a monthly blog to Waterlines.

One of the latest projects to reach completion is a new filmpoem, The Cut, created in collaboration with the Canadian artist Pierre Tremblay. The Cut was screened daily as part of Barge Fiodra's residency on the Regent's Canal at King's Cross, London, during April (in a double bill with vintage short film The Barge Fellows). The filmpoem can now be viewed here.

I'm looking forward to working with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Macclesfield Canal over the summer, and presenting new poems at watery events in York and Bedford -- keep an eye on the Canal Laureate Twitter feed or website for updates.

Upcoming Event: Oxford Poetry Library

I'm excited to be part of the birthday celebrations for the wonderful Oxford Poetry Library.

Come and join us on 11 May!

The Union Canal, Scotland

The Scottish waterways are not officially part of the Canal Laureate's ambit, but since I was in Edinburgh this week I decided to spend a morning exploring the Union Canal, starting at Meggetland Bridge and heading for the city.

  Rowers from St Andrews Boat Club were out early, as were the dog-walkers.

The canal opened in 1822 to carry coal from the west of Scotland to Edinburgh. 

(You can find more history on the Scottish Canals website). 

Beyond the new suburbs that grew up beside it, above, and barely visible through the winter trees 

is the former Craiglockhart Hospital where Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon were treated for shell shock during World War I. 

I spotted a lone cat.

Then the rowers returned...

...and the commuters started to race by.

Approaching Viewforth Bridge - ready for a coffee now.

Chilly.

Old and new Edinburgh: a boarded-up chapel and narrowboats at Leamington Wharf.

Rivets and fresh paint at the Leamington Lift Bridge near Lochrin Basin.

Arrival in Prague/Lower Gilmore Place.

Borrowed Bookshelves 17

Charlotte Du Cann and Mark Watson

Dark Mountain HQ, Suffolk, UK

Upcoming Event: BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists Market

Come to BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead on Saturday 21 April for the BALTIC Self-Publishing Artists' Market. I'll be exhibiting my work alongside over fifty other international artists, small press publishers, printmakers and zine makers. 

Upcoming event: Barge Fiodra

This photo (taken by Canal & River Trust Writer in Residence Jasper Winn) shows me and Pierre Tremblay during our epic cycle journey along the Regent's Canal last month. The excursion was the start of a collaboration which has led to a new filmpoem about the Regent's Canal.

The fillmpoem, The Cut, will be premiered as part of Barge Fiodra's March festival. On 15 March you can join me onboard Fiodra for a short screening, followed by readings of canal poems written since I was appointed Canal Laureate in January. Although small, the venue is supplied with a comprehensive bar and there'll be opportunity for convivial discussion and mingling post-event.

You can see an introduction to Pierre Tremblay's work and catch up on my first month as Canal Laureate on the Waterlines blog.

Poetry Book Society Winter Bulletin

It's still winter - just! And before spring floods in I wanted to take this chance to thank the Poetry Book Society for using my work on the cover of their beautifully redesigned bulletin. The image of icebergs from my 2015 Ilulissat series also features on a poetry postcard alongside 'The Widow and Kaleidoscope' from Sasha Dugdale's new collection Joy, which is the Poetry Book Society Winter Choice.

Find out more about the work of the Poetry Book Society here

or read an extract from the title poem of Joy 

which won the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2016