Success through Effort

With clothes and bric a brac donations from H, S & B, and a steady stream of curious locals we raised a wondrous £250 for the H-Van's internal restoration. That's two rolls of 2BDA insulation for starters. Thank you to everyone who came, bought, ate and donated. x

The H-Van Tabletop SALE Extravaganza

///Come to Needham Avenue tomorrow between 8am - 2pm for the H-VAN Tabletop SALE Extravaganza . Pick up *Quality Bric a Brac / Vintage clothes / shoes / accessories / books / films / stationery / teas and cakes. For all your domestic and stylish needs pop by and snare a bargin in the wonderful H-Van DOlores.

Belongings *new publication

'Matriarchal powers velvety line the pencil love

Return to sender confrontational contents, mocking exchange

Pickled feelings drip-feed the scaffold memories

Time-stained ovarian sentiment echoes tongues of unchanging'

'Belongings' is ready. Off the press and onto shelves.

night time is my time for just

Leaves turn, fall and gather on the roof.

I stay still, unchanged.

The worry for the foreseeable gathers between the cracks.

I look up, conker-bound and see the distance from what I can't help.

My standing still is cemented care.

If I could I would bring two foetus sleeps.

Instead I queue and listen to the breaking voice.

The worry is there between the cracks.

This time soon my heart will cease-swell

and I will turn, fall and gather again.

Gone with the wind

a moment to record vulnerability in the first person,

while waiting for the next person.

Publish Piccadilly

No sooner is one book fair over.

I'll be showing a new work as part of a collaboration with artist Sylvia Waltering at the Piccadilly Self Publishing Fair on Sunday 3rd October in Manchester and will be visiting the 'A Foundation' in Liverpool for the annual book fair on Saturday 2nd, to gather more artists' publications for my own library.

Love is

being reunited with a constant source of inspiration

Children's Book Making magic

Last week saw the beginning of the third term of the Children's Writing & Book Making workshops I deliver in Salford. The core group of 6 has grown to a magnificent 13 mums and they have ideas galore for creating stories and books to read to their children. It's become my favorite day of the week because their enthusiasm and energy is infectious, I leave the community centre walking of poppies.

New Courses announced

If you feel like a day of indulgent making, join me on Sunday October 17th for a 'bite-sized book arts' one day course at Hot Bed Press. There will be artists' books, tea and fine conversation in abundance. If box making takes your fancy, join me on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st November to learn how to make a slip case and a portfolio print box.

line-o.

we imagined heads or tails of creatures

and drew, carved, inked-up our lino

ink, carry, place, print, barren, reveal, dry.

satisfaction.

Wasted on you

stormy weather

and I just can't get my poor self together.

I'm weary all of the time.

I can't go on.

everything I have is gone.

Keeps raining all of the time.

my eyes saw it differently but now you've blown the sand from them.

The London Art Book Fair

It's the season for Book fairs (and cocktails), beginning with The London Art Book Fair at Whitechapel Gallery opening this Thursday 23rd September from 6 - 9pm and continuing Friday to Sunday 11am - 6pm. I'll be showing two new editions as part of the 'made' collective, on the Righton Press stand. Come and see the results of three weeks printing, cutting, folding, collating, sewing and covering (which followed 9 months of writing).

Place

The Bibliotherapy Artist's Book Library (BABL) will be part of 'Place', interventions across location, space and memory for Coastal Currents in Hastings. Tomorrow, on Saturday 18th September BABL will be on Kings Road in St. Leonards providing all the usual comfort through artists' books and on Sunday 19th in the Rock-a-Nore area of Hastings. Pop by if you feel so inclined. I'll be there with listening ears.

From A to B

BABL is heading to Dover tomorrow as part of the exhibition 'from A to B', a collection of artists' interventions, digital media, sound and performance in Dover Town Centre by a selection of British and French artists. You will find BABL in Market Square between 11am and 5pm on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th September housed in a unique purpose built temporary structure very much resembling the H-van. Pop by if you have feel like talking and sharing a ginger beer.

A can do attitude

and a lot of help from my friends

Armor-less with soden Espadrilles

Symptom - A bad attitude in the Dorset fog rolled cliffs.

Remedy - Classic literature, car-singing, red wine, rain walking.

A broken spirit at the forefront of the holiday break soothed by the exchange of stories of broken hearts with LL, a lunch of Guiness and the magnificent refuge of the Colonnade.

Getting away from it all is not an escape enough from oneself.

The beach beckons once again, this time with company.

quickstep

I will dance the lead & follow, dance alone & together, start & end the dance, just so long as I feel the beat. Bliss.

If I don't dance soon

there'll be nothing to dance for. my toes are primed. my body supple. my limbs ache for a beat. meet me in the South Downs. tomorrow I put my hair up and get gone.

Fortune Fish and Velvety print

While my left hand examines the print my right hand confesses the passion.

A book that lets a little bit out will be tea-warm-off-the-press on Monday.

A letter arrived for me during Tuesdays morning ritual and my heart expanded and tilted forward in my chest.

Thank you for letting me know. It makes everything easier.

missed

Here's where I've been for a while.