P.Viktor

Juvenilia - Coming Soon

I had wanted to publish and launch my latest opus on 1st February (tomorrow), but, as always seems to be the case, there are a few issues with the cover and printing etc. It is incredibly disappointing because I have been working on Juvenilia for the past eighteen months (which accounts for a severe lack of new material - both poetry and prose - in the same period). In fact, when all is said and done, I have been working on Juvenilia for ten years, seeing as it is a collection of largely unpublished poetry that I wrote during my twenties, with the inclusion of my two published works - A Marriage of Sorts (2007) and The Loss House (2008). A lot of this poetry has been languishing in journals and loose-leafed folders, unread and neglected. Eighteen months ago I decided that I should publish the lot, to both give it the outing it deserves, but also because it's being unpublished meant it felt unresolved.

Publishing it now is akin to clearing out the attic and boxing everything up and shipping it off to destination unknown. It is an exercise in both housekeeping and literary consolidation, and it feels something of a relief to get it out of my system and get it out into the world. No one except my family and friends will read it - probably - but it serves its purpose, which is to allow me to refocus and move forward in my writing. I don't like having manuscripts of unpublished writing hanging around - I like to get it out into the world and be put to work. Goodness knows a certain amount of blood, sweat, and tears went into writing them - so they should be forced into hard labour. All of this accounts for my impatience, even though the delay is only a couple of weeks. I'm hoping the book will be ready to go in mid-February (if not sooner) once these aesthetic problems are solved, and no doubt there will be a big announcement. The feeling of freedom will be sweet.

Ted Hughes Reads Sylvia Plath

Occasionally I do write about things other than music, though recently it would be hard to know it. Thanks to Peter K Steinberg and his blog I have been alerted to these recordings of Ted Hughes reading two of Sylvia Plath's poems, Wuthering Heights and Crossing the Water. I have never come across these recordings before, so they are something of a treat. As many know Hughes is often unfairly lambasted for not meddling in his wife's work, but the truth is without his support and dedication we wouldn't have seen much of the writing she completed around the time of her death - namely Ariel. The evidence of his love and support can be heard his readings of her poems.

Ganymede Issue Five

Ganymede Issue Five has finally been released and my poetry features in this issue, which is very exciting for me. In a section called 'Too long in the darkness', a line taken from my own poem Embers, it features this poem and also Bathwater and Jujitsu in a wonderful spread with exceptional photography that marks this journal out against many others. I would like to thank the editor John Stahle who approached me to contribute something to Ganymede, and I was thrilled when he took all three poems after a substantial amount of time when I submitted no poetry at all to any magazine. Ganymede is 'a literary/art print journal by and for gay men published quarterly in New York as a paperback book', and its profile is already rising steadily in the city amongst gay literary circles. My poems will also feature in the first Ganymede Anthology which will be released in October, called Poets One, featuring poetry by many of the names who have already appeared in the journal.

Buy Ganymede Issue Five.
Pre-order Ganymede Poets One.

Poetry Rivals

After what has been a tremendously busy week this week, I received some nice and unexpected news (hurrah!) which lifted me just when I needed it. I submitted a poem, The Man With A Bomb, months ago to a competition run by Forward Press called Poetry Rivals. The competition models itself on the television programme Pop Idol / Pop Rivals, whereby entrants send in a poem of their choice, which are then whittled down to a number of poets who will be included in a special anthology called Poetry Rivals' Collection 2009 - Lyrical Winds. From those selected, 100 poets will be asked to attend a poetry slam in Peterborough, where they will perform their poem in front of a panel of expert judges (think the poetry equivalent of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh), with one poet winning the overall competition and a publishing contract with Forward Press!

I have been so far selected to appear in the anthology, and have been sent the proofs for the publication which should come out on 31st October. To be included in anything by Forward Press is a huge coup - they are, like Bloodaxe, one of the best poetry publishers in the country, and certainly the largest. Just being associated with their name in any way is great for a poet. Whether I will be one of the lucky 100 to be asked to Peterborough who knows? It would be really great for me, especially seeing as poetry has taken a bit of a back seat over the past few months (writing only very sporadically in the moments between writing for magazines and this blog). To win a publishing contract - wow, I can't even think about it because it would be so exciting. To win that would mean the lucky recipient would have the best publisher in the UK behind them promoting their work - an opportunity that comes by once in a lifetime.

Anyway - I will no doubt keep my readers informed of my progress. It's nice to think that something you have written has at least pricked someone's ears up. To have a poem published by a Forward Press publication is wonderful, and even if I don't get any further, I will still be proud of this fact.

Official Website - Poetry Rivals
Forward Press