Swifts

Do you see the swifts are here again?
They swoop so low and soar so high
I think there may be more than ten -
do you see the swifts are here again?
We know it's summer round here when
our favourite bird comes gliding by
You see the swifts are here! Again
they sweep so low and soar so high!

***

The swifts returned to Edinburgh yesterday! 

As many readers of this blog know, the swift is my favourite bird. It arrives in the UK in May and has left by the end of August. It spends almost all its life on the wing, only landing to build its nest and lay its eggs. The skies outside our flat are full of swifts at this time of the year, they are wonderfully acrobatic. There are at least ten of them most years (I've only seen three so far this year, but it is early days yet). But how long will this last? Swifts are in trouble in the UK. 

You can help them by fitting a swift nest box. Swift Conservation can help you with fitting and maintaining a nestbox, you can find their local experts here.

The RSPB is looking for records of swifts, you can find out how you can help them here.

Concern for Swifts Scotland aims to have swift nest site conservation incorporated into building specifications and to support the inclusion of the swift in Local Biodiversity Action Plans. 

 

Yesterday, to co-incide with the swifts return, I posted the last poem on Bolts of Silk, the poetry journal which I've edited for the past eight years - Swifts by Andy Barritt. I've enjoyed editing Bolts of Silk, but it just felt like time to let it go.

Bolts of Silk

Bolts of Silk, the poetry journal I've edited for the past eight years, will close to submissions on 17 April 2014. The last poem will be posted the day swifts return to Edinburgh for the summer.

Thanks to all the poets and readers who've helped to make Bolts of Silk a lovely poetry journal to edit over the past eight years. I've enjoyed editing it, but it's just time to call it a day, now.

The site will stay up as an archive and there's a lot of wonderful poetry there, so I hope some of you will continue to stop by and browse in the future.

On Editing a Poetry Journal

As many of you know, I edit the online poetry journal Bolts of Silk. The benefit of it is in ensuring that I get to read a lot of good current poetry (though admittedly I get sent some pretty poor poetry too). Today though I was becoming exasperated by some of the things that people do so I thought I'd share them here!

Some people obviously don't read the submission guidelines

- I've had people send me in poems that are well over the 40 line limit or send fewer or more than the requested 1-3 poems
- Some people send poems in attachments rather than in the body of an email 
- I've had people send me entirely inappropriate poetry which indicates not only have they not read the submissions guidelines they've not even read Bolts of Silk itself!
- some people don't check the grammar or spelling in their poems
- I've had people address me as editor (or even worse Sir!)
- some people don't include their own name!
- today someone sent me another poem by return of email after I had rejected his work (surely you should know this is rude without needing to read the submission guidelines that state not to send any more work until a few months have passed. This is something I normally state in my email, but it had slipped my mind this time).

The moral of the story is of course, if sending work to a literary journal, follow the guidelines as closely as possible. If you don't you're liable to annoy the editor and an annoyed editor is less likely to use your work! 

So rant over and I'm more than delighted to read any poetry you might want to send in, but please, make sure you read the submission guidelines!

Bolts of Silk

As many readers of this blog know, I edit the online poetry journal Bolts of Silk. In May I will have edited Bolts of Silk for five years. I have enjoyed this immensely and continue to do so. However recently I have started to wonder whether after five years a poetry journal perhaps should seek a new editor? I have seen poetry journals grow tired and stale when edited for too long by the same person and I have seen journals blossom and thrive when they get a new editor after years of stagnation under an overlong editorship.

I don't think Bolts of Silk has got tired, though perhaps I'm too close to it to be able to tell?

What do you think? Does Bolts of Silk need a new editor? Should it look for a new editor as a matter of principle? Any other thoughts? Thanks for your comments!

Drought Resistant Strain by Mather Schneider

This excellent poetry collection is conversational in style, sometimes grim but often laced with humour and always with affection for the characters. The poems cast a glance at the difficulties of relationships between humans and of humans with animals and with the wider natural world and many of them are worth reading several times.

We meet the old woman condemned to live in a slum by her daughter who owns the whole block, the former prostitute nervous about her first day’s work as a life model and a novice gardener who injures himself planting squash.

Schneider has a real eye for detail and an ability to link human life with the natural world in ways that perhaps a lot of people don’t find so easy these days. Here’s a selection of quotes to illustrate what I mean.

from Me and Josie Go to the Zoo
The lemurs have more words in common
than we do

from Monday
His face was like a tree knot

from Withdrawal
professors quick-walk
across brick commons dusted red
like old gray birds
that can’t fly.

from We Have Seen it for so Long
the night smashes like shame
against the earth and stars
war in a small boy’s heart

You can read three of Mather's poems on Bolts of Silk, here.


Drought Resistant Strain by Mather Schneider is available from Interior Noise Press.

Another Award - this time for Bolts of Silk

I'm delighted that Annie over at Ink Haven, who I awarded the One Lovely Blog Award to a few days ago, has now awarded it to Bolts of Silk, the poetry journal I edit. Since Bolts of Silk only posts poetry I thought I would mention this award here! I am supposed to pass this award on to 15 good looking new blogs, but as I just did that recently, I thought this time I would pass the award on to any contributor to Bolts of Silk who wishes to pick it up, so if you meet those criteria, then please consider yourself awarded.

Recently, Bolts of Silk has featured poetry about rivers and gravity, you can read these and more here.

Catapult to Mars has lift off!

Gordon Mason, a regular contributor to Bolts of Silk has started his own blog, which is now live at Catapult to Mars. The blog features Gordon's own poetry in English, Scots and Spanish and will also feature poetry from guest poets. All the poems are illustrated with a carefully chosen picture.

I'm honoured to be the first guest poet on Gordon's blog and you can read my poem here.

Festival of the Trees is up

The latest Festival of the Trees is up at Exploring the World of Trees. You can browse it here. It includes Gordon Mason's poem L'Etang, Mougins, which featured on Bolts of Silk in August.

Festival of the Trees

This months Festival of the Trees is now up at Via Negativa. Why not pop over and browse! It includes Sue Turner's poem Echoes from Tomorrow as posted in Bolts of Silk.