Although writers always send out their best work when submitting, there is a danger that when you reread it later in your career, you can´t help noticing flaws and mistakes. That´s because writers are always in motion, learning and improving their craft.

I had the poem “Redundant” accepted by Open Wide Magazine (page 11, pdf) back in 2002, but I´d never managed to get hold of a copy while living in Spain. I liked this magazine which fosters new and established talents, but I´d heard it had gone out of circulation.

Luckily, the magazine is alive and well. In it´s 23rd running, it has shifted to online publication – a reflection of the economic climate, no doubt. I always feel a little sad when quality publications stop publishing in print, but the positive spin is that Open Wide Magazine has the potential to reach a wider audience. It also has all the backdated copies so I finall got a copy of my own contribution.

Read “Redundant” in Issue 2, page 11, in Open Wide Magazine.

I love this site, because of how raw it is. That’s why I’m always pleased to be included on there. This submission was added some time ago but I forgot to update the site. So here it is… Priceless on Word Riot.

Although there’s plenty I could say about the residential side, I’d rather concentrate on the amiable, approachable and certainly professional nature of Paul as a tutor – that was the reason for going, after all! As expected, Paul came armed with a variety of poems that would challenge and stretch, as well as exercises to inspire and encourage trying different routes. Then, of course, there were the readings, no nonsense one to one tutorials and general debates.

What was unexpected was the level of attention received. With a small group of four people, there was plenty of chance for in-depth feedback, and there was some truly wonderful work coming from another writer there, Deborah Garber who is writing about her immersion into the Gitano gypsy culture. I would suggest you look out for her as I believe something truly special is going to happen with the pieces she was writing.

The advantage of a residential, especially if you are lucky enough to have a tutor like Paul, is that you get to make full use of the resource and pick his brains at every possible moment. And the info and advice given certainly offered a rounded learning opportunity and I came away with a whole stockpile of poems in various stages of completion. With my impending move to Dublin, I’ll certainly be looking for more courses and events where Paul is involved, and would recommend his courses to anyone truly interested in writing.

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