Pituitary Problems 2: Surgery OR Out Damn Spot

Since the last post, there have been some developments. After a review MRI done in April, I got back to see the neurosurgeon, just last week, for his assessment. The drug I was prescribed back in December, Dostinex (cabergoline), which I take weekly, has done wonders for suppressing the prolactin that I was over-producing. Sadly, it has not had the effect of shrinking the tumour.

If anything, it's grown marginally - they are known to be slow-growing, so this in itself is not a major problem.

So, the tumour cannot be described as a prolactinoma; it's more likely to be a non-functioning tumour. Put simply, this means that it doesn't produce excess hormones, in and of itself. The raised prolactin levels actually demonstrate that it is the pituitary stalk producing prolactin  - think of it as a protest at being squished up out of the way by this rogue growth.

After mulling a few options over in the consultation, I decided to get it out. The surgeon offered the 21st of July as the nearest date, which I was happy to take. He says that it is fairly straightforward. It's called a transsphenoidal surgery, and basically he goes in just above my front teeth in a line back to the skull/brain base, breaking a small hole in the sphenoid bone, and using endoscopic techniques he'll go in and (hopefully) take it all out. I'll only be in hospital for a few days, and willl recover at home in about 2-6 weeks. Hopefully in time to make it back to work in September.

In myself, I'm seeing a gradual improvement, week on week. I have a bit more stamina, lasting the day and only feel whacked if I've overdone it - but so often I don't realise I've overdone it, until I've overdone it! But compared to my last visit to this blog, I can really see a difference - and the good weather recently has really helped too.

Yesterday after visiting the endocrinologist, he agreed that it was probably the best course of action to have it out, but warned that it was unlikely that I would regain any lost hormonal function. So I could well remain on cortisol (steroids) and growth hormone injections for the rest of my life.

But hey, it will be nice not to have this bump in my head, and it pressing on my sinuses, giving me headaches and vision problems and all the other problems; as well as having histology and pathology done on it to ensure there's no nasty surprises.

So roll on July 21st!

Pituitary Problems - or, how I learned to chillax about stuff

About last October 2014, I began to experience really debilitating fatigue. I couldn't understand it, I wasn't ill, or so I thought, just a long-standing sinus problem that wouldn't go away.

I had been feeling that same fatigue previously, in February 2014 – but I was doing a year-long post-graduate course in Education, working 19 hours a week in teaching and doing the usual mother stuff, so I put it down to that. I remember going to see a herbalist in Meath, who prescribed me a tonic, reckoning that my adrenal system needed some support. That tonic did seem to perk me up and I hobbled through the rest of the academic year, having some time off in August and picking myself up a bit.

At the same time, I noticed that I just couldn't stomach alcohol any more – I mean even a pint seemed to make me feel more than woozy, so I basically avoided drinking. I also seemed to start avoiding most social situations – Christmas, anything with friends: I just couldn't cope with anything beyond a working day.

Then finally my menstrual cycle ground to a halt in October. I waited until the end of November to see if it’d restart and when it didn't, I visited the doctor.

She sent me for blood tests to see what was lacking, with the mild warning that it could well be the onset of menopause. However, the tests revealed that I had a high prolactin level. She then requested an MRI scan to check out my pituitary, as she suspected I might have a pituitary adenoma.

She was right.

Just before Christmas, I was then referred on to a neuro-surgeon to see what he thought. He walked me through the MRI images: a 2cm tumour, and prescribed cabergoline, a dopamine agonist, to help suppress the prolactin, and possibly shrink the tumour. But he advised me to see an endocrinologist to see what hormones the pituitary was not making, as it is common for pituitary tumours to suppress normal pituitary function. He wasn't going in there, until the endocrinologist had established what function the pituitary did still have.

I now know more than is healthy to know about this tiny pea-sized master-gland located just beneath the brain, about 2 inches directly back from the bridge of the nose. It governs the release of ACTH, which tells your kidneys to make cortisol (and other hormones), as well as human growth hormone, which maintains normal cell function and has implications for the liver (hence the aversion to alcohol), as well as TSH, which stimulates the thyroid gland in the neck, not to mention all other hormones to do with sexual function and reproduction.

When these are governed normally by the pituitary, you don’t notice. You just have a normal quality of life. When these are suppressed, well, let’s say your quality of life ebbs away, drip by drip. It’s insidious and you really don’t notice it, except as a gradual withdrawal of living: fatigue, disinterest and just paring back to basic life functions. I hadn't been writing for a while, but at this stage I wasn't even interested. I had no interest in books either. I seemed to have a complete sense of humour failure too.

The special test that I needed came up towards the end of February. I underwent an Insulin Tolerance Test. In this, I came fasting to the hospital. They inserted a cannula to withdraw blood at regular intervals and then injected me with insulin. This is what is called a provocative test: basically the equivalent of inducing hypoglycaemia in a diabetic patient.

You don’t feel much discomfort, you just feel a little sweaty like you’re going to faint. The nice part is the Lucozade and biscuits you eat once you've achieved a low enough blood sugar count. The test also provokes the pituitary gland to release ACTH and growth hormone, a normal bodily response to an invoked stress. About a month later, in March 2015, I headed back to receive the results. I was still feeling very much under the weather, in fact, I was even worse than I had been before Christmas, but I now found out why.

My body wasn't releasing enough ACTH to stimulate normal cortisol production: basically I was only producing about a 1/3 of what I needed for normal daily function. So the endocrinologist said I needed to replace this with hydrocortisone. In other words, steroids. I have to take these every day, in the morning and early afternoon, to mimic the body’s normal pulses of these. If I am ill or vomiting, I have to double the dose. If I can’t keep them down, I would have to go to hospital to get an injection.

That was a shock in and of itself, but the next shock was to find out that I wasn't producing enough growth hormone. My numbers showed to be only 10% of what I should be producing. This hormone regulates cell function, liver function and without it, your cholesterol levels rise (something I hadn't got checked in yonks anyway), and your body fat rises. I had noticed my upper arms and tummy getting extra flab, but I had just put this down to getting older. It also effects your stamina and ability to exercise. Both of which had lately just had me flummoxed – I couldn't walk up the hill in Carlingford (a steep one, but a great one to get your heart going) any more, and just found it so hard to get from A-B in class – I’d come home wiped out from teaching most days, but lately I was wiped out after just driving the hour it took to get to work, never mind trying to get through a 5 hour class.

My eyesight doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be either. Sitting looking at a laptop or on my iPhone has a tendency to make my eyes feel sore after a while. This could be down to the tumour too, as where they develop they can press on the optic chasm: where the nerves from the eyeballs go back into the brain. As a tumour develops it can press on the nerves causing vision problems. I probably need to be assessed for this too.

The stage I am at now, is waiting to see. I am on growth hormone therapy and steroids – and could possibly remain on them for the rest of my life. The tumour itself has been scanned since, just last week, late April. And it doesn’t seem to be responding to the cabergoline, which I take every week – it’s more or less the same size. Whether it will need to be removed is something I’ll find out down the line: I've to wait and see how I stabilise on the additional drugs. Since beginning the extra drug therapy I am seeing minor improvements in stamina, but it doesn't take much to tire me out. I can manage a morning, but I get tired in the afternoon easily. Needless to say, I'm not at work – I haven’t been able to go, since the March visit to the endocrinologist.

I found that once I started the steroids I was all over the place, as I was when I started the growth hormone therapy. Four weeks in, things are starting to level off, but the advice I've been given is that it will take a long time to get back to normal – possibly six months to a year. I have a lovely app to help remind me to take everything, as there’s so much to take at different times I’d forget, if it was left up to me!

To be honest, this is the first time in a long while I've managed to type anything of substance. But it is a sign that something is coming back and at the very least the tumour I have is unlikely to be malignant. Reasons to be cheerful – 1, 2, 3.

Reviews of The Angels's Share

Slow, slow, slow!

A year later--okay over a year later--I have discovered some reviews of The Angels' Share online. I am quite excited by this, as these are some more than the first collection got: showing that it takes a terribly long time to get going in poetry-- as well as showing that I must be terribly idle to even be looking!

First, I found one in Australia: Tintean, a journal for the Australian Irish Heritage Network. They used to be a hard-copy journal but have gone over to an online version. The reviewer is quite kind, overall, but isn't keen on Pair Bond-- one of the poems that goes down a storm at readings--nor some of the Mallory poems--where I would have 'recycled' some of Mallory's quotes from his letters and journals, which I suppose might have made the poems seem stilted, as the language of the early 20th C is more formal than our 21st C brogues. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

Then there's a very warm one from Dublin Duchess --on an aside, her reading list is quite exhaustive and worth checking out. She loves Pair Bond, but thems the breaks, as they say.

 Mike Begnal's review on Todd Swift's Eyewear blog is very generous, I got the impression he really liked the book and his favourite towards the end, Modern Fantasia is one of my favourites too. 

And lastly there's one on Magma poetry's blog but alas, I don't know what it says yet, as there seems to a problem with the website--maybe it's just me!

By the way, if you're wondering what Pair Bond is all about, click on the link for a very short video of me and some Poetry Divas giving it what for (thanks to you-know-who for putting it together for me).

Awfully Brrr for May

Coldy, coldy coldy. Out weather here in Ireland is giving us much pause for thought, what with these unseasonable northerly winds. The garden outside was given its annual shearing about three weeks ago and has been behaving immaculately ever since.

My pinky clematis looks lovely, spread all over our neighbour's wall and all the other plants I put into a small raised bed are thriving - bar the bean plants. Is it the cold? Is it the rain? I don't know.

What I do know is that the peas I put beside them are thriving; already climbing up the string and bamboo wigwam I set up for them. But the beans are withering and looking decidedly peaky. I should have just stuck with the peas overall, perhaps.

In writing news, all is very quiet since the end of the Dundalk Book Festival back at the end of April - almost a month ago. I believe most events were well attended and we Poetry Divas helped to rock the Panama Cafe on the Square (hai). We had an interesting afternoon, with many readers and even a musical interlude. More on Michael Farry's blog.

A highlight for me was Noel McGee, doing an excerpt from a one-man play, I, Kavanagh. This is a brightly woven piece with excerpts from Kavanagh's work and work about his work. The audience loved it - what with Patrick Kavanagh being from out the road a bit - and I saw many audience members mumming the words of his poems along with the actor.

There were parts in it I remembered from Antoinette Quinn's Biography of Kavanagh, which by the way if you've never read it is a fantastic read and full of inspiration too. One to buy rather than borrow. "O he was a quare one..." Kavanagh's poetry is something I return to time and again, probably because of the local connection but also because of his way of talking about the land. When you're a country girl, like me, it's nice sometimes to be grounded by what you've come from.

Underground Competition

Ever spent any time on the tube?

Submissions are now open for the first Fire Hazard anthology, "Underground".

To mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the world's first underground railway in London in 1863, Fire Hazard is compiling a print anthology of poetry dealing with experiences of underground railways and their impact (for better and worse) on the communities they serve around the world.

Themes could include (but are by no means limited to):

Construction of underground railways

History of the lines and the stations

The above-ground communities the underground serves

The experience of commuting / travelling underground

The art of the underground

People experienced on the underground

Subterranean geographies / cities

Mapping the underground

If you would like your work to be considered for this anthology, please send up to four poems and a brief biographical note to us at firehazardpoetry@gmail.com with the word "underground" in the subject title. The deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2013. All included poets will receive an electronic copy of the anthology, hardcopies of which will be available for purchase in early summer.

Turbulence Magazine subscription rates: single issue £2; annual subscription (four issues): £6 (UK rates - please email for international rates). Please send cheques / postal orders (payable to "A Fisher") to: A Fisher, 29 Finchley Close, Hull. HU8 0NU. 

Visit their website at http://turbulencepoetry.blogspot.com/

More Divas? And a Divo..!

Oh boy it's a busy season for the Divas! At 6.30pm, Wednesday 28th November, the Divas read in DkIT in Dundalk, in the Tomas Mac Anna theatre, emceed by the new Writer in Residence, Ferdia Mac Anna. Us Divas will be Kate Dempsey and Triona Walsh, and meself.

This time we are featured readers with a guest: Michael Farry. I wonder does that make him a Divo - even just an honorary one!

Poetry Divas are go

Us Poetry Divas are getting around a bit these days! On Wednesday 21st November we're reading at The Grand Social in Dublin along with many other poets in support of Pussy Riot.

This event is just one of many organised across the UK and Ireland to coincide on that date, through the auspices of English PEN and our own counterpart Irish PEN.

We have a Facebook event page set up: if you're in Dublin on the night do come along from 6pm onwards, it's FREE and it promises to be a great night. Poets who have agreed to read include: Kimberly Campanello, Sophie Collins, Sue Cosgrave, Anatoly Kudryavitsky, Christodoulos Makris, Máighréad Medbh, Paula Meehan, Alan Jude Moore, Christine Murray, The Poetry Divas, Sam Riviere.

All Ireland Poetry Day: Louth

There's a wonderful broadcast happening on Dundalk FM at 11am, called Bookends, which is hosted by the capable Eileen Corcoran. The programme will focus on two poetry books launched in Dundalk recently – “The Angels Share”, by Barbara Smith (yes, me!) and “Once Upon Reflection” by Petra Berntssen. 

Petra Berntsson is a visual artist born in Sweden, now living in Dundalk. She has combined her paintings with writing from other poets and writers. The connections happened naturally and poems emerged from paintings, and paintings grew from words. The end result, “Once Upon Reflection” is a beautiful book, inspired by Petra’s years living in Ireland.

The programme will also feature four Louth people readings poems which they love.They are: Cllr. Jennifer Green, Cathaoirleach, Dundalk Town Council; Pat Keating an active participant in the cultural life of Dundalk,; Tommy Kelly, a visual artist, comic writer, and social commentator and Cathal Cassidy, a broadcaster on Dundalk FM 100.

As if that isn't plenty to be going on with, it's then off to Dundalk Instutute of Technology for a 12.30 pm lunchtime reading with myself and John Noonan. John is a Longford native and the 2012 winner of the Goldsmith Prize for his poem 'Glass Maker'. He is also heavily involved in the Dundalk Writers Group.

There's always something happening in Louth for All Ireland Poetry Day and this year is no exception.

Pussy Riot & Poetry Divas

At our Poetry Divas gig at Electric Picnic this year, we dedicated our reading to the girls from Pussy Riot. We said, before we got started, how much we appreciated that we lived in a society where our freedom of speech was not curtailed and that we could pretty much say what we wanted, poetry wise.

Little did we know that a few hectic weeks later, we would be involved in a mammoth protest project, co-ordinated by English PEN and some very hard-working writers and poets. Two weeks ago, I noticed a call on Twitter to submit poems to Eng. PEN to show solidarity with Pussy Riot, in time for their appeal, which is this Monday, 1st October.

I responded with Pair Bond, a poem that Poetry Divas usually do together, taking various stanzas each. It's a poem about the many words for breasts, and began life as a sort of riposte to Alan Gillis' poem in Hawks and Doves. My poem has taken on a life of its own, and always seems to go down well at live gigs, especially when we use our visual aids.

Well, us Divas got ourselves together very quickly, got my son roped in and recorded ourselves all reciting various stanzas. Big son went off to UL, where he studies multimedia and music, and used our visuals and voices to bring a short video to life:

Then I discovered that there was an e-book in the offing as well: Catechism  - but wait! The book only goes live on Monday 1st Oct, so you will have to wait to read what George Szirtes says in his introduction, and to read all the varying voices contained. They are distributing it on a 'Pay What You Think It's Worth' scheme.  I've had a sneak preview, so I know what I think it's worth. Enjoy and think of the girls in Russia on Monday; here's hoping that they are freed.

More camping, Electric Picnic highlights

A busy summer is rapidly turning into a busy autumn. I've been on the go at a few readings lately, but I'll start back with the Electric Picnic experience, with the Poetry Divas, once of the best festivals I was at in a long time.

This is held over the last weekend of August/first weekend of September, so can be a little hard to get going to, what with the six kids and all. But this year worked out sweet, as the kids were more or less back at school anyway, and I wasn't back myself to work until after the 5th.

I actually didn't mean to go for the weekend, we thought our reading was on the Saturday, originally, and I had planned to just go for the day, taking in The Cure later on before retiring gracefully.

That didn't happen: turned out our Divas gig was on the Sunday, so I went and bought a pop-up tent (always practice putting them down at home beforehand, if you don't want to look like a right eejit) and dug out me blow-up bed and mummy sleeping bag.

Good job too. Saturday 1st 2012 was a fab day, with warm sunshine, but a bit of a nip in the breeze. I spent the entire afternoon in the Mindfield, taking in acts in Marty Mulligan's Spoken Word tent, the Arts Council tent and the Science Gallery tent.

I saw Declan Burke and muscian Ken Griffin doing a double act: Declan was reading from his latest Slaughter's Hound, and Ken was playing a few tracks; lovely voice, excellent guitarist. At home I went on to buy Declan's first book Eight Ball Boogie, and will be getting Slaughter's Hound soon, but I need to finish my Raymond Chandler triple-decker first. I also saw Eoin Colfer and John Banville in the flesh: they were in the audience for Declan's set. And I heard Banville will be writing a new Chandler novel soon, if it's not already in the bag.

I was also present for the Poetry Ireland Saturday contribution in the Spoken Word tent, catching Stephen Murray, Alan Jude Moore, Kit Fryatt (out-there poetry, pushing it right to the limit), and Jennifer Matthews. Missed Mairead Medbh, raging about that.

Later on, it was back to the Arts Council tent for John Cooper Clarke. The tent was stuffed to the guy ropes with bods. We were sitting next to Fintan O' (wish I was) Cool and Roddy Doyle. Cooper Clarke has a steady patter thing andin the hour and ten mins he was on, I think he actually only did about five or six of his pieces. Still, it was fantastic to see him, he's someone I've admired for years. Saw Patti Smith very briefly. She rocked!

Needless to say The Cure were bloody brilliant, doing a three hour and twenty min set. Lots of the older stuff: 10:15 Saturday Night, Boys Don't Cry to name a few, but my legs were beginning to give way around midnight so I retired to the performers area for a sit-down and some beer.

After a surprisingly refreshing sleep, on Sunday morning it was back to the Mindfield, this time in prep for our own Divas gig at 1.30pm, which got moved out a bit due to other acts. There were four of us this time, and we had a cracking, kickass set. It can be hard work doing the spoken word with the bass from the main stage competing with you, but we had a good crowd, and the highlight was a red-headed man popping up for Kate's Flaming for Vincent poem, which begins, 'O give me a red-headed man...' You need to imagine quite a seductive voice... The poor chap near choked on his noodles!


Got to see the Icelandic band, Of Men and Monsters later on. A big crowd turned up for this one, and they were really brilliant. They started their set by getting the crowd to sing Happy Birthday for Nanna's dad, which she recorded on her iPhone. There was also the amusement of a blow-up beachball that surfed the crowd as people hand-tapped it up and around the Crawford tent.

Meanwhile, back in the Mindfield, Roddy Doyle and Glen Hansard were on together - bravo to the Arts Council for doing the author/musician thing, it made for some really interesting listening. Again, another packed tent. Also caught three comedian lads (no name, sorry) and Colm Keegan reading from Don't Go There, this time back in the Spoken Word.

By this stage, the old back and neck were screaming at me, so I headed on home, and had to make do with Elbow, the main stage act, on the car radio going home. Reckon I got a good deal there, as I made it home in two hours, before everyone else got on the M7. All round a brilliant EP, definitely thinking next year is a goer.

Camping in Ireland

Just back from a very interesting holiday, camping with the kids in Achill, Co. Mayo.

I say interesting, because there is no greater test of your limits than living in very close proximity to your offspring (and husband!) for eight days, in a tent environment.

We were very lucky. We seem to have got the only week of decent sunny weather that the Irish summer had to offer. For four and a half days, the weather was glorious. Rain only hit on the last morning, and even then it feiced off so that the fly sheet of the tent was dry when we had emptied the contents for packing away.

You should have seen us putting up the tent, though, the week before. I'd say we gave other campers at the Keel Sandybanks Camping and Caravan park a real good laugh! Everyone piled out of the car and decided that they knew best how to assemble it! Tent poles, tent innards, fly sheet:  I thought the whole lot was going to go flying in the Northeasterly wind that was blowing. The problem, as my husband later pointed out, is that we have raised a little band of leaders and none of them like taking direction from each other.

Still, at least the tent went up, and we really enjoyed the holiday. In fact I think we're all better friends now as a result of all the teenage meltdowns. There are probably other less stressful ways of getting to know your family on holidays, but right now, I think that camping is up there. 'Twould have been a different story, I know, if it had rained, but we were very lucky. Someone up there was giving us a break!

Upcoming July Readings

I have two lovely readings coming up. The first is in Dublin, next Thursday 12th July (especially for Norn Iron fans), at 6.30pm in the Twisted Pepper, Abbey Street, Dublin, with the lovely Seven Towers; it's just a quick slot in a themed evening on the subject of 'Friendship' - I think there may be one or two poems from my book that I can tenuously link!

The following Saturday 14th July (Bastille day), I read in lovely Tralee, at the gala Poets in the Doghouse reading in Siamsa Tire - note the early start of 5pm - with all the poets from this years' publications, including Monica Corish, Gréagóir O’Dúill, Michael Farry, Anatoly Kudryavitsky, James Lawless & meself. Looking forward to that one, as I missed out last time, in 2007. Great craic will be had by everyone afterwards, no doubt and I hope to get some pictures too.


It's been a busy six weeks or so since my poetry collection, The Angels' Share was launched: back at work, portfolios to be marked, new classes started and it feels like I'm only getting to the stuff I should be doing now.

Life has a funny habit of going on, while you're trying to keep pedaling the bike of normality, in the pouring rain.

The Angel's Share Launch

The day dawned bright and sunny, the invites were sent, the speakers booked, the wine bought... in short, it all had the makings of  a great launch.

Enda Coyle-Greene spoke at length about the book and even made me blush a few times. Noel King said a few words to send it on its way as did Denis Darcy, representing the Arts Office.

And then I read some of the poems: Shackleton's Portable Homeland, a few of the Mallory sonnets, two about the kids, one about the eldest teenager - which of course he hated - and the (by-now-infamous) 'boob' poem, Pair Bond. Actually, Pair Bond has a life of its own at festivals around Ireland, thanks to the Poetry Divas - hey girls! - and a very swish set of accompanying visuals

It all went very well indeed, with many thanks to those who came along - cheers to you all for coming to send it off. And a lovely few relaxing pints afterwards in the lovely venue of the Spirit Store.

Barbara reading: although it looks like she's swallowing ice!

Enda Coyle-Greene who launched Barbara's collection.

Matt, left telling Mary, Emer and Tracy a really funny one!

Poet Michael Farry and Barbara.

10... 9... 8... 7...

Today I delivered the wine consignment to the Basement Gallery, where the book launch is due to take place tomorrow. The Angels' Share is just about to be sent out into the wide world for everyone to read. Am I nervous? Yes! The first copy arrived yesterday. I opened the package and held it, this pristine new copy. Such a tiny thing for five years work, and yet... isn't that the great thing about books - a whole world of thought in your hands. All you need do is open the cover and dive in with your mind. See you all on the far side!

Nearly there with The Angels' Share

I've got great news now: the book has gone to print and I'm in the process of sending invitations. The launch date is set for Wednesday 23rd of May, in the Basement Gallery, Dundalk Town Council Offices, Crowe Street, Dundalk @ 6pm. My dear poetry friend and colleague, Enda Coyle-Greene has agreed to launch it for me.

In fact, that's a very busy week for Doghouse Books as two other books are launched too. 


Monday 21st, sees the launch  in Trim, Co. Meath at the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath.(Time: 8pm) of Asking for Directions, by Michael Farry and then Rus in Urbe, by James Lawless, gets its lift-off in Leixlip, Co. Kildare at the Springfield Hotel on Tuesday 22nd at 7.30pm. 

My book is available to pre-order now, but books won't be sent until launch date.You can order here at Doghouse's website. If you're around Dundalk on the 23rd, consider yourself invited - there's free wine!

Cover art for The Angels' Share

The new book continues being worked on at a lickety split pace now. I just got to see the new cover today, complete with blurb and words from previous reviews. The artwork is by an Irish artist, Sarah Walker. I am hopng it works well in the context of the angels's share being something that's up out there somewhere ...

April 1st

Makes me think of is spring really here now? Of course it is - the cherry blossoms shedding everywhere like tired confetti.

Did you spot any April's fool stories or jokes? The press must be enjoying the luxury of a Sunday to spring some nice ones on us.

Kids these days, eh?

The new book continues being worked on at a lickety split pace now. I just got to see the new cover today, complete with blurb and words from previous reviews. The artwork is by an Irish artist, Sarah Walker. I am hopng it works well in the context of the angels's share being something that's up out there somewhere ...

The book takes shape

Just back from the lovely kingdom county, otherwise known as Kerry, where I've been working on the manuscript of the new book, with my editor, Noel King.

Noel is a fine poet in his own right, having a long-awaited debut collection published in 2010 by Salmon press: Prophesying the Past. So he knows his poetry onions and it's easy to trust his instincts when editing, because he's usually right!

We had the lovely job of having to lose poems: some because they were not quite right for the book, others simply because we didn't have enough room in the end - and that's not a bad complaint to have!

The book now has a shape, and I feel I can now start calling it a book, not a ms anymore. It feels stronger than the first one: I hope that is true, I can't say for certain myself, because I'm far too close to it at present. You know, wood for trees syndrome and the like. Sometimes I think it's bloody marvellous; at others I'm just not sure. Tell me other people doubt like that too?

The title will be The Angels' Share. It begins with whiskey and ends with arses. And there is a pair of boobs in there as well... some mountaineering poems, a fair few sonnets, even some chips. I hope there's something for everyone!

Interview on

Kate Dempsey, otherwise known as Emerging Writer, has posted an interview she did with me on Writing.ie

Pop along and have a read and find out how I got into reading and writing poetry and my time spent writing lyrics for a band I used to sing with... and discover how my newly coming collection is progressing.