June readings and a recap.

Apologies for radio silence! Am still mid-respite (much needed).

I've emerged from hiding to mention that I've got two readings coming up:

On June 18th I'll be reading at the launch of the Edinburgh Review, Japan issue.  I haven't received my contributor copy yet, but I will post pictures of the issue once it has arrived.  The launch is at the Japanese Consul General's house in Edinburgh, and I think I only barely swung a place for myself so don't have much more info I'm afraid...

THAT SAID!  On June 27th as part of the West Port Book Festival, I'll be reading again at the Main Point book's Concise Ceilidh.  It is at 1.00-2.30pm and FREE (with tickets to all WPBF events available from their site).  Hope you'll come along if you're in town. 

ps. The West Port Book Festival has loads more great events and readings on - all FREE - and I'm looking forward to trying to snag myself some bookbinding workshop tickets and hopefully watching Kei Miller read!

Again, apologies for the quiet here at aikowrites.  Since last post, I've been helping Colin Fraser & Peggy Hughes with Anon magazine.  As implied by the magazine title, the editorial process is completely anonymous.  On their old system, they needed an admin person to strip the names and emails and any identifying information out of the submissions before logging and passing the poems on to the editors to review.  Some intern transitions meant that they'd been left with no admin to log the submissions, so I offered to go in and sort things out (since obviously if they did it, that'd void the anonymity!).  This took a couple months of organizing and emailing, but Anon 7 is well underway now and I can't wait to see the final product!  I'm quite impressed with Colin's perseverance, and the new online submission system they've set up now means that no middleman is needed!  Faster turnarounds and happier poets. 

Besides this, I got a job! I'm working full-time under the Business Manager in the English as a Foreign Language department at Edinburgh University.  This is a dream job (designing brochures, updating websites, making leaflets and helping with international marketing) AND it is conveniently located in easy reach of Forest Publications HQ (where I am still volunteering, currently working hard on Arts Council grants paperwork for an upcoming publication) and my old Creative Writing Uni tutors, which means I can easily attend all the free readings they have each year! Score.

I'm working on some poems for Sidekick books at the moment,  as well as for a World Cup poetry series my colleagues Dave Coates and Al Innes are organizing. 

Busy busy busy!  Stay tuned & see you soon!