Over the last four months I have been working with eight schools across Exmoor, writing poetry which responds to the landscapes and environment around their villages. Each session began with a walk and exploration of the plants and wildlife along paths, verges and hollow ways of Exmoor, word harvesting as we went. The reason for this was due to the festival celebrations of the 150 years since the publication of the novel Lorna Doone by R D Blackmore. Inside the novel there ar

Incredibly we are past the 200 poem marker now, with new compositions pinned by pupils, walkers and riders along the Tarka Trail almost daily. It has also been very heartening to talk to the cafe owners who are hosting the Stamping Stations about their feedback from customers. Are people asking where the stamping stations are? Are they asking for passports? Well the quick answer is yes, generally they are loving it (and whats not to love!) So with new poems being posted, stam

Key parts to the Peddling Poetry Project are finally gently sliding into place; firstly we have some fabulous cafes along the trail who have agreed to host the Stamping Stations. Then we have a selection of poems from the 600 posted into the Poetry Boxes, 150 or so have been carefully selected and geotagged ripe for the hunt. Then there are 5000 freshly printed poetry passports (in blue!) ready to be distributed to bright new poets across North Devon. Each stamping station wi

. . . responding to landscape within the landscape is the gallery of the future’

Just before December began, only 18 days ago I had an idea to post an advent poem a day through Twitter, Facebook and instagram (links below). As I was running the brilliant Number Seven Dulverton shop that day, surrounded by original Jackie Morris paintings I also thought it would be great to tag each poem along with a tiny tableaux photo from magic segments of her paintings. Filled with the bravo of a fresh idea, I contacted Jackie whether she would consent, (which she did)

Saturday 4th August saw the installation of seven new poetry boxes along a section of the Tarka Trail in North Devon and they are already getting lots of attention. I've maintained many boxes along walking routes over the years but this is the first cycle and walking trail and also my first main commission with Beaford Arts. Putting images in the books as seeds for poems is also new, usually a blank page and a request to 'draw, read or write inside' is enough of a catalyst bu

A little poem I finished this morning. It speaks for itself so I shall just say, enjoy. Mow the grass to stem the weeds I want a lawn like a crown bowling green Narrow the range, don’t let it seed Cut often cut quick And be liberal with feeds Then tighten the edges grub out the thicket Tut over the fence and shush for the cricket Target the imposters of daisy’s and clover For dandelion, birds eye and moss it’s over One lawn pristine and of perfect hue Immaculate and seamless

Last month I worked with Huish Episcopi Academy at the Glastonbury Rural Life museum during the Gather-ing exhibition in their Tithe Barn. The session was designed to unravel the stories behind the artists installations and as the commissioned poet, tasked to design the interpretation for this exhibition, I was keen to link my poem in to the days session but didn't want this to dominate the day. So I created a trial 'keyword Storywalk' through the gallery, employing the Story

It's a great title Artist in residence to 'lord about' when you can, so I am shouting it out as often as I can, knowing that June will soon pass as all great things do. But in the mean time, there are lots of really excellent events coming up, one of which is called 'The Great Get Together' inspired by the late Jo Cox with (the other artist in residence) Michelle Rumney and myself cutting a grass labyrinth on Longrun Meadow. Every one is invited to come and have a picnic, enj

What ingredients would you put in Taunton pie? As a ghost which part of Taunton would you haunt first? If you designed a flag for Taunton what colours would you choose and were would you fly it? Name a swatch of colour which would describe spring blossom falling like snow on the hair of passing shoppers in Taunton town. These are a few of the questions I will be asking in surveys and with Taunton Teasing Tags over the next couple of months. The purpose of the commission is to

This is my poem inspired by the Strange Worlds of Angela Carter Exhibition in Bristol which finished on March 19th. It was shortlisted and featured on their site for the final weeks of the show and reflects many of the artworks and artists which featured in the gallery. Bidden Like silk and sulphur I heard him not Shiny and steeped with woe wilted clots A quietness of tweed beside Farmer's lair Where the worm casts spin and beetles rattle His breath but a husk of crab claw an

The first virtual poetry city. It was just after the Exmoor Poetry Boxes book launch when the fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel shook the Exeter community. The fire ripped through buildings on Exeter cathedral green, jumping through roof spaces and gutting everything in it's path. When the blaze was finally extinguished there was little to salvage beyond the buildings facades and a hundreds of years of history literally went up in smoke. The poetry boxes project had caught som

Three summers in the making, six tins in the brewing, thousands of walkers and passerby, to create this new book of Exmoor Poetry.

A Harvest of Wild Words Over three summers the Poetry Boxes have been out harvesting words across the moors. The first year, 2014 was at Valley of Rocks and from June to the end of August the six little tins collected over 2000 poems. Year two (2015) saw the tins located at Tarr Steps, in the heart of Exmoor and a similar number of poems were written in the books. The final summer was Dunster village, whose books and tins were collected in early this September, and archived w

A poem about camping, composed this summer 'observing and being observed' whilst camping! Enjoy Here is the transcription. The Canvas Lords Camp ground arrivals The field of cocoons Hatching pop up chairs and scores of tarps More pegs skewering this stony grass than a voodoo heart Go choose your pitch As those watchers observe Take your time Don't loose your nerve Tent now pitched You've staked your claim) You can pop up the half dome And then the Wendy house too And a suite

Well this is one of those 'stop the presses' moments as the funding has just been approved for the second Poetry Pin trail, this time along the historic Mineral Line from Old Cleeve into Watchet. It's brilliant as the old code for the current trail at Hinkley will get a spruce too, the wheels of coding you don't see need greasing every now and then too. So today is the day to crack open the champagne and tomorrow is the one the good work starts on delivering, working out time

Easter 2016, and I have just presented to delegates at the Landscaping Change conference at Bath Spa University. The talk was entitled Wild Words and covered three aspects of my works all of which place words in wild places, but towards the end I was determined not to let the debate descend down the rabbit hole of whether we should or should not build a new nuclear power station. The preparation for this keynote made me re-examine and dissect my practice and re evaluate its p

(Photograph - Reuben Jelley) A couple of weeks ago I was in Christchurch, New Zealand which has been slowly reconstructing itself after a major earthquake five years ago. The desolation of this event has left some deep scars on the city but projects like Gap Filler and Greening the Rubble have galvanised the creative community to reclaim the city through a range of curious initiatives. The dance-o-matic, mini golf and even a little library have sprung up on central prime real