I am a writer, feminist and self-confessed crazy cat-lady. If this sounds a bit flaky, well in fact I actually do lots of things that require organisation. What exactly do I do then? I play a big part in running the community writers group City Voices Creative Writers in Stoke-on-Trent, having joined them 7 years ago. (That doesn’t mean I do it alone.) I am also an active member of Stone Scribblers Writers Group. I volunteer for Cats Protection Charity. Currently I am studying for a Masters Degree in Creative Writing at Keele University. For fun, there are holidays in the sun, festivals, but also in all weathers hunting down megaliths and stone circles.
I write poetry, Flash Fiction and short stories. Occasionally I write about my cats, but I write quite a lot about the sea, beaches, and coasts. I write about relationships, love, (show me a poet who doesn’t) and in a very oblique way about my birth-city, Liverpool. I write about Stoke-on Trent; and about my home for 24 years, Tamworth. I enjoy reading my stories and poetry in public, and have even braved a classroom to provide a poetry lesson. I send pieces of writing for submission and competitions, but not nearly enough.
I hesitate to say that the following writers have influenced my writing, as I am not in their league, but they have profoundly changed the way I think about how I’d like to write. The Brontes, Phil Rickman, Mirislav Holub, Marge Piercy, and Dylan Thomas. The ‘52’ Group (Write a poem a week – keep going) founded by poet Jo Bell was a massive leap forward for me; I learned about modern poetry and I hope, how to write it!
Which books would I recommend? Here are a few! Beloved, Toni Morrison, Wolf Hall/Bring up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel. Poetry with an Edge (Bloodaxe Books), The Girl who saved the King of Sweden, Jonas Jonasson. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman. The Palliser Novels, Anthony Trollope. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari. The Salt Path, Raynor Winn. Sacred Games, Vikram Chandor. Sleeping with Cats, Marge Piercy. The Planet Shaped Horse, Luke Kennard. Black Country, Liz Berry. Close, Emma Purshouse. Anything by Terry Pratchett and Phil Rickman.
What don’t I do? I don’t get involved with political writing apart from the odd rant on behalf of feminism or cruelty to animals, or to poke fun at Donald Trump even though he’s not remotely funny. I have a Facebook Page (OK three Facebook Pages) and a web-site. If you want to Google me, please add ‘writer’ to ‘June Palmer’ or you will directed the site of a dead 1940’s star of 'adult movies' of the same name! Or go to my web-site www.junepalmervividarc.org
If I had to give advice to someone starting out in creative writing, it would be - Show not Tell*, listen to conversations, always have a notebook and pen, start writing!
*’Don’t Tell Me the Moon Is Shining; Show Me the Glint of Light on Broken Glass’
- Anton Chekhov
Publications
Print ‘The Last Pictish Man’ Poetry (out of print but available from me in PDF)
‘Poetry of Staffordshire’ Anthology Cover price: £7.95 offaspress.co.uk/shop/
Flash Fiction Festival 1 & 2 Anthologies www.AdHocFiction.com £9.99 per volume
‘Landscape of Fire’ ‘Telling Tales’ ‘Connections’ Anthologies City Voices Publishing (available via www.cityvoicesstoke.org.uk
‘Global Warning’ Poetry Book £8.56 https://no-planet-b-stafford.onlineweb.shop/
Online – Potteries Prize for Flash Fiction Winners 2017, 2018, http://librariesonline.stoke.gov.uk
‘Listening to Jupiter’ Poem http://funpalaces.co.uk/writescience-finalists-announced/
‘The 101 Stone-Hanley’ Poem The Staffordshire Poetry Collection https://staffordshirepoetlaureate.wordpress.com/staffordshirepoetrycollection//
Poetry, Flash and short story fiction www.junepalmervividarc.org
Broadcast – with thanks to Six Towns Radio and photographer Brooksie, ‘Lay Down your Heart’ short story www.junepalmervividarc.org/blog/previous/3
I write poetry, Flash Fiction and short stories. Occasionally I write about my cats, but I write quite a lot about the sea, beaches, and coasts. I write about relationships, love, (show me a poet who doesn’t) and in a very oblique way about my birth-city, Liverpool. I write about Stoke-on Trent; and about my home for 24 years, Tamworth. I enjoy reading my stories and poetry in public, and have even braved a classroom to provide a poetry lesson. I send pieces of writing for submission and competitions, but not nearly enough.
I hesitate to say that the following writers have influenced my writing, as I am not in their league, but they have profoundly changed the way I think about how I’d like to write. The Brontes, Phil Rickman, Mirislav Holub, Marge Piercy, and Dylan Thomas. The ‘52’ Group (Write a poem a week – keep going) founded by poet Jo Bell was a massive leap forward for me; I learned about modern poetry and I hope, how to write it!
Which books would I recommend? Here are a few! Beloved, Toni Morrison, Wolf Hall/Bring up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel. Poetry with an Edge (Bloodaxe Books), The Girl who saved the King of Sweden, Jonas Jonasson. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman. The Palliser Novels, Anthony Trollope. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari. The Salt Path, Raynor Winn. Sacred Games, Vikram Chandor. Sleeping with Cats, Marge Piercy. The Planet Shaped Horse, Luke Kennard. Black Country, Liz Berry. Close, Emma Purshouse. Anything by Terry Pratchett and Phil Rickman.
What don’t I do? I don’t get involved with political writing apart from the odd rant on behalf of feminism or cruelty to animals, or to poke fun at Donald Trump even though he’s not remotely funny. I have a Facebook Page (OK three Facebook Pages) and a web-site. If you want to Google me, please add ‘writer’ to ‘June Palmer’ or you will directed the site of a dead 1940’s star of 'adult movies' of the same name! Or go to my web-site www.junepalmervividarc.org
If I had to give advice to someone starting out in creative writing, it would be - Show not Tell*, listen to conversations, always have a notebook and pen, start writing!
*’Don’t Tell Me the Moon Is Shining; Show Me the Glint of Light on Broken Glass’
- Anton Chekhov
Publications
Print ‘The Last Pictish Man’ Poetry (out of print but available from me in PDF)
‘Poetry of Staffordshire’ Anthology Cover price: £7.95 offaspress.co.uk/shop/
Flash Fiction Festival 1 & 2 Anthologies www.AdHocFiction.com £9.99 per volume
‘Landscape of Fire’ ‘Telling Tales’ ‘Connections’ Anthologies City Voices Publishing (available via www.cityvoicesstoke.org.uk
‘Global Warning’ Poetry Book £8.56 https://no-planet-b-stafford.onlineweb.shop/
Online – Potteries Prize for Flash Fiction Winners 2017, 2018, http://librariesonline.stoke.gov.uk
‘Listening to Jupiter’ Poem http://funpalaces.co.uk/writescience-finalists-announced/
‘The 101 Stone-Hanley’ Poem The Staffordshire Poetry Collection https://staffordshirepoetlaureate.wordpress.com/staffordshirepoetrycollection//
Poetry, Flash and short story fiction www.junepalmervividarc.org
Broadcast – with thanks to Six Towns Radio and photographer Brooksie, ‘Lay Down your Heart’ short story www.junepalmervividarc.org/blog/previous/3
Familiar Roads
Driving east to Tamworth,
sugared winter light
filters through a half-frozen screen
blinding me,
until a shutter of cold clouds
closes over the sun.
Across the fields, a high hummock
is topped with silhouettes.
Highland cows stock-still as hoardings.
A flash of sunlight sharpens their horns,
and melts frost from flowing bronze coats.
Guardians of the road home.
copyright June Palmer
Driving east to Tamworth,
sugared winter light
filters through a half-frozen screen
blinding me,
until a shutter of cold clouds
closes over the sun.
Across the fields, a high hummock
is topped with silhouettes.
Highland cows stock-still as hoardings.
A flash of sunlight sharpens their horns,
and melts frost from flowing bronze coats.
Guardians of the road home.
copyright June Palmer