Blakenhall Writers Anthology Launch

So delighted on the success of Blakenhall Writers Anthology main launch on March 12 at The Old School. Thank you to everyone who supported us along the way; a huge congratulations to my fellow editors (Cherry Doyle & Kuli Kohli) and to all contributors. #BWAlaunch #BWA

If you want to order a copy (£2.50 + p&p) please email me on romalyn.ante@yahoo.com
:)

Our beautiful book

With a little review from Jeff Phelps and Jane Seabourne

Invitation to Blakenhall Writers Anthology Launch

We're every excited to be coming up to the end of our Blakenhall Writers Anthology project, supported using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

In celebration of our upcoming anthology, we are inviting guests, members of community and reputable writers to join us to our launch.



Our Invitation

Happy 2016!!!

I'm back! After being quite away for some time, I'm definitely back and ready to start 2016 with a bang!

For now, I'd like to share what I've been thankful for in my writing journey in the last year.

1.) Getting published in different magazines in the UK, USA, and South East Asia.
2.) Being a part of Writing West Midlands Room 204
3.) Having prize-winning poems in The Yellow Book,  I was invited to attend a recognition at Westminster Palace
4.) Having been published in The Poetry of Staffordshire, along side Dame Carol Ann Duffy and Jean Sprackland
5.) Attending The Writer's Toolkit conference
6.) Able to meet more poets and writers and perform at different venues
7.) Able to embark on a new project supported by Arts Council England, Blakenhall Writers Anthology, with the help of Cherry Doyle and Kuli Kohli.

I'm glad of what I've achieved in 2015 but I am happier to start 2016 with more goals and aspirations. I will never give up until I achieve them all!

:-)

Call for submission - prose and poetry

I am excited to announce that I will be editing the Blakenhall Writers Anthology with Cherry Doyle and Kuli Kohli.

This project is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Since I have been helping to run Blakenhall Writers Group in Wolverhampton, we've had this idea of publishing an anthology showcasing the works of our members and the community. This year, Arts Council England will help us achieve that!

We will be having some workshops (the first one already happened in June) which will be open and free to non-members. The next workshop will be in September, more details to come.

Anyone who attends our free workshop will be able to submit to our anthology which will be published by early next year and launched at several venues. This will be exciting!


To read more about it, visit our main blog HERE

Poetry prize-presentation at the House of Lords

I'm so excited to receive my invitation to the House of Lords for the prize-presentation of The Yellow Book. My partner receives an invitation too. Apparently you can't go into the Palace of Westminster without an invitation.

I'm really excited! I'd never really been invited to prestigious places like this... until now :-)

To read more information about this creative project by Rethink Your Mind, click HERE

Coming Soon

As a recent Offa's Press' mentee, I'll be performing my latest poems at City Voices for International Women's Week! So if you find yourself in Wolverhampton at the time, please come by.

Editing Poetry

Guess what. I am sick again. With chest infection and asthma. Can't go out, can't do anything, can't do my Christmas shopping. I'm just at home, trying to drink plenty of fluids, lemon juice, and take my medications.
Poetry is what entertains me during times like this. So, I am editing my first draft of my poem, 'How to make sushi'

I am not expert in editing a poem. But below is what I have learnt so far:
1.)Words - every word in the poem must earn their spot. If there are words or lines that seem or sound staggering to you, then chance is, it will be staggering to your readers too.
2.)Form - Rhythm, structure, free verse or how the poem appears on the page - they all matter. Is there a near rhyme of a full rhyme? Assonance or alliteration? How the poem is read and how it is presented must be justified.
3.) Are any of my lines memorable or they are just a bunch of rumbling cliché? - It is very important for me to create vivid and memorable images. That is my soul as a writer. We all need to find our 'soul'.
4.) What is the topic of this poem? Can I summarize it? Does the ending suffice and make an impact?
5.) Take a break if you're really stuck. :-) Going back to it after a while may bring new ideas or a new way of looking at things.
6.) Enjoy the process - nothing is worth stressing really. I am still learning this now.



My first (unpublished) novel, Chasing Deimos, has been short-listed!

Yes! The first draft of my first novel, Chasing Deimos, has been shortlisted for The Asian Writer Chick-Lit Competition, among seven other novels. It did not win, but I am still glad! It just goes to show that my first ever novel has a potential! I am out of this world at the moment! :-)
The judges have also sent a brief feedback on my novel. One of the good things they said is this:

"Love the concept and how it is really international. I feel there will be a lot of soul searching and every girl that has felt lost in their life will be able to relate to it. Above all you can feel the love. Written very eloquently."

I would not post all the comments as they are for me to keep and most of them just state what can be improved. I am really happy with this. It gives me a boost of confidence! You never know what I might be doing next ;-)

Using visual arts on creative writing

Ekphrasis : The word comes from the Greek ek (out) and phrasis (speak).

Nowadays ekphrasis is used by many poets/writers. They derive ideas or get inspiration from any visual work of art (i.e. painting, sculpture,) to  compose creative pieces, most usually, poetry.

I help to run the Blakenhall Writers Group and last Saturday we went to Wolvehrampton Art Gallery to write some poems about or inspired from the artworks exhibited there. The two paintings below were the ones that caught my attention. 

The Lady of Shalott

Midday Rest, Seville

Writing responses has been a new experience for me and I hope those two poems I'd written would get to be published in the near future. Well, our group member, Cherry Doyle, has a brilliant idea of collecting a new anthology of Blakenhall that shows our written responses to our chosen art from Wolverhampton Gallery. That would be very beneficial for the group and I can't wait to work with them on materializing such an exciting project!

To learn more about ekphrasis and read some poems inspired by art, click here