Poetry from Strata Florida

Poetry readings- The Thought of Fresh Rain on tour

I'll be reading poems from my new collection over the next few months at various events in Wales:
2/5/14 Cellar bards, Cardigan (with Samantha Wynn-Rhydderch)
3/5/14 Laugharne Festival Poems and Pints
2/6/14 Red Heron reading, Welsh landscapes, Dylan Thomas International Summer School

Get in touch if you have a venue or event.

The Blog Tour - writing

Thanks to Sue Moules for tagging me with some questions about my writing.

What am I working on?

Too many things!  I am currently promoting my latest poetry collection, The Thought of Fresh Rain.  I am really pleased with the poems in it and as an object.  I am also trying to find opportunities to read poetry in public- this is something I have only been doing for a couple of years and I want to improve.  I've written a few poems that will be going in my next collection.  And I keep thinking about a short novel about lost love which I want to write.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

A lot of poetry is about creating stories using techniques to add drama and interest to the sound of the words.  I don't really do this - to me, poetry is a kind of speaking thoughts out loud, and I like to try to capture that single moment of insight, using a few simple words.

Why do I write?

I'm not driven to write, but on the other hand, it's not hard.  I find that I can move quickly from having a thought, recognising that it is interesting, and then putting it on paper.  I suppose my mission is to show that even a quiet and gentle life can produce work which speaks to others.

Writing prose, I do find tough.  I like outlining but hate the filling in.

How does my writing process work?

I'm open to ideas at any time.  I find driving and walking to be activities with the right combination of new things to see and lack of distractions to set me thinking, and every now and then I encounter something that strikes me as interesting or profound.  I write quickly into a notebook, not worrying about the words, just trying to get the thought down; often I have no clear idea of how the poem will develop or end.  Then once it's finished, I set to work on editing it down to the pure essence, chopping out unnecessary words and lines, and trying to make the phrases sing.  Rewriting is quite brutal - a 10-line poem I wrote in January is now down to a haiku.

Downtime

Fallow days

between years

time to pause

I'm passing on this Blog Tour to Caroline Gill  and Madeleine Sara Maddocks.

Workshops and other services offered

• Creative writing workshop  to introduce people to writing poetry in a variety of forms including haiku and cinquain
• Poet in residence and poetry readings
• Chairing and hosting literary events
• Tools for critical reflection
• Project management 
• Stress and emotion at work 
• Self-publishing: a realistic and practical view

I am happy to develop bespoke programmes to fit the client's needs.

Previous workshops for BrynyrWrach and Pen Dinas.

Safe Workforce: Sustainable Workplace

My new project is funded by the  ESF and offers BA and masters level distance/blended courses for employees of businesses in the Convergence Area of Wales.  I am based in the Trinity Saint David's campus in Carmarthen.

The Strata Florida project

I was Senior Project Officer for the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David long-term project to explore the site and landscape of the Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida.  My role included working with the local community and businesses to raise awareness of the site and to encourage its use in economic development through heritage tourism.  The project created heritage trails with interpretation panels and leaflet, a DVD, and a dedicated website.

About me

This webpage brings together links to all my activities and publications on the web.  It never has new posts- I just edit this one to ensure links are current.

Words to thoughts

I have developed a series of workshops aimed at managers looking at critical reflection and creative writing, publishing the short book The Flow of Thought: A manager's guide to using poetry for reflection.

Digitisation

From 2003 until 2011, I worked as a project manager at the National Library of Wales in Abertytwyth, Ceredigion, Wales.  The Library is a copyright library, holding the world's largest collection of printed books relating to Wales, but is also the largest archive in Wales.  My first project was Archives Network Wales, now re-branded as Archives Wales, a website containing searchable summaries of all archive collections held in Wales.   I also project-managed the Welsh Journals Online project, funded by JISC, digitising 400,000 pages of 20th-century journals.  I  worked as Project Support Manager on an even more ambitious project to digitise the Library's entire pre-1900 newspaper and journal collection.  Anything relating to my work at the Library is published on its website, and nowhere else.

Archaeology

I had previously worked as a archaeological project manager, mainly for the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust, of which I am now a trustee.  I undertook commercial evaluations and excavations across south Wales and published numerous reports.  I continue to do some  work as an archaeological specialist on brick, mortar and animal bone. 

I have combined my interests in management practice and archaeology at my blog 10 simple steps to better archaeological management. which was initially developed for an IfA conference paper and is occasionally updated with commentary on current professional issues.  This blog is completely independent of any organisation. 

Writing and poetry

I have been running my main blog, A Few Words, since 2004.  This has a  mixture of reviews, jokes, essays and short stories, not all of it tasteful, well-written, or error-free.  I don't use it much anymore.  There are also separate blogs for the unproduced radio plays Dooced and  Written in the Heart and an early draft of the novella Change and Decay. 

I publish general poetry on Carefully Chosen Words and haiku about management on Capturing the Changing Moment.  

I am currently writing a novel.

I am a member of Lampeter Writers' Workshop and Red Heron.

Publishing

I run the small press Carreg Ffylfan Press, which has published six books so far, Carefully Chosen Words, Travels with a Notebook, 10 simple steps to better archaeological management, and The Flow of Thought, Poetry from Strata Florida and Removals.

Art projects

I am currently devoting some time to the Skyline Project (photos of unusual and interesting skylines and exploring negative space) and the Found Words Project (leaving short poems in public places).

Social networking

I am on Linked In, Facebook  and Twitter @mlocock (not used much).   .

I can be contacted at mlocockATgmail.com