My poem Just the Ticket was published yesterday on the Mary Evans Poems and Pictures blog and you can find it here – please click ‘find poems by poet’, then ‘Rosie Johnston’ in the middle column to find my seven poems so far.

I’m absolutely delighted – many thanks to Gill Stoker who curates this gorgeous blog. The poem is set beside a photograph of a young bride caught in an uncertain moment in the snow. Bless her! I hope the future worked out well for her.

By coincidence, I read the poem at Broadstairs Folk Week yesterday at the Poets’ Breakfast at the Neptune hall, hosted by Maggie Harris. Such a lovely event with writers coming from all over the place to share words in dappled light in the pub garden. The Folk Week is a great big, glorious summer madness and I look forward to more today.

Who says the English are all stiff upper lip and reserve? What are these Morris ‘horses’ about, dressed as Where’s Wally? In the top photograph, you might spot poets Mark Holihan and Richard Cooper.

‘Why don’t we get together for a weekend where we can write and write and nobody’ll disturb us?’ asked Alice. The other writers loved the idea and so did the college, so on Saturday and Sunday 24 & 25 June, we gathered in midsummer heat to enjoy being writers together for a whole weekend.

It was tremendous fun. Instead of having to rush home after our usual three hours or so of chatting about writing and hearing each other’s words, the writers could get to know each other better and just be together and have a laugh. Which is what this group, established under the auspices of the Churchill College Association (our alumni group) has always been about.

We had a longer session than usual on the Saturday and two great sessions of hearing each other read our words on the Saturday and Sunday. Numbers varied between 16 and around 20, from all over the world, with lots of time spent eyes down, writing and writing. By close of play on Sunday, the writers were asking how soon we could do it again!

Thank you very much to the college staff who welcomed us so beautifully (especially Kathryn, Katie and Sue) and to the writers for being their wonderful selves.

I’m thrilled to see my latest poem Just the Ticket on The Phare’s website as part of its summer poetry for 2023. The Phare is one of my favourite magazines for flash fiction, stories and poetry, always an outstanding browse.

In the UK, the expression ‘just the ticket’ is a way, slightly old-fashioned now, of saying something is exactly what’s wanted. This acceptance by The Phare is just the ticket for me – I hope you enjoy the poem. You can hear me read it about 44 minutes into my recent chat with Sian Thomas for her Poetry Bath programme on Wildhart radio too.

In March I met poet Sian Thomas – Barry Fentiman-Hall and Wordsmithery had brought us together to celebrate Ostara at an event in Chatham, Kent – and Sian invited me to join her on her Wildhart radio show called the Poetry Bath. I’d never done that sort of thing before and was more than a bit nervous but Sian has such a kind, generous presence that, well, here it is! It repeats at 18.00 BST on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays for the next two weeks, before joining the recordings available below Sian’s photograph here.

Sian’s Poetry Bath is a wonderful mix of chat, poetry and music, a fantastic wallow in the company of Sian and her guests. She is poet in residence for the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, her poetry is published beautifully (with traditional letterpress printing) by Paekakariki Press and she leads creative writing groups for adults and children.

Very many thanks, Sian, for luring me into this adventure!

I hope you enjoy the show.

PS Adding to this blogpost a little later in the summer – here is the link to the show on Sian’s Poetry Bath page

What a moving read this book has been. It’s one to treasure, as I’ve said in my review here.

Artist and poet Clair Meyrick has invited me to read at her ‘Sticking your Oare In’ event near Faversham in Kent this evening – please come, it’ll be a blast!

Many thanks to David Dykes for this beautifully written review of our Ostara Poetry event in Chatham recently. David is one of the poets who organise Big Trouble poetry events in Rochester, Kent – always worth a visit if you can make it.

This Saturday we’re celebrating spring, new life, seasonal zest and the air around us being a wee bit warmer at last with wonderful poetry. I am reading alongside the magnificent Louisa Campbell, Bethany Goodwill and Sian Thomas. We’ll be in Cafenetics in 92 High Street, Chatham and it’s FREE – no booking required.

Contact: wordsmithery.info@gmail.com 

The north Kent coast is buzzing this week, thanks to the magnificent Faversham Literary Festival – programme here – with stars like Simon Armitage and Michael Palin visiting, and Will Self and Sebastian Barry to come. I’ll be there helping – feel free to say hello.

On Saturday the Alexander Centre hosts a Poetry Hub with poets including Fiona Sinclair, Nancy Charley and Maggie Butt at noon, Robert Selby and Declan Ryan at 1pm, Louisa Campbell and Jake Nathan with me at 2pm, Julian Bishop and Christopher Horton with Jessica Rose at 3pm, Professor David Herd at 4pm and from 5.15 there’s an open mic hosted by the mighty Angie Dye.

Yes, at 2pm in the Parlour this Saturday I’ll be reading too and I’m just gathering poems to see what works together. There’ll be something new, not read before, most of it from my forthcoming fifth book of poetry Off the Map, scheduled for publication by Lapwing Publications again. Please come!

In these darkest days of the year before spring’s awakening, Faversham Festival brightens us all on the north Kent coast. This year’s schedule has stars ranging from Hollie McNish and Simon Armitage to Michael Palin and Maggie Aderin-Pocock. You’ll find me helping and ushering towards the end of the week and on stage on Saturday 25 February as part of the Poetry Hub.

The Poetry Hub is an amazing event. It expands every year in range and impact and this year’s promises to be more powerful than ever – full details here. Please come and join us if you can.