If one is interested in record breaking, I can see the point of the below exercise. However if the aim is to truly comprehend and, dare one say it, actually enjoy reading, then reading a book in 25 minutes becomes a wholly sterile occupation, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-3168948/How-read-novel-25-minutes-remember-plot.html).
Kevin
Over the past 12 months or so I have noticed something peculiar about WordPress. Today I received a notification that my blog, newauthoronline.com has a new follower. I am, of course always delighted to welcome new readers. However the latest recruit turned out to be someone who has been following this site for some considerable time. I know this as the blogger in question has liked and commented on my posts and I distinctly recollect receiving a previous notification of them following.
Today’s incident is by no means the first time this has happened. I recall one person who regularly liked and commented on my work suddenly disappearing. The person in question was still blogging but was no longer reading my posts. Had I said something with which they so profoundly disagreed they had ceased to follow me? All was explained when I received a communication from the blogger in question saying that I had, for some reason disappeared from their Reader and they had now added me.
Now it is possible for people to accidentally click on the unsubscribe link. However given the number of instances where someone who I know is already a follower suddenly refollows my blog I can only conclude that a WordPress glitch is at the bottom of this mystery. Has anyone else experienced the mystery of the disappearing (only to reappear) follower?
Kevin
I had hoped to receive a further stock of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” on Friday 19 June. However on telephoning Berforts (the publisher of the print edition) on Thursday 18 June I learned that the little elves who print books are all on strike. Well, to be honest it is a little more prosaic than that. The machine which prints the books has broken down and “Dalliance” will now be printed and shipped in week commencing 22 June.
On Monday I am scheduled to break the camera as my photograph is being taken to accompany the author interview a colleague conducted with me on Monday 15 June. The interview appeared here on 16 June and will be published on my employer’s website in the next couple of weeks. I had hoped to have a copy of “Dalliance” to hold up for the camera, however I have no copies, meaning the picture will be dallianceless (well if Shakespeare can make up words so can I)!
On Thursday evening I popped into my local supermarket and purchased a substancial quantity of oranges and apples. I had just reached home when a dull thudding sound reached my ears. “how odd” I said to myself “perhaps I have kicked a large stone”. I bent down to investigate only for several thudding sounds to follow on from one another in quick succession. Putting my hand to the thin plastic bag provided by the supermarket I discovered the cause of the problem – a hole had developed allowing my fruit to cascade with gay abandon all over the car park of the flats in which I live! I did briefly contemplate letting my trusty lab/retriever guide dog Trigger loose in the hope he would follow his retriever instincts and bring the fruit back to his master. I quickly dismissed the idea as Trigger is fond of apples and while I’m sure he would have retrieved them the fruit would have been conveyed to his rapacious stomach rather than my eager grasp. All ended happily as a neighbour kindly retrieved my apples and oranges. The moral of the story is to never trust to those flimsy plastic bags provided free by supermarkets but to bring one’s own carrier or invest in a “bag for life” which many stores now offer.
I wish you all a very fruitful weekend!
(for my author interview please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2015/06/16/interview-with-author-k-morris/).
I have, at long last, added images of my book covers to my ‘About’ page (http://newauthoronline.com/about/).
I have also updated the ‘Reviews of my books’ page to include the recent reviews of ‘Dalliance’ (http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/).
Conversation with Kevin Morris about ‘Dalliance’
Thank you to Annis for taking the time to interview me. A version of this article appeared on my employer’s website.
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Where did your latest collection of poems and other pieces in ‘Dalliance’ come from? What is your inspiration for writing?
I write poems that I publish on my blog. Then I collect and publish them in book form. I’ve published several collections of self-published short stories. ‘Dalliance’ is a collection of poems, vignettes and short stories about the ‘grittier’ side of life. I get inspiration from internet news reports. The inspiration for the poems comes from imagined conversations in my head which have been going on since I was a child – and from nature.
Poets tend to have better senses than the rest of us but your sense of touch and sound is very sharp. I loved your lines about the ‘eternal’ wind : ‘Eternal force blowing forever on ancient peoples and now on me. You care not for civilisation; your gusts of laughter shake the bending trees. You blew before these buildings came. When all is gone, you will remain’.
I also liked lines about the touch of acorns ‘I have always had an affinity with these great trees. I love the smooth feel of the outer shell of the acorn and how it contrasts with the softer seed within’. What is the background to these lines?
I have always been close to nature. I collected acorns with my grandfather. I loved the natural world from the time that I started stocking the nature table at school. I live overlooking a semi-rural park in south London. Bird song has always been special to me, particularly the song of the thrush. I love Hardy’s poem “The Darkling Thrush” as well as Blake, Ernest Dowson, A E Housman and Charles Causley. In my sitting room I hear the animal noises and calls – and I feel the wind on my face.
How do you feel about the shape of a poem, on the page? Often that matters to those with sight, when they see a poem for the first time.
I think there is no ultimate ‘rule’ for the shape of a poem. I believe it is the feeling and meaning of a poem that really counts.
You surprised me a bit by appreciating beauty, say, in women. Does beauty mean a lot when one has sight impairment?
I meant beauty in the essence of a person. The smell of, say, a flower can be beautiful, also the smell of certain trees.
You work in the environmental field fighting climate change. Is that connected to your love of nature?
I would probably say ‘yes’ – writing is part of my feeling for nature.
You have quite a dark view of the modern world and also write about loneliness. You get inside hard issues, such as someone finding out whether they are HIV positive.
I am quite a serious, introspective person even though I have a lot of friends and thoroughly enjoy the pub and humour. I guess I write poems when I am on my own, meditating. I think the world is quite a dark place judging by reports on the internet. Personally, I am fortunate to have a loving family. I have been well treated in the workplace.
You get good 4 and 5 star reviews for your writing, e.g. on Amazon. What do you plan to do next?
I publish new poems on my blog and I read my own and other poetry on You Tube. I would like to do an ‘open mike session’ at The Poetry Society in Betterton Street. However, these take place during the afternoon on workdays, so it is quite difficult to go.
Further information:
Links
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Dowson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Housman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Causley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67lcMKnJHPI
A great way to assist the British Library in it’s important work of conserving books, (http://support.bl.uk/Page/Adopt-a-book).
Kevin
A good article on the Poetry Book Society’s website about how to get your poetry published, (http://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/poetry_portal/getting_your_poetry_published).
My book, “Dalliance; A Collection of Poetry and Prose” was self-published using Amazon and can be found here, (http://www.amazon.com/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E). A print edition is also available and can be obtained by contacting me via newauthoronline (at) gmail dot com.
Kevin
Several days ago, while travelling by train I fell into conversation with a lady. Our interaction began by her admiring my guide dog, Trigger and proceeded on to a discussion of our respective occupations. It transpired that my companion was an editor for a small publisher. She mentioned how some authors could be “difficult” at which point I felt it only fair to reveal that in addition to my day job (the one which keeps me in Bentleys and fine cigars) I am, in addition a writer. Being blind I was unable to discern the lady’s expression and, to be frank it is one of those occasions on which the lack of vision irked me. In any event we continued our chat and we parted without even a drop of blood having been shed by either party!
My own experience of editors has been positive. The gentleman who edited the anthology to raise money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) generously donated his services free. I was impressed with his work and subsequently paid him to proof read my book, “Dalliance; A Collection of Poetry and Prose”. Again I was very happy with the results and would recommend his services to other writers.
I would be interested in the views of both authors and editors on this matter.
Kevin
Kevin
On 15 May I published a post entitled, “Legal Deposit, What Is It And Are You Covered, (http://newauthoronline.com/2015/05/15/legal-deposit-what-is-it-and-are-you-covered/). In that post I explained that all books published in the UK must be submitted for archiving to the British Library.
I have been contacted by a Canadian blogger, Lorraine, who has provided a link to a helpful post on her blog regarding the position in Canada, (http://lorrainereguly.com/legal-deposit/). Thank you Lorraine for drawing my attention to your article. In essence the situation in Canada appears to be analogous to that in the UK with authors being obliged to furnish copies of their works to Canada’s equivalent of the British Library.
Kevin
A copy of every book published in the United Kingdom must be deposited with the British Library. This includes everything from the latest blockbuster through to the self-published history of the Jo Bloggs family. The British Library’s website provides the following succinct explanation of Legal Deposit:
“Legal deposit has existed in English law since 1662. It helps to ensure that the nation’s published output (and thereby its intellectual record and future
published heritage) is collected systematically, to preserve the material for the use of future generations and to make it available for readers within
the designated legal deposit libraries”, (see http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/legaldeposit/).
From 6 April 2013 legislation pertaining to electronic publications came into force:
“From 6 April 2013, legal deposit also covers material published electronically, so that the Legal Deposit Libraries can maintain a national collection of
e-journals, e-books, digitally published news, magazines and other types of content.
The Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013 apply to any work published in offline media (on CD-ROM, microform etc.) in the UK, and to
any work published online:
“(a) if it is made available to the public from a website with a domain name which relates to the United Kingdom or to a place within the United Kingdom;
or
(b) it is made available to the public by a person and any of that person’s activities relating to the creation or the publication of the work take place
within the United Kingdom.” (see http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/legaldeposit/websites/faq/ukmaterial/index.html).
I am no legal expert. However my reading of (b) suggests that all UK authors should be providing copies of their electronic publications to the British Library. If you write in the UK this, to me indicates that the legislation applies (due to the activity of writing occurring in the UK). Of course Amazon and other ebook distributors may already be furnishing copies of electronic publications covered by the legislation to the British Library. However, in the case of Amazon at least I am not convinced that this is, in fact the case. Consequently the onus for providing electronic publications to the British Library appears to rest squarely on the shoulders of UK based authors.
Does anyone have any expertise in this field? I suspect that many authors, including myself remain somewhat confused regarding the legislation.
Kevin
K Morris - Poet 