Sean O’Brien’s books of the year … January 7, 2009

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/culture/arts/classics_in_the_making

He writes ‘Among many interesting books in a rich year were Paul Batchelor’s The Sinking Road (Bloodaxe), Peter Bennet’s The Glass Swarm (Flambard), Julia Bird’s Hannah And The Monk (Salt) and Alistair Elliot’s The Real Poems (Shoestring). There’s also The Lost Leader (Faber) by Mick Imlah, Life On Earth (Gallery) by Derek Mahon, Stephen Romer’s Yellow Studio (Carcanet), Anne Rouse’s The Upshot: New And Selected Poems (Bloodaxe) and The Land Of Green Ginger (Salt) by Anthony Rowland.’

Christmas Readings … December 5, 2008

Tuesday 9th December
7.30pm
Green Note Club, 106 Camden Parkway NW1 7AN
£3 before 7.30 / £5 after

(Me and all the other finalists from this year’s ‘Utter’ Ajar Mic
competition. I could win £100! That’d pay nicely for some booze to
take to my brother’s for Christmas. No votes from my chums = no prize
= one bottle of cooking sherry and some own brand orange squash. Think
on …)

Special Guest Star – Polarbear. Pretty much my favourite spoken word
performer … myspace.com/polarbearspoken

Friday 12th December
6.30 – 9.30
Readings at 7.30ish and 9.30ish
The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1HX

Poetry & Short Story readings from me, Jane Holland, Sue Hubbard and
Mark Waldron at the Salt Publishing Christmas Beano.

I think I might be ring-mastering this one too. I certainly have a new
red dress for the occasion …

Eyewear Review of the book … December 5, 2008

http://toddswift.blogspot.com/2008/11/guest-review-horton-on-bird.html

‘Bulletin’ bulletin November 16, 2008

This is what the Winter Poetry Book Society Bulletin has to say about Hannah & the Monk …

Julia Bird’s first collection is remarkably self-assured with a gorgeous economy of style. She is able to create her self-contained poetic worlds instantly, completely – not a word is wasted by this poet who could be compared to her ‘beetle’ in ‘Monoglutton’ (‘this little beetle persists / He’s a linguist, a specialist’). Her ‘Short Film’ poems are far better than anything produced by prose writers in the craze for short short stories (and incidentally the perfect response to anyone who asks you what the difference between poetry and prose really is). Her poems are absorbing, endearing – not even a non-smoker could fail to be moved by ‘I Really Should Quit, But’, and the town-bred will still laugh at ‘Five Years Trying to Win the Flower Show Vegetable Animal Class.’ A hugely enjoyable book, and we look forward to more from Ms Bird in the future.

Hannah and the New Statesman October 25, 2008

http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2008/10/monk-salt-hannah-bird-daily

A review! And a warm one too, hurrah!

Hannah’s Going Home October 15, 2008

Me cheesing for the camera at the reading

Well, near as. I was born in Malmesbury, home town of the actual Hannah and the real Monk. I grew up though in Tetbury – five miles, a whole county and a Civil War feud away from Malmesbury – and I shall be reading in the lovely new independent bookshop there on Wednesday November 12th at 7pm. The Yellow Lighted Bookshop, 21 Church St, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. If you buy your Christmas presents in independent bookshops you are rewarded in heaven, and that is a true fact.

More-ish – seconds of food poems September 16, 2008

As part of the London South Bank Centre’s Festival of Food, I’ll be reading food poems with Roddy Lumsden, Tim Wells, Roisin Tierney, Simon Barraclough and Isobel Dixon in a tent by the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 20th September between 12.15ish and 1.45ish. There will be 40+ Slow Food stalls in the Festival - from rare-breed meats, specialist cheeses, Middle-Eastern mezze and real ale to all-natural candy floss and organic hot chocolate shots, free-range hog roast, slow burgers and hot dogs, native oysters, game pies and spicy Indian delights. Bunny delish, as my ex-flatmate’s ex-girlfriend would have said …
More details here http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/calendar?action=production&production=59f

Hannah and the Monk – out now September 14, 2008

Hannah and the Monk by Julia Bird

It’s out now. Look at it, how lovely. It has British racing green endpapers, which you won’t be able to see unless you hold an actual copy in your hand. You can get it cheaply from www.amazon.co.uk, worthily from www.saltpublishing.com or direct from me if you like and I’ll write you a nice note inside. Email me for details …

Here’s a picture Tim Wells took of me standing on a chair at its launch party – http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=783403&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=538007151&id=514911551

The Shuffle Anthology launch September 14, 2008

I’m in the about-to-be published Shuffle anthology with a new poem called ‘This Does Me For Snow’ which is about … settling, I think. I’ll give it a whirl at the launch for the book which is on Saturday 27th September at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London, 7.30pm. Fellow anthologees are Ahren Warner, Camellia Stafford, Tim Wells, Kate Miller, Orlanda Marsden, Roddy Lumsden, Kate Kilalea, Luke Heeley, Amy Key, Diana Pooley, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Heather Phillipson, Michael McKimm, Imogen Robertson. More details here http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=24784768990

Unspeakably Toothsome July 28, 2008

Another reading at The Betsey Trotwood pub … Unspeakably Toothsome – an evening of food poems. Five poets, hosted by Roddy Lumsden and the luminous Annie Freud.

I shall think of a couple of my foody poems to read – maybe the animal vegetable one, maybe the bad boy dinner date one, maybe the one about body sushi I haven’t written yet – and a couple by other poets.

The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, at 7.30pm, Friday 5th September