The Last Days of Petrol out now from Shearsman Books

I am excited to say that The Last Days of Petrol is now out - or LDoP as I have taken to calling it in my head and to the very wonderful Tony Frazer editor at Shearsman Books.

As soon as the book came out, I got asked for an interview on BBC Radio Scotland.

Billed up above Andy Warhol but deservedly below Glasgow!

I found myself discussing topics ranging from the Dalkeith buzzard and its habits, writing poetry in the car, Soutra and the Borders speed camera vigilante with Grant Stott. I couldn't bear to listen back! And I think unless you know someone in the BBC - the interview is now tucked away for posterity. 

I had a great visit to my amazing local bookshop in Melrose - The Reading Room!

There are already a couple of very kind and lovely reviews from:

• Joyce MacMillan at The Scotsman here
  
  "sensual, vivid and at times heartbreaking poetry of Bridget Khursheed"

• Beth McDonough at DURA (Dundee) here 
  
  " Khursheed’s poems deserve revisiting and careful driving. The journey is far from over."

And of course you can also try before you buy on the Shearsman website online here or in your own favourite bookshops

More news on upcoming readings at StAnza in St Andrews, in London and back home in Melrose coming soon - if you would like to hear me read.

Or let me know and I will see what we can come up with.

Enjoy!

Full line-up revealed #RoarStage @Stowedoutfest August 27th 2016

The full main line-up for the spoken word Roar Stage at Stowed Out Fest is now revealed. And it is amazing. Five fabulous performers all on stage in the Borders for the first time:

Em Strang, Sally Evans, Solareye, Katie Ailes and Iona Lee.

Impossible to summarise their talents in a few word but p&g might just mention that between them they have multiple slam wins including the Scottish Slam and StAnza slam, the Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award, and have published multiple books, videos and tunes, plus performed at Aye Write, T in the Park,  Scottish Parliament, StAnza and the list goes on.

Find out how to get hold of tickets and the details of all the acts on the Main Stage too. This is just the Roar Stage line-up and there will be more acts - including space for you - find out how http://poetandgeek.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/roar-stage-spoken-word-performance.html

Stowed Out is a cracking boutique festival just a short train ride away from anywhere in Scotland. And train and other transport methods are available if you are coming from further afield! More here bit.ly/1rw92XM

Avatars, @gravatar & me

It has been a funny few days.

I have been busy -  I am getting ready for StAnza starting next week preparing my readings. There has been a seedbed of poetry going on and obsessive reading about farming. And of course the day job and then something that seemed unrelated to all of the above, entering an orienteering competition.

Oentries the orienteering entry system allows you to personalise your entry using a Gravatar - the universal avatar creation utility available online. But something that makes avatar creation so simple still doesn't help with one thing. How do I want to present myself?

A lot of people don't bother at all. Does this say they don't care? Didn't bother? Are more interested in orienteering than self-presentation? Or are avatars the online equal of personal grooming? And coming out without one is like coming to work without clean hair and tidy clothes?

Of course this is a sports entry board. There is a part of me that feels an avatar is much more a gaming concept. A better self. An aspirational self. A self equipped to take on virtual challenges. And possibly as in books like William Gibson's Neuromancer leading virtual lives that can get a little out of control at times.

And all of the above complicated by the simple female feeling that I should look presentable and well, OK.

So what did I come up with? Me in a hoodie looking curious...

You can find Gravatar here and make your own investigations https://en.gravatar.com/ And of course if you just want to go orienteering after reading this https://oentries.com/

StAnza 2016 programme & new website out now

Great news as almost full details are released on St Andrew's Day. (You know they like to keep a few little surprises to whet our appetites). And I am delighted to be reading in a Scottish Book Trust New Writers' Showcase alongside the very wonderful Em Strang, Lindsay Macgregor and Samuel Tongue.

Full details here http://www.stanzapoetry.org/festival and @khursheb here http://www.stanzapoetry.org/festival/poets-artists/khursheed

Delighted to be at #StAnza15

Having a pause after visiting the pamphlet sale or poetry market - curated by Alan Gay - in the town hall here in St Andrews and I can report that StAnza is every bit as good as people say - maybe the streets aren't paved with poets (not even after kicking out time at the pubs as Ian Duhig naughtily suggested on Twitter) - but the population density is certainly high.

This is heightened by the fact that the festival venues are close together in the three streets - with the result that you can mix fantastic and imaginative events with the constant joy of running into old friends.

I went straight into a great reading on arrival last night- the place is packed out - and I was lucky to pick up a returned ticket for Helen Mort and J L Williams (replacing Liz Berry) and then on into a (not so quiet) open mic (Colin Will reading in the picture) at Zest - where, yes, I read my first poems at StAnza. Fab.

Tonight it is Ian Duhig, Kei Miller, Ilya Kaminsky, the slam and Simon Armitage.

Scottish Borders on the poetry map @StAnzaPoetry

Today is the day that my Darnick poem is featured on the Poetry Map of Scotland.

It is poem 93.

We have talked about the poetry map before but maybe not so much StAnza - who made the map.

This is Scotland’s International Poetry Festival which takes place each March in St Andrews. It began in 1997, and since then has grown considerably in both scale and reputation. It is Scotland’s first regular festival dedicated to poetry with a wonderful international outlook that is strongly to p&g's tastes.

You can read the poem (and view others on the poetry map)  here http://stanzapoetry.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/poetry-map-of-scotland-poem-93-darnick/ and learn even more about StAnza here http://stanzapoetry.wordpress.com