Clifford Liles has won, been placed or shortlisted in many poetry competitions. His work has been published in several literary magazines. He is currently preparing a debut chapbook featuring a thematic selection from his sonnets.
Giving Feedback on Poetry
“What an amazing poem!” The appreciation of poetry is subjective. Where one reader may say what a great poem it is, another stares blankly. What is longlisted in one competition may be a winner in another. A poem should speak to the heart and the mind, but everyone has had different life experiences that make … Continue reading Giving Feedback on Poetry
Critical Reading of Poems
You can create in grand isolation. You can write in any style you wish, but if you want to get poems published these days you should read a wide range of contemporary poetry beforehand. Not just read, but inwardly digest. Try to evaluate how a poem works. This is a process from which you can … Continue reading Critical Reading of Poems
Line Endings
How interesting would a popular song be without the words? What if a singer did not turn up at a recording session? Yet the backing band laid down the tracks anyway. Indie, Rock, Folk, Country, Rap: all with no singer to sing the lyrics? What you would have left? Mostly an accompaniment or a riff … Continue reading Line Endings
Ulterior Atmospheres
This month’s blog is a review of a poetry collection just published by the Winner of the Live Canon Competition 2020, Samuel Prince. The striking cover photograph pictures a cityscape at night in a torrential downpour, the headlights of the cars on the autoroute rushing to far-flung destinations. Some of these landscapes and people they … Continue reading Ulterior Atmospheres
Arts and Crafts
“Dear Editor, I am writing to you from the pier at Brighton with the rough wind tugging at the sheets of this letter. Just a moment ago, I hurled a small brass key into the waves. It seals forever the desk drawer in my study holding all my works. Thus, I regret to inform you … Continue reading Arts and Crafts
