In keeping with 95% of the country at the moment (given the total melt-down Brexit has precipitated), my plants appear totally confused. My Christmas cactus, which has flowered splendidly for more Christmases than I can count, stubbornly refused to sprout even one bud this year; my snowdrops aren't out yet but my azalea - always lovely for Easter - took it upon itself to start flowering on the coldest day of the winter so far. At my daughter's this morning I noticed her neighbour's daffodils in full bloom ...
No confusion on Thursday though when I was joined on The Writer's Room by the Newport author Emma Smith-Barton. It was a great pleasure to have her as a guest on the programme and to talk about her forthcoming novel, The Million Pieces of Neena Gill, to be published by Penguin in July. Emma has written adult fiction under the pseudonym Amna Khokher, but this will be her first young adult publication. Having taught in secondary schools for several years, Emma has a strong interest in young people's mental health and the novel very sensitively explores the reality of living as a teenager with severe anxiety; it's certainly going to be a book to watch out for.
Earlier in the week - in a bit of role reversal! - I'd been interviewed for Corinium Radio's In Focus programme by Claire Finnemore. The programme has something of Desert Island Discs about it, interspersing discussion of the subject's life and writing with chosen pieces of music, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, listening to my great favourites from the 60s (Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen) through to the present (Welsh folk singer Gwyneth Glyn) and recalling their influence on me. I was also able to give my poem "The Present" its first airing - it's one very close to my heart and recently won the Bashley Prize. The programme is due for transmission in early February, so I'll let you know when it's been scheduled and it's coming up.
Preparing for my interview with Claire also gave me the opportunity to reflect a little on the books that have most influenced me over the years - all of which are still sitting on my bookcase. I was horrified to hear in a discussion of "decluttering" on the radio this week (following on from the incredible interest sparked by Japanese guru Marie Kondo on Netflix) that you should have no more than 30 books in your home! And that you should only keep ones that "bring you joy". Well, many of mine bring me joy - especially ones given to me as presents, ones written by friends - but how about all the others I use for research, dip into now and again, some I almost have a love-hate relationship with? OK, I'll admit that in some areas my life and my home could do with a little "rationalising", but my books are sacrosanct!
(PS. I was delighted that my poem "Becoming" was chosen for publication in this month's Snakeskin journal - do check it out on the website, it's in some great company there.)
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