Josephine Corcoran

[We see a close up of a young white male, tanned, white teeth, coiffed hair clearly an influencer on social media. It is an image such as you see when social media posts are shown on the news. In the corner of the screen is named a location: DUBAI. He is staring slightly off-camera for several silent panels of the comic strip. His eyes move slightly. He is having a thought.] From off-screen a newsreader’s commentary comes: NEWSREADER: Extraordinary images here of an expat in Dubai [The influencer’s eybrows raise slightly] …Having their first ever geopolitical thought. [CUT TO a BBC news scene. The BBC newsreader CLIVE MYRIE is talking to an interviewee next to the screen showing the social media influencer’s face. The interviewee’s name is David Jones]. CLIVE MYRIE: To explain the significance of this moment we’re joined by David Jones, our Expat Thoughts correspondent DAVID JONES: Clive, this is momentous It was caught on film at the end of an Instagram post titled: ‘Dubai Is Brilliant’. [Pointing at the screen, the influencer’s expression still the same] You can clearly see in the eyebrows here, the dawning realisation that there *might* be something in the world beyond his dickhead self. It marks a *huge* departure from all the Dubai Expat’s previous thoughts. CLIVE MYRIE: Which are…? DAVID JONES: You've Got To Get Yourself Out Here Mate, Everything Is So Clean, I Don't Have To Pay Taxes, I Am Incurious As To Why I Do Not Have To Pay Taxes, and Spa. CLIVE MYRIE: And might we see an expansion of these new Thoughts in coming days? DAVID JONES: I think we can expect to see: “I Deserve To Be Airlifted By A Country I Pay No Tax To” CLIVE MYRIE: Mmm. [Ends]

Yours certainly caught my eye!

Laura, I’m seeing loads of these erasure rejection poems - but who’s idea was it first? You were there quite early, I think?

Just woke up and heard the acceptance speech on Radio 5 live - good news to wake up to!

❛ First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice.

Octavia Butler, who died #OTD in 2006.

The poem is now available to read for free on our website, to make a month since his arrest.

Please do read and share, and help us raise awareness with the international literary community.

modernpoetryintranslation.com/poem/i-used-...

A month has passed since the arrest of Ali Asadollahi in Iran, following nationwide protests.

A steadfast voice for freedom and justice, we published his poem, 'I Used to Dream, I Used to Be Safe,' in MPT 'Rhythms of the Land'.

Watched Ch4's Dirty Business. Sadly I'm not shocked- it's been going on for decades & getting worse. Will anyone be prosecuted? No. I caught paralytic polio in the sea 70yrs ago. Maybe they didn't know as much on how polio/infections spread in 50s? We know now. They'll let us die to make more money

I had two children at university during the pandemic, one in final year, one in first year, at different unis. From my experience, EVERY institution DID NOT do their best for students and the consequences of a poor experience are still having consequences for some (perhaps many) young people today.

We are so excited to be on Bluesky!

This year’s festival is from the 5th-8th November. Will we see you there?

With huge thanks to Vici MacDonald and Andrew Lindesay for creating our beautiful logo 🌊 💛

#newlogo #poetry #writing #poetryfestival #suffolk

It’s not all doom and gloom, someone celebrating their 66th birthday today will be entitled to the state pension

Paper collage of a flag of Palestine growing from a slice of watermelon

Day 13 #Februllage ‘watermelon’

On paper I’ve stuck a little bee (cut from an old calendar) being magnetically attracted to a yellow paper flower

Day 12 #Februllage ‘magnet’

Sometimes very hard not to feel like the rest of the country has abandoned Minnesota. We STILL have ICE everywhere. Our schools, businesses, and economy are in profound crisis. But without Bovino here throwing tear gas, much of the country seems to not care at all what’s being done to us.

My sense of Minnesota today is that there’s less tear gas and the same amount of unlawful detention, destruction of families, loss of livelihood, people in hiding.

There is less tear gas at places like Lake and Lyndale, so it’s not making news.

Indeed

I like the sound of this!

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Rays of Darkness The lives and imaginations of two writers interweave in this lyric drama by Gwyneth Lewis.

Rays of Darkness - the lives & imaginations of two writers interweave in this lyrical, autobiographical drama by Gwyneth Lewis, former National Poet of Wales. Stars Eiry Thomas, Sharon Morgan & Clare Corbett as Margiad Evans 2.15pm Weds 11 Feb @BBCRadio4 @BBCSounds

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Also, not for the first time, you and @isabelrogers.bsky.social turned up on my timeline at same moment with near identical thoughts. Great minds etc.

Handmade paper plant, drawn, painted and cut, then stuck into a sketchbook- a spindly plant with a few green leaves in a blue pot.

Day 11 #Februllage the prompt is ‘plant’

Scripted stuff, made with care, time, and imagination. Is brilliant and coincidentally wins awards and viewing figures. The BBC at its superb core*, not to get too emotional about things.

*plus all else: radio, world service, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, will defend with life, NO ADS, it's more than news

I have started. It is perfect. Carry on everybody.

Small Prophets: two episodes in, and it might just be the best thing I’ve seen in years.

We watched first two tonight and are now rationing to keep hold of the pleasure.

A section of Georges Seurat’s painting ‘Bathers at Asnières’, a man slumped emotionlessly on the riverbank, a seal, dolphin and whales (my magazine cutouts) peeping and leaping from the water

Day 10 (that’s today, I’ve caught up now) the prompt is ‘oblivious’ for #februllage

A paper collage of a bottle pouring out a choppy sea on top of which sits a little red boat with a green mast, a scribble of cloud above

Day 9 #Februllage the prompt was ‘bottle’

Six leaves around text that says Februllage Day 8 Concrete

Day 8 #Februllage was ‘concrete’. I photographed a circle of fallen leaves on my concrete front step

"I became a historian because I wanted to share the knowledge with people outside of academia. But never in my life did I think that Bad Bunny would help my scholarship reach such broad audiences, using the biggest platform in the world."
Interview w/ @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social , author of
1/💙📚 🗃

I’m certainly not tough! Knock yourself out with the NyQuil. Whatever works. Spring’s on the way, let’s hope our colds are gone by then

Never heard of it! We have something called Night Nurse which has similar effects. I’m so off the strong stuff these days, a stiff hot lemon and honey and two paracetamols knocks me out.