Seasonal Wishes

Season's Greetings and best wishes to you for 2024.

                                                                              J.S.

Fenland Autumn

You should check out issue 9 of the Fenland Poetry Journal (Autumn 2023), It has poems by, amongst others,: Shanta Acharya, John Greening, Andre Mangeot, Jess Mookherjee, Sue Wallace-Shaddad, J.S. Watts and Gareth Writer-Davies.

In fact it contains two poems by J.S: Came Too Late and Voice From The Tree Top. So, you really should check it out.

Best Books of 2023?

So, it's November already and websites, magazines and literary organisations are busy preparing their best-of lists for 2023.

J.S. has produced her most enjoyed prose fiction reads in 2023 (well, 2022/23) list for Shepherd. You can read about her three favourite reads here, though the photo below may give you a clue.

Take Refuge in National Poetry Day 2023

UK National poetry Day 2023 is on Thursday, 5th October 2023. This year's theme is Refuge.

To celebrate the day, J.S.Watts will be giving a special poetry reading and talk at Baldock Library from 3.30pm to approximately 4.30pm. She will be exploring diverse interpretations of Refuge and reading her own poems and those of other poets that consider the concept of refuge in its many and varied forms. 

The event is aimed at adults, but ALL are welcome.

It is a FREE event but donations to the library will be appreciated.

Baldock Library is in Simpson Drive, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 6DH

September Movie Night

J.S. Watts will be one of the poets reading at the event. Come along to find out which film she has chosen to write about.

And Another One...

September 2023 is proving to be a well-published month.

J.S.'s new poem, At A Folk Festival Without You, appears in the September issue, no. 102, of The Frogmore Papers.

A High Window in Autumn

Please do take a peek at the autumn edition of the online High Window.

In this new edition, J.S Watts reviews Sometime, in a Churchyard, which she calls "a rather lovely, limited edition pamphlet of poems by Louise Warren and black and white line drawings by Charlotte Harker", and also shares a brand new poem of her own, Phantoms. Plus there's a bumper harvest of other poems and reviews

That's got to be worth checking out.

Wandering in Infinity

September is a hectic month for publications, as far as J.S. is concerned.

Issue 7 of Infinity Wanderers Magazine has now been published and it contains a brand new story by J.S.Watts, 'The Rose' - an historical tale of roses and death (amongst other things).

Check the previous two posts on this website for other September publications. There may be more to follow...

Words for the Semi-Aquatic

Issue 5 of The Amphibian hopped out of the pond on 1st September. It includes a haunting new poem,
Running The Street, by J.S.Watts, as well as a bucket load of other murky delights.

Poems in the Lake

 J.S. has two new poems in this month's online issue of The Lake.

The poems are: Price of a Poem and Uncertain Heard Voices. You can read both poems for free here.

More Words for Underword

J.S.Watts' third poetry collection, Underword, is reviewed in the latest edition of The Journal (#69)

You'll need to purchase a copy of the magazine to read the full review, as well as the many outstanding poems appearing in the latest edition, but here's a flavour of what reviewer Melissa Todd has to say about Underword:

"Every facet of death is faced boldly, bluntly, and with beautiful rhythm and resonance... many of her (Watts') poems remind me of Ted Hughes, in their visceral, vulnerable fragility" 

"J.S. Watts plots her course with cautious but consummate ease" - extracts                                                   from The Journal (Issue 69)

A Flash of Heels

J.S.'s flash fiction story, 'Heels', is published in the June issue (#4) of Fictionette. The magazine is available to buy, or you can read the piece online if you sign up for a Fictionette account - apparently it's free. Check out the details on Fictionette's website.

ASP - Three New Poems

J.S. is delighted to have three new poems in issue 9 of Abergavenny Small Press's Literary Journal, published today and available to read on the ASP website. Check out the entire journal or dive straight into J.S.'s poems by clicking here .

Underword Comes To Hitchin

It's July and the Hitchin Festival is getting under way - a month long celebration of culture and entertainment.

J.S. is pleased to be participating. On Thursday, 27th July she will be at Halsey's Deli and Eatery reading from her most recent poetry collection, 'Underword'.

The poems of ‘Underword’ loosely follow the story of Orpheus whilst exploring the western world’s final taboo, death. Expect dark, thought-provoking poetry, some humour, at least one love poem and a robust approach to the end that waits us all.

It will be a 30 minute reading, kicking off at 3pm on the 27th. Make sure you book your ticket in advance. It includes a drink at the historic Halsey's Deli.

Flint - Time is Fleeting

The first volume of Flint is now available from Erro Press.

Flint Volume 1: Temporary is about the ephemeral nature of experience and emotion. Embracing the transitory nature of these encounters, we learn to find solace in impermanence and discover the beauty of leaning into the ever-changing dance of life.

This issue includes fiction from Zach Murphy, Rahela Begum, Die Booth and Roxane Llanque, plus poetry from J.S. Watts, LJ Ireton and Apollo Spencer.

STOP PRESS!

J.S. will be performing a brief reading of some of her poems at this year's Strawberry Fair in Cambridge.

You can find her at the Wild Strawberries Stage at approximately 3.25pm (timings are flexible) this afternoon, Saturday 3rd June.

In the Middle of May

The High Window has published J.S.'s review of Kathleen McPhilemy's fourth poetry collection, Back Country. J.S. describes it as "a confident, thoughtfully constructed collection", "a subtle and well-crafted exploration of place and the loss of it"

Acumen Reviews Underword

The literary journal Acumen has generously reviewed J.S.Watts' recent poetry collection Underword in its May 2023 edition (issue 106).

You'll have to hop over to the Acumen website to buy a copy of #106 in order to read its poetry, prose and reviews in full, but here's a flavour of its review of Underword :

"Watts' poems are dextrous and engaging, bearing the reader along with the narrative skills she has honed in her other life as a novelist."

"In the title poem 'Underword' we have the first reference in the book to Orpheus, whose mythical story is the guiding influence behind the collection."

"poems in Watts' collection have light and colour at their centre"

You can buy your own copy of Underword from this website and from Amazon, amongst other outlets.

Where in Ware?

J.S. is looking forward to reading at Ware Poets on Friday, 12th May. You can find further details on the Ware poets website and on the Events Page of this website. There will be poems from the recent Underword collection, amongst other things.

Being a Bit Judgy

Today is 1st May and the opening day for entries for the 2023 international Bedford short story and poetry competitions.

J.S. is extremely honoured to be judging the 2023 Cygnature Story Prize. For further details, please go to the competition website.

Spring is On The Way

Spring is on the way and events, as well as daffodils, are blooming.

J.S. will be giving several readings and performances in April and May across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Have a look at her Events Page for further details.

In the Middle of March

 

J.S.'s review of Oisin Breen's experimental, vibrant and musical "Lilies on the Deathbed of Etain and Other Poems" is available to read in the High Window.

At the Beginning of February

The High Window has published J.S.'s review of Maeve McKenna's debut solo pamphlet, A Dedication To Drowning, work which J.S. describes as "taut, intense, vibrant poetry that embraces the rawness of everyday living".

Morphrog 2023

 J.S. is very, very happy to have three poems published in January's issue 26 of Morphrog. The poems are:

Walking in Empty Shoes

Quartus

Snapshooting

You can read them for free here