Yes, I am terrible at updating this journal. I am terrible at responding to comments and notes. I'm probably even worse at checking through all of the deviations that I should do. I feel bad, believe me. I will change all that today. Today I will be productive!

Productive on only four hours sleep? I can try I guess. I got up early and watched a documentary on poetry on BBC iplayer. I'm not sure if it'll work for those of you who live outside of the U. K, but if it does, it's well worth a watch. It's called "Why poetry matters" [link] and for once I wasn't left depressed after watching a programme concerning poetry.

Someone sent me an email asking me what I think of Carol Ann Duffy being the new Poet Laureate. I think that's it a great thing. Not only because I actually really like the tradition, but because of course, she's the first female laureate. Poetry is progressive and I think that the people chosen to represent U. K poetry, should reflect the diversity of the U. K itself. So yes, maybe her poems aren't to everyone's taste, but since when was any one poet going to satisfy everyone? It also feels as though she's finally gotten the role that was denied to her last time around. It annoyed me that she was such a strong contender and would have probably become the laureate last time if only the government hadn't been worried about the fact that she's a lesbian. So yes, I'm very happy with the choice.

I can't think of Carol Ann Duffy without hearing these lines in my head;

"Hotter than hell. I burned for you day and night;
got bits of your body wrong, bits of it right,
in the huge mouth of the dark, in the bite of the light".

I like Poet Laureates in the same vein as Ted Hughes. Poets who have edge to them.

Also, it's the 80th anniversary of the publishing house Faber and Faber. Faber to me represents the highest level there is in publishing. They're doing all kinds of things to celebrate, which you can read about on their site. [link] In my wildest dreams, I would love to be published by them.