A writer's life for me

DISCLAIMER: Reader, I wrote this post a few days ago now, and at the time of writing I was yet to see a doctor to either confirm or deny what was actually happening with my health. This morning, I saw a doctor. She said quite plainly, 'Yes, this is the same problem as before, just flaring up again.' She also said the treatments are the same as the ones I've already had, and the investigations are the same as the ones they've already done - well over a decade ago, and all. I was angry about this - horrendously angry, and I have to pause here to thank my mum, my sister, my partner, and two amazing friends for being on the brunt end of that anger. But I was hugely frustrated that, after all this time, the first answer was, 'You still just have to live with it.' Now the anger has died down and I'm oh-so-aware that people out there are living with much worse things than this. But now more than ever, it seems important to me that I talk about this thing/malfuncti...

I haven’t been too out and loud about resolutions this year, largely because I don’t want to be held publicly accountable when I inevitably drop the ball on them – such is the way when making resolutions. But one that I’m happy to put to paper – or to screen, if you will – is the hope that this year I will take part in more events as a writer and as a poet, rather than as a host and as an organiser (although I plan to be doing a lot of the latter, too). My first on-stage event towards this resolution is happening in February and, like all shameless self-promotors, I’m going to talk about it for the next couple of hundred words or so (get comfortable). Matthew Nicholson – a top poet/half-decent bloke – is putting on a poetry event to fundraise money for not one, but FIVE charities (I know, right, he’s totally winning at the whole new year, better person thing). On February 10 th , from 5:30pm onwards, a poetry-packed evening will be taking place at Kidderminster Town Hall (DY10 1DB...