I was flattered to have two poems included in Chorlton Festival's 2008 poetry collection beside local legends old (Copeland Smith) and new (the brilliant Zoe Lambert). I write free verse mainly as a way of recording significant or obscure life events (ever fearful of my perceived poor memory I also diary, blog, take photographs and employ a full-time army of 'reminders' who are especially useful after a night out). I find rhythm ever more important in my prose and tight, condensed writing in (sort of) verse can help refine this. Dancing also helps. And of course it's satisfying to offer up the odd great purple, floating metaphor - let it linger - then file it shamelessly under poetic license. I'm a fan of those performance poets who can cross over into comedy without losing their artistic integrity (whatever that means). Chorlton folk club on Thursday nights mixes spoken word, humour and music on an intimate scale and is one of the things I miss about the enclave. Anyway, you can download some of my poems here, beginning with the two tributes to my old stomping ground, and the lost love therein.