E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG - FREEDOM MEANS BEING UNAFRAID TO WRITE WHAT YOU THINK

Kate Rogers , the Canadian poet, has just published a review of Seaway at Cha , the Asian literary journal with an international remit. It has also been recently reviewed at NPR . And, to make matters better, also at Osprey , Scotland's ongoing online literary journal.

I read at Borders today, as part of the Kingston Readers Festival, organised by Sandra (Sandy) Williams , who does an amazing job. Often, as you will know, readings in book chains are under-attended and poorly planned. This one was great. I had over forty in attendance, at lunchtime, and sold ten copies of my new and selected, Seaway . The audience listened well for over 45 minutes of poetry, asked questions, were supportive at the end, and was a genuinely wide-ranging group, of writers and readers of all ages, from about 20 to I'd say 75. It seemed the model of the sort of event one would want in one's own town. The Borders, in Kingston, is one of the only places to stock my work, so do support them, by getting a copy there, at Market Place, Kingston-Upon-Thames. One slightly sad aspect was how everyone expressed their delight at hearing my poetry, and saying how well I'd read it. After my reading on 30th May, I have no events booked for the rest of 2009, in the UK....

I am reading at the Kingston Reader's Festival next week, 19 May, as Event no. 32 . Saturday, 30 May, at 7.30 pm, I am reading with Judi Benson and David Perman for the long-running and popular London series, "Poetry in the Crypt", at the Neighbourhood Centre next to St Mary's Church, Islington. A chance to get a signed copy of Seaway .

I am glad to read that Seaway has recieved a two-paragraph mention in a round-up of books by Nessa O'Mahony , the Irish poet, in the latest Orbis , #146.

I am just back from Ireland, where I spent the weekend leading up to St. Patrick's Day reading poetry in Galway to launch my Seaway: New and Selected . I also had time to enjoy Ireland's rugby victory over Scotland on TV. My reading was a busy launch in a most convivial space - Sheridan's Wine Bar - an upstairs rectangular room lined by excellent wine in bottles. The forty or so punters who crowded in to listen and buy books sat or stood comfortably for several hours, as in a pub, and were amiable about the press of bodies. The crowd was mixed, including poets, students, friends and family - and a few household names, like Rita Ann Higgins . I was reminded how, generally speaking, the Irish are such fun to be with - there was bubbling laughter and goodwill across the evening, and little of the tense hustle-bustle one sometimes finds in London. I was particularly glad to see Mary Madec there. The evening was part of the Over The Edge series, which has been running for five...

Self-advertisement warning My Seaway: New and Selected seems to have had its first review, at Various Artists , Tony Lewis-Jones' online review vehicle, which reaches interested readers and writers across the world. The review is by poet Tom Phillips . I quote some of it here, below: "Gleaned from his four previous collections and garnished with more than a dozen new poems, Todd Swift’s Seaway is both a ‘greatest hits’ collection for those who’ve already read this verbally athletic Canadian-born poet at length and a comprehensive introduction for those on the European side of the Atlantic who have had, so far, only the occasional chance to get a taste of his work at the jostling, competitive buffet known as English language poetry. As such, it is long overdue. [....] Words matter throughout. That might sound like a very obvious thing to say about a poetry collection but then, when it comes down to it, few contemporary English language collections exhibit the combination of ...

Not sure how long this will last - but then again blogs are the new ephemera - anyway, my Seaway: New and Selected is currently a "Top 100" best-seller - indeed, top 25 - at Tower Books , which seems like a cool site. Oddly, most of the others are also obscure poetry books. Is this an alternative reality?

I will be reading from my new collection, Seaway: New and Selected Poems (Salmon, 2008), this Thursday, 6 November, as part of the Michaelmas '08 series, as a guest of the Oxford University Poetry Society - a great honour. Former invited guest poets include Dylan Thomas , Ted Hughes , Elaine Feinstein , Andrew Motion , Seamus Heaney , and Paul Farley . Other guests forthcoming include Colette Bryce (next week), and Daljit Nagra , Week 8. The venue will be St Edmund Hall, Old Dining Hall and the reading should start at 8.30pm. Hope to see some of you there.

The launch went very well last night - thank you all who came, and supported the poets reading. The shop estimates over 90 in attendance, perhaps 100. Sales of books were vigorous, to match (over 75 Salmon books sold). It was good to see such warmth from the London poetic community. --- Tuesday, 4 November, 2008 Todd Swift & Fellow Salmon Poets Celebrate the launch and signing of his Seaway: New & Selected Featuring guest readers Patrick Chapman , Susan Millar DuMars , Kevin Higgins , Jessie Lendennie , and Pete Mullineaux Admission free Start Time 7 pm Oxfam Books & Music 91 Marylebone High Street London, W1 To reserve a place Call Martin on 0207 487 3570