Can Serrat, El Bruc, Catalonia, 10 May 2019

For this residency at Can Serrat I am focused on turning around 60-70 poems into two chapbooks and writing new work for both collections.

I attempted one poetry book from this collection of poems, written between 2008 and 2019, but have decided there are two different books.

Joan Miró Foundation

The difference is not due to changes during the extended period of writing that these poems are drawn from, though I think my writing has changed, and initially I had hoped to reflect the developments within the single collection, but for thematic reasons two separate manuscripts is now my approach.

When I go through the manuscripts a substantial portion of one book is made up of much older material while the other contains a large amount of newer work. But each has a selection of recent or older poems respectively that fit thematically; so, there are themes and concepts I keep returning to. The working titles are: Fighting Poetry and For Whom the Red Ticks, both titles will likely change as I work my way through the poems in each.

In preparation for the residency, I have been taking notes and collecting material to write new work for both collections.

Montserrat from El Bruc

This has included writing in the Woden food courts- thanks to taking a contract with a Commonwealth Department -I had never been to any of the Woden food courts previously. This nine-month contract is also part of the reason I can afford this trip, so thanks to the people who employed me.

I also re-visited the Joan Miro Foundation during my jetlag recovery in Barcelona over the last two nights, I found new perspectives since my last visit in 2014 and am hoping I can work these into new poems.