How to write a dissertation and submit it early for a change (part 2)

1. You know that stuff about your bibliography? Forget it… You've just read a ton of other essays and you've found a killer quote. And then you realise that you're also quoting extensively from just one writer… At the rate you're going, you'll be reciting her word for word.

2. Spend ages on the introduction. I mean, it's not actually about the study, right? Give an extensive personal history, complete with dental records, what you've had for lunch…

3. Oh, did I just mention lunch? There goes another four hours.

4. Get back and panic. You're only 3,595 words in and this part of the study needs to be 10,000 words.

5. Scream!

Then spend the next couple hours inserting then re-inserting a quote which may or may not be relevant but it sounds oh so good.

Edinburgh Itinerary… plus BBC Proms Plus tonight on Radio 3!

I'll be up in Edinburgh right at the end of the week! From reports so far, it's been yet another rewarding year for poets and other performers. I'm just glad I didn't register to do another show*.

I'll be popping up at the following shows to do a poetry set. They're all at The Banshee Labyrinth, which hosts most of the PBH Free Fringe Spoken Word shows… Oh yeah, forgot to add - they're all FREE to attend.

Sunday 17th - Other Voices @ 2.50pm
Sunday 17th - Stand Up Tragedy @ 7.30pm
Tuesday 19th - Stand Up Tragedy @ 7.30pm
Wednesday 20th - Outspoken @ 2.50pm

I'll arrive just in time to catch the BBC poetry slam on Saturday 16th.

Then, I'm looking forward to seeing one of my favourite writers, Kei Miller at this event.

And I also can't wait to see Frank Sent Me, which I saw in one of its earlier incarnations at Soho Theatre, just before it won an award. 

Looks like I'm going to have a decent few days up there!

*After all, I'm meant to be finishing a dissertation here! Word count so far: a pitiful 2,500/12,000… But I have successfully completed the appendices and selected most of the accompanying poetry portfolio. Let's see how today/tomorrow fare.

If that isn't enough excitement, snippets from last Saturday's show at the Proms will be broadcast on Radio 3 tonight at 9.30. Listen in here.

Five Movements: Part 1 - Twerk

Today I spotted an orange
butterfly twerking nervously

between the hoops hanging
from the rail of the overground

train and a look passed between
my eyes and yours, just as fleeting.

Update in brief

As usual, I'm having a full couple of weeks, but luckily I've also had some free time to read/research for my dissertation and enjoy the sun. Here are a few highlights of the past week or so and things that are coming up in the next couple of weeks:

Anti-Slam: Apocalypse



Feels much longer than a week ago! Ah, Anti-Slam... it shows me the potential the performative side of poetry has. All the poets were appalling; the hosts, and scorekeeper, were ridiculous; the judges - including my alter ego, The Conscious:Ness - behaved appallingly; and yet, the night was compelling. Perhaps it should be classified more as comedy theatre than poetry, but I think poetry nights could take a leaf from the book of the worst poetry gig you've ever attended.

Nozstock Festival



Far from the regular poetry slam mantra: "The points aren't the point; the point is the poetry", I actually had a great time getting to know fellow poets over intense conversations and wrestling bouts. The time I spent spitting any poems went very quickly and the rest was just much-cherished play time.



Polari First Book Prize

Remember how excited I got when I finally released this last year?



Well, it's now been longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize... I'm pleased to also see my colleague Dean Atta and two other books I've read and enjoyed. More on the prize can be found on Polari's website here.
(Oh yeah, and I'll be in Birmingham in November as part of the Polari tour, so also looking forward to that! I won't say any more until September-ish)

BBC Proms Plus Late

Before we get to Birmingham in November, I have a few gigs in London coming up. As per the last post, I'll be at the Proms on Saturday. I mean, how great is that?

Edinburgh

Unlike last year's 10-day stint, involving doing my own show and getting involved in a few others, I'm taking it relatively easy (focus on dissertation, focus on dissertation, focus on dissertation...) so I'm only down for four days. I'm looking forward to seeing a few things up there and also performing at a few shows.

So far, here's my timetable for gigs I'm performing at:

August 17 - Other Voices @ 2.50pm
August 17 - Stand Up Tragedy @ 7.30pm
August 19 - Stand Up Tragedy @ 7.30pm
August 20 - Outspoken @ 2.50pm

I'm hoping to see a few shows too - and spend time reading over my (hopefully completed) dissertation. Links for the above shows to follow...

COMING UP... SATURDAY @ BBC PROMS!!

I'll be performing alongside Street-Nelms quartet on Saturday as part of BBC Proms Plus Late.



I'll post a radio link for those who can't physically be there on the night! Looking forward to getting my swing on... and doing some poems in between.

x

UPCOMING GIG - TONIGHT (in a couple hours)! Anti-Slam Apocalypse

I won't be performing any poetry tonight. In fact I won't be performing at all. Or even judging the slam. My alter ego The Conscious:Ness will be in the judging panel for the entertaining poetry badness that is The Anti-Slam. This time, it's the Apocalypse, which will be coming to Hackney Picturehouse sometime after 7.30 tonight.

How to write a dissertation and submit it EARLY for a change (part 1)

1. Take a photo of most of the books you're going to reference, knowing that you won't read half of them, and you'll probably end up quoting different authors... Don't forget that most of your reading is going to be hard-to-find essays from e-journals, anyway.

 2. Using the tower of books balanced precariously on the edge of your desk, type out a book bibliography, trying not too get distracted into reading bits from each. Try not to laugh when the tower topples and the neighbour downstairs bangs on the ceiling.

3. Realise that you only have 15,000 words. At the rate you're going, that's about 300 words for every book/article you're aiming to reference.

4. Make a mental list of all the films/YouTube clips/articles/exhibitions/books you've encountered in the past few month - they may come in handy. You're going to be writing a lot about divergent thinking and metaphor making, so all anecdotes hold possibilities (including the one about coming into school and spending half the morning crying in your supervisor's office, before teaching one of the best classes ever).

5. Play some more with the title. You're going to talk about mirrors in the introduction... You like wordplay. Why isn't there a suitable academic pun? Google: mirrors.

6. Realise you're stalling. Start writing the introduction.

7. Talk to your friends about it. Listen to them when they suggest you set a deadline and a daily/weekly word count. 

NOW when that's all done, stop procrastinating. Stop writing on your blog. Just write the thing - Go!

*current word count (excluding bibliography): 200

works cited: 1 (student poem)