You know sometimes I think it was all a big mistake. I had a place for me in Kings College all I had to do was get through a third year sixth and improve my A levels then I could have stayed in London. [it was 1967 and ] our mutual friend was getting me in to all manner of celeb parties/events/ e.g. a press reception where I was standing inches away from George Martin and Roger Daltrey, I was driving John Peel back and forth across London in my dad’s car, I even sat cross legged on the grass in Hyde Park rubbing shoulders with Allen Ginsberg chanting Hare Krishna and for some reason I threw all that away to come to Cardiff to do a BSc and then I was dodging the teddy boys and the trams, (and the rain) for why??? I guess it was an attempt to be sensible and career oriented and also going with the flow you know you get a letter from Cardiff saying please come we have spare places. And anyway 3rd year sixth was weird and embarrassing – I did a few weeks of it before the Cardiff letter came and really I didn’t think twice about accepting.

[memo to me - one day I’ll make a big list of all the London pre-Cardiff stuff]

The writing didn’t suffer. I’d done my school mag ‘Trash’ and it’d been a success (5 years later when Warhol called one of his films Trash I was so chuffed, it’s things like that that affirm you’re on a good wavelength) and when I got to Cardiff I soon landed up working for the college newspaper/mag ‘Impact’. And then later I was arts editor and then full editor. This was great. There was a gang of us involved and we used to use our press cards to get into events and go and interview celebs who’d visit Cardiff and the Colton Hall in Bristol in fact once I managed to talk my way back stage in the Festival Hall

and go and interview Frank Zappa – it was the night that the LSE was being occupied and after the gig since we’d missed the last tube out to D’s place where we had a bed lined up we decided to go to the LSE and see if we could find a corner to sleep – umm – a couple hours stretched between 2 chairs.

So, anyway, being editor of Impact meant I could put my own poems in and C’s as well but a lot of the time I had to write all manner of weird stuff – like a careers guide! We had all this advertising booked to appear in the paper to accompany an article on careers but what the h did I know about it? …I told all the readers not to bother with a career.

C and I did a poetry performance at No Walls (Marchioness of Bute). He read out 2 of his and one of mine and I sat cross-legged on the floor and played a guitar accompaniment –

I’m getting spaced out now with all the memories flooding back so I’ll edit off now. After college I tried writing a couple sci fi short stories and sent them to Michael Moorcock’s New World Science Fiction but

they turned them both down [tho not un-encouragingly] and I guess the toll of the years and the effort to earn a crust just lead me away

from writing for a while – but that’s another story…actually I’ve remembered there was stuff going on regards how your creative

efforts can be like a anchor dragging you down and other gubbins

about distinguishing creativity from ego-aggrandisement – hum – need to think this through – some other time…

You can probably tell I’m quite new to this. Apart from a couple early pieces it was only from June 2009 that I started to get my poems published and now (26 April 2010) I’m chuffed and grateful about the success I’ve had. I thought I’d produce a list not only to boost my confidence (which, in moderation, is good for any writer?) but also to say thanks to the editors and a little bit of self-promotion can’t be all that bad. Surely?

These are listed in reverse date order (of when I was notified that they were accepted for publication) and includes some ‘forthcoming’.

Cathedral Vista and The Flower Shops →Turbulence Magazine, Issue 3 – May 2010

Clear Morning and Underground Prayer → Disingenuous Twaddle 4
a haiku in → Haiku Presence #41

Per Capita → streetcake magazine – number 10
From Blue Sky → Cake - the literary magazine based at Lancaster University, Issue 2
Chocolate Box/Landscape → Red Poets magazine
Holiday Cottage → Urban District Writer, Issue 9

Ants → Poetry Monthly International, December 2009, Issue 14
Bob and You’re Free → Osprey Journal, Issue 5
Kathy’s Caravan → Urban District Writer, Issue 8
The Concept of Pervasive Evil and Down by the Lake → The Cleave
Sanctus → Roundyhouse, Issue 29
Disenchanted, Evening Out, Hollowness, In The Days, Provenance, Sensitivity and Understanding Will Get You Shot → Inclement (poetry for the modern soul), Winter 2009
Faramel, Lifesaver, Memory Effect, Seasons End, Never to Return, Tension, Zone → Sarasvati, Issue 006
Children of the White Islands and Whitewell-on-Sea → Neon Highway
Whilst On Holiday In Liverpool and I want to be a Beat Poet → Reach Poetry
As You Are, So It Is → ouroboros review, Issue 4

My Schoolteacher → Anterliwt – New Writing from Cardiff University – latest reprint ISBN 987-0-9561156-8-3 2009

Melfyn short-prose → Cambrensis, No 67, July 2006

fwiw – I’m a follower of the “Rolling Poetry Machine” way of working where you have a couple years worth of writing in various stages of completion which you read and revise regularly until you reckon a piece is worth trying out on a publisher. A bit like a conveyor belt, but some poems take much longer than others, need more attention etc etc…

Word Lists For Writers

- – - – - –

Rhythmic Feet

This collection sorts words into their
patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables

So, for instance, you’re stuck, you’ve been
desperately trying to find a word,
you’ve decided it must have
the rhythm of hard-soft-soft and begin with
a sh sound. OK, open up the ‘dactyl 100′ file
page down to the sh words and find, for example,
shockingly, sheltering, shrubbery. Of course,
you could make up the pattern from shorter,
separate words.

These lists were compiled by data-crunching
the MOBY pronunciation word list. The patterns
included here are the ones that yielded significant
results. The words are all in CAPS and include
proper names and abbreviations and initials -
so AC is not pronounced ack, its A C as in A/C

The files are tagged with a 0 and 1 code, where -

0 = soft – unaccented
1 = loud – accented

Details:

iamb = 01 – eg. exact, release
trochee = 10 – eg. caring, zestful
spondee = 11 – eg. aircraft, deadlock

dactyl = 100 – eg. criminal, visitor
anapest = 001 – eg. incomplete, misinformed
amphibrach = 010 – eg. accepted, regardless

primus paeon = 1000 – eg. militancy, violators
secundus paeon = 0100 – eg. allowances, professional
tertius = paeon = 0010 – eg. insubstantial, unimportant
quartus paeon = 0001 = – (only a few) eg. undersubscribed,

There are 10 text files:
iamb 01.txt
trochee 10.txt
spondee 11.txt
dactyl 100.txt
anapest 001.txt
amphibrach 010.txt
primus 1000.txt
secundus 0100.txt
tertius 0010.txt
quartus 0001.txt

all together in one zipfile Here

Part two of this project
will deal with the l e n g t h of syllables
and relate//compare to their accent.

]]> http://ashleybovan.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/list-of-iamb-trochee-dactyl-spondee-anapest-amphibrach-and-paeons/feed/ 0 51.485616 -3.186849 51.485616 -3.186849 ashleybovan http://ashleybovan.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/ashleys-online-3-word-hiaku-generator-ashley-bovan/ http://ashleybovan.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/ashleys-online-3-word-hiaku-generator-ashley-bovan/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:03:33 +0000 Ashley Bovan http://ashleybovan.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/ashleys-online-3-word-hiaku-generator-ashley-bovan/ ]]>

Ashley’s Three Word Haiku Generator

You will get a screen with 3 buttons
one for each word of the haiku
Press the buttons to get your words
To change any words just click again
That’s it. Have Fun.

Run Program–>>HaikuGen

Download this program
Free Details ->>

Ashley Bovan is happy and appreciating the significance = The Dalai Lama on twitter – http://twitter.com/DalaiLama – HCIT!!

Dalai Lama (DalaiLama) on Twitter

twitter.com

Welcome to the official twitter page of the Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Ashley Bovan Blinkers on – pen out – tutorial 26th April

Mon at 21:06 ·

George McNamara

do you have to write a poem or an essay ?

Yesterday at 17:04 ·

Ashley Bovan

it’s 5 poems plus commentary – but I do have a batch of work in various stages of readiness – but also have serious doubts about its quality

George McNamara angry at the sky -
ash went volcanic

15 April at 14:48 ·

Ashley Bovan

I’m wondering if that is lava-torial humour!

15 April at 20:58 ·

…

Kathy Cooper Whalley Hum, Sky is all very well if you have loads of spare time and are mad about footie…

But I don’t have it, so I’m not really able to comment as I probably don’t know what I’m missing?

12 April at 22:16 ·

Ashley Bovan

OK, my mistake…but I deleted the address etc…maybe I’ll go watch history being made on the box

15 April at 21:20 ·

Kathy Cooper Whalley

hahaha.. history being made! Seems like they are all a bit desperate.

You know, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only people one can trust are the self employed and unemployed, everyone else is minding their backs.
www.lafourmi.eu webclientrev bbbbb999 -not that it’s too exciting, unless oyu want to see 15000 craft products…
This is fun speaking to you after so long!

Ashley Bovan //Inside Cardiff’s new Shopping Complex – you’d never guess it was bright and sunny outside.

Then I was accosted by an agent who tried to persuade me to subscribe to Sky. Next time I’ll be more careful what I think.

12 April at 08:19

Ashley Bovan

Hi Paul,
we’re looking forward to Saturday, didn’t realise we hadn’t RSVPed.
We’ve both got this horrible sinus cold bug that’s going round so we’re probably a health risk…nothing much changes.
All OK in Barry?

13 April at 17:07 ·

Ashley Bovan

Hi George: Am and me did a quick culture crunch of Lpool in 2003, enjoyed Janet Cardiff at Tate, the dirty sands of Formby,

but got the opening times wrong and so only had 15min at the Walker (!), the Lever was on our list too but ran out of time,

didn’t do the shops but here, in Cardiff, we’ve got a new John Lewis and you hear folk speak of it like it’s a religious experience.

13 April at 17:08 ·

Ashley Bovan

Snake-tree Wood

9 new photos

Ashley Bovan //At the Fulcrum//of the scales/is a small cabin Visitors’ Centre/where you can get a cup of bad machine tea/

look at the displays/pictures of the construction of the scales/and have a chat with the bored Tourist Officer/who puts on a brave face

31 March at 11:00 ·

Ashley Bovan Underground Prayer

just testing

26 March at 22:23 ·

Sarah Coles likes this.

Ashley Bovan

Thanks – Disingenuous Twaddle – Lucy Hunt, Kris Khadem, – http://disingenuoustwaddle.blogspot.com/ – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=321235040558

26 March at 22:49 ·

Ashley Bovan

Cardiff Trains

5 new photos

25 March at 17:06 ·

Ashley Bovan Hungry Kingfisher

wildlife

25 March at 16:54 ·

Ashley Bovan

wildlife

5 new photos

24 March at 20:18 ·

Ashley Bovan Writing a poem for my assessment for the French Impressionists class – ps chrysanth rhymes with absinthe…

21 March at 19:03 ·

Ashley Bovan

5 new photos

21 March at 18:18 ·

Ashley Bovan

I think you did go to the Casablanca a few times back when, probably forgotten, club now closed. My folks OK, struggling with old age – early 80s

15 April at 21:17 ·

Kathy Cooper Whalley

Pretty good, we are orphans now.. Yes, the Casablanca club rings some distant bells. It is a very long time ago.

Do you remember Baba-Rham-Das??? For all our wierd ideas when we were 20, the most important one is

“BE HERE NOW” and I try to apply that to my life and enjoy the moment for all it’s worth.

I tend to look forwards, but looking back does bring smiles, most of the time.

15 April at 21:21 ·

Ashley Bovan watched a DVD tonite of the Beat Club from 1966 highlight was the Pretty Things

(the real rolling stones) always amazes me what a gang of guys with guitars, drums and voice can do

20 March at 23:18 ·

Chris Lines Hi Ashley – great to hear from you. I never got any photos of my scooters,

so it was a bit of luck I made contact with Derek recenlty – through John Wilcox.

As you see I got the photos off his film. This Facebook thing is great for finding out

what has happened to all one’s old school friends. I am about to retire from…

Transport for London, so will have more free time as from April. I’ll be in touch again soon. All the best. Chris

See more 20 March at 20:12 ·

Ashley Bovan

Hi Chris
Great to hear from you too.
That film of Derek’s is really good and I think one of the main highlights is the couple seconds with you

driving your scooter – I thought, when I saw it, ‘what a good bit of driving’ and now I see you’ve done (do?)

some rally driving, so that all ties in…. See more
ps I’ve heard (from one of our lot who prefers to remain anonymous) that James Hanratty was ex-KCGS
- have you heard this? Can you confirm or deny?
Maybe I’ll try and extract that scooter driving clip and post it here. All best, Ashley

21 March at 20:27 ·

Ashley Bovan Reaching out today…

Facebook | Ashley Bovan

Word Lists For Writers

This is a collection of word lists designed to aid writing. I’m sure we all get times when the right word (or two) just can’t be thought of…maybe these lists will help. And, if you’re tired of reading the thesaurus then a browse through some of these
might make a change, might inspire.

Index

Lists of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Syllable Words

Lists of 1, 2 and 3 Syllable Words

Parts of speech:
Lists of Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs
- split into number of syllables

A rhyming dictionary

List of words divided into their rhythms
- dactyl, iamb etc

From 1973 to 1994 I ran The Wholefood Shop, Cathays, Cardiff. Every now and then I bump into an old friend from the shop and they ask what I’ve been up to and the answer is usually ‘oh, a bit of this and that, difficult to remember.’ So, since Mr Lucidity is house-guest, here’s a potted history [questions will be asked later]

Since closing the shop (1994), I’ve done a bit of acting, been a tutor with Community Music Wales, done half of a teacher training course at UWIC (music), done exam invigilation, developed a large bald patch, made my own website, been to hundreds of classes in creative writing with Learn (part of Cardiff Uni), taught some youngsters to play the guitar, done a year with the OU (creative writing), had more than 30 poems published, started an MA at Lancaster Uni, aged terribly, become alcoholic, moved to a horrible little bungalow in the Heath, still manage to go for a long walk in the countryside with Amanda most Saturdays

[updated to April 2010]

About
I failed O-level English language twice – got it the third time. Need you read on? All this despite a keen interest in writing from an early age. So it’s pretty clear there’s no natural ability.
After O-levels, 1965, I started (with Rob North) an independent school mag called “Trash” [3 issues] (later “Q4” – 1 issue) and also got into guitar playing and song writing. At Cardiff Uni (UWIST) I was contributor and reporter, then Arts Editor and then Editor, of the college Newspaper “Impact”. After coll I sent a few writings off to publishers but got nowhere. 1972 I had my first big clear out – a dustbin full of 10 years of scribbles.
My creative efforts were diverted, in 1973, for 20 years, into running “The Wholefood Shop” (Cathays, Cardiff) and overlapped with/were followed by 10 years of computer programming and 10 years of using a computer sequencer to compose music.
Come 2002 it was time to start writing again and begin to learn the craft. I started going to creative writing classes.
In 2004 I set up my website so I could get feedback and help me improve. Many thanks to all of you who offered advice and encouragement.

home website – http://www.ashley-bovan.co.uk
This website has two main sections. The first is the ONLINE WRITING block which did contain some examples of my writing but has now been suspended. The second section EXTRA includes my music compositions, some photos, notes on the Bovan surname, walking routes, memoires etc.
In June 2009 I started sending poems off to publishers and can happily report that I’ve had over 30 published in 17 different outlets.
October 2009 – I am now an MA student at Lancaster University. I’m doing their distance learning module in Creative Writing (poetry) and will submit September 2011
Last updated 30th March 2010

SOME OF MY POEMS ONLINE
Disingenuous Twaddle
Streetcake Issue 10
ouroboros review Issue 4
Cleave Poetry 1
Cleave Poetry 2