Back in 2012, I was asked to design and run a blog-writing course for a community organisation in South Wales. Although I was no expert, I said yes! and started reading blogs every day to prepare. I loved the versatility of this form and feeling connected to people through their posts. It wasn’t long before I decided to start my own blog, Collecting Words, where I shared my experiences as an American writer living in Wales. I posted about the ups and downs of freelance projects, celebrated successes and included lots of poems and photos.
Since then, my little blog has changed enormously—existing now as a part of my professional website. I still read blogs on everything from true crime and British history to funeral directing and PhD life. However, the blogs I return to most are about books. I love finding out what people are reading and seeing the transformative power of literature in action. Perhaps this is why I am so excited to take part in my first blog tour for one of my own books!
Thanks to the support and keen organisation of Isabelle Kenyon, my new poetry collection, How to Carry Fire, will be touring ten different blogs starting tomorrow, 27 March. Every blogger on this tour has received early copies of the collection in exchange for their honest thoughts. Two of them have also invited me to share guest posts about my writing process and the book’s themes. You can find all the bloggers, and links to their blogs, on Twitter.
How to Carry Fire reveals how physical and emotional fires can forge us. It speaks to addiction, family, home, love and more. If these themes spark your interest, please join me on this digital ten-day tour!
