Sue Vincent is an amazing blogger who does a huge amount to promote and support her fellow bloggers, authors and poets. She runs a weekly photo prompt challenge which is hugely well supported and provides some lovely insights into how different people think and write in response to the same prompt.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am a Yorkshire lass with two grown sons and two granddaughters. I live with the notorious Small Dog, in a village in rural Buckinghamshire, England. I write daily for my own blog, the Daily Echo, which is an eclectic mix of personal reflections, poetry, history and folklore. I help run the Silent Eye, an international organisation that helps people realise their potential through awareness, and write for our website too. As a writer, I have several books published, including one written with G. Michael Vasey, but most of the time I write in partnership with Stuart France, exploring ancient sites, myths and symbolism in a semi-fictional way.
When ever I think of Yorkshire it reminds me of the book, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Sue and Stuart’s separate and combined blog posts also remind me of this book with their amazing and wonder inducing sights and ideas.
Who is your favourite poet?
That has to be an unfair question! It all depends on the moment and the mood. If I had to choose, I would say Omar Khayyam, whose poetry I have carried in my handbag and re-read for many years.
On the other hand, and completely at the other end of the literary scale, there is Marriot Edgar, whose rhyming monologues, written and recited in the vernacular, were so much a part of my childhood that even now, when I write humorous verse, it is to his rhythm.
As I lived in France for many years and learned the language as well as my own, I learned to love French poetry too, and while I could say my favourite is Alfred de Musset or Victor Hugo, I will be honest and say that the poet that moves me the most is the Belgian singer/songwriter, Jacques Brel. The lyrics of his songs are poems in their own right and have a good deal to say and to teach.
The idea of the book of poetry you carry in your handbag, Sue, is completely wonderful to me. It has quite captured my imagination and I think I may start a tradition like this with my son, Gregory.
What is your favourite poem?
Omar Khayyam is easy… Fitzgerald translated his work from the original Farsi, and the quatrains are all in one book, the Rubaiyat…
“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit.
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”
But then, there is Marriot Edgar to consider… and although The Lion and Albert is probably his best-known work, which I can still recite by heart, I do have a fondness for his take on various events in British history. Particular favourites are The Battle of Hastings, where King Harold confronted William of Normandy:
King ‘Arold came up as they landed –
His face full of venom and ‘ate –
He said ‘lf you’ve come for t’Regatta
You’ve got here just six weeks too late.’
At this William rose, cool but ‘aughty,
And said ‘Give us none of your cheek;
You’d best have your throne re-upholstered,
I’ll be wanting to use it next week.’
Though if I had to pick one, it would be Magna Charter, which recounts how King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, even if he did dip his pen in the jam…
“And it’s through that there Magna Charter,
As were made by the Barons of old,
That in England today we can do what we like,
So long as we do what we’re told.”
Thank you for introducing me and my readers to these poems, Sue. They are lovely and memorable.
What do you appreciate most in a poem?
The first word that sprang to mind in answer to this question was ‘integrity’, and that, I think, can be applied to all forms of poetry. With humorous verses, I want to laugh. With narrative poems, I want a story that has a beginning, middle and end. With short forms, like the haiku and tanka that are now so popular, I want the capture of a moment and layers of possible interpretation that make me think. With classic poetry, I want to feel what the writer felt, understand the elusive thought or emotion that made them write.
Whether it is free verse, rhyme or one of the many recognised forms, it is not enough to simply string words and phrases together across the lines and beats, arranging it to look like a poem. A poem has to flow; it should sing its own music as it is read, even free verse should have its own rhythm and inner shape. And, whether it is humorous, romantic, spiritual or dramatic, it should have something to say that will leave the reader the richer for having read.
You have summed up beautifully what I also think, Sue. A poem should be meaningful and leave a lasting impression upon the reader.
Why do you write poetry?
I grew up around poetry. My mother’s notebooks introduced me early to how odd incidents and fleeting emotions could be captured in verse. There were the monologues shared with my great-grandparents, and always books… even my first Sunday School Prize was written in verse, and I have loved Dr Seuss ever since.
Things that amuse me tend to be written in my head, as they happen, in Edgar-esque verses, but there are other, deeper things that seem as if they can only be conveyed by poetry. You cannot capture them in everyday words… transient realisations, fleeting emotions, inspiration half-understood. Thoughts and feelings too wide to condense into speech find a home in poetry, where the unspeakable can be spoken and the uncontainable contained in such a way that others might share and glimpse an elusive idea. That is why I read and write poetry.
Would you see Eden in a withered bough?
Sunlight in shadows, or flowers bloom in frost?
Beauty in sorrow, or gifts in the dark?
Ask the Earth and the song of wild water
To whisper their secrets.
Follow the moon-path to the horizon
And look within.
I feel you have written your reasons like a true poet, Sue. Writing poetry is something we are compelled to do as part of the communication of our deepest feelings and thoughts. It is really the only way some things can be said for some people.
Sue Vincent’s poetry books
My review of Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two
Where to start with a review of Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two by Sue Vincent? I loved this books so much and so did Michael. It became a bit of a contentious book between Mike and I as I sneakily read ahead and Michael realised that I wasn’t starting where I had finished reading to him and made me go back. He was very determined not to miss a single word. I love this type of story, told mainly through the eyes of a small and very cute dog called Ani. Sue depicts day to day life in such a humorous and fun filled way and I found it a wonderful way to end each stress filled day to sit down and read a few chapters of Ani’s antics to Michael [and to myself of course thereby sparking Mike’s intense displeasure as mentioned above]. Sue writes beautiful descriptions of the natural environment where she lives and her depictions of some of Ani’s learning experiences are very funny. I can just picture the surprise of a small dog taking a flying leap into a pond that has frozen overnight. Sue describes Ani’s anxiety and attention when she is ill and her concern and caring when Ani is ill. This book is altogether completely delightful and tells a beautiful story of the special relationship that can develop between man and his best friend. There are also a few of Sue’s humorous and clever Ani poems thrown in for good measure. This genre of book is just up my street and I rated this book five out of five on Goodreads. I have ordered the next book in the series and am anxiously waiting for Amazon to deliver it. You can read the rest of this post here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/my-review-of-notes-from-a-small-dog-four-legs-on-two-by-sue-vincent/
Laughter Lines, Life from the Tail End
Michael and I are firm Ani addicts so another whole book about Ani’s antics is a real treat. The goings on of Ani’s two legs, sets Michael off into gales of laughter so we are really happy to read about the trials and tribulations of “Her” too.
The book is written in rhyming verse and tells all sorts of tales. To coin a phrase, Ani says:
“The time has come,” the doglet said,
“to talk of many things;
Of tennis balls and squeaky ducks,
and sneaky bees with stings; …”
In this book, Laughter Lines, Life from the Tail End, you will meet some of Ani’s friends, OR NOT:
The cat likes to sit on the roof of the shed
While the dog views this as an intrusion,
It’s all fur and teeth
As the dog growls beneath
And the birds flutter round in confusion.
We get some insights into Ani’s diet:
Its cream cheese and crackers for me and the dog,
While I’m more the epicure… she’s just a hog…
AND
Me and the dog had a sandwich for brunch
(Well, for me it was breakfast, for her it was lunch.)
NOT TO MENTION
The ham disappeared without leaving a trace
Except for the grin upon one small dog’s face.
So if you like to enjoy life and have a good giggle, pick up this delightful book of light-hearted poems and jump right in. There are also some lovely photographs in the book for the reader to enjoy.
You can read the rest of this post here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2017/06/03/my-review-of-laughter-lines-life-from-the-tail-end-by-sue-vincent/
Find Sue Vincent
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sue-Vincent/e/B00F2L730W/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551588.Sue_Vincent
Blog: https://scvincent.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SCVincent/17967259931
I enjoyed Sue’s take on poetry very much. She is an an amazing post herself.
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Thank you 🙂
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I agree, she really is. Michael and I both loved her poetry books.
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Love your interview, love Sue 💜
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Thanks, Ritu. I love the reviews ❤
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💜
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So do I, Ritu. Hugs
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💜
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Sue is very great with her short captions with apt pictures, Robbie and her poetic skills are awesome. Lovely and wonderful poems. Wish her all the very best with her new venture. Thanks for the share, Robbie.
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Thank you, Kamal, I appreciate your good wishes.
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Welcome dear Sue. Hearty congratulations dear.
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Thank you 🙂
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Welcome.
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Thank you, Kamal. You are absolutely right, Sue’s blog posts and books are a delight.
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Welcome always dear Robbie.
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I enjoy so much of this interview, Robbie and Sue. Sue shares a profound view on poetry. “Thoughts and feelings too wide to condense into speech find a home in poetry… the unspeakable can be spoken…” I can identify with this sentiment and wrote a poem about what music means to me and used some of those words to describe music. Thank you, Sue, and thank you, Robbie!
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Thanks, Miriam. I agree, and would say the same about both music and other art forms.
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Yes, the beauty is that they go with our mood of the moment and speak the same language of our present.
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An manage to convey what we may not be able to describe.
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Exactly, Sue. That’s the limitation of human language, My last poem was about the nature (or any art forms as you mentioned) paints a wordless picture of our story. I can’t fully describe the pain in the depth of my heart or the over whelming joy.
When I first listened to The Concierto de Aranjuez composed by Joaquin Rodrigo, I could hear the pain and crying in the music. I did some research and found out that Rodrigo’s grief at the miscarriage of their first child and wrote this piece.
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We cannot always hear or see what the artist felt…though you are right, and often we can understand the emotion if not its cause… but art of any kind, that has any depth at all, will elicit an emotional response from us and carry us into a place where we feel with the artist.
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Yes, Sue, there was a time I was in pain and trying to find my way out, I listened to Tchaikovsky’s symphony No 6 in B minor over and over to draw out my emotion. Later on I found out the music was interpreted as a suicide note due to depression. Wow…
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We can feel our way beyond the obvious where art is concerned…and music speaks a language the heart understands.
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It’s amazing how artists communicate beyond boundaries of time and space.
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That, I believe, is the purpose of art.
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Yes, it is, Sue.
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Sue is one of the amazing writers I learn from Miriam. I was most fortunate to discover both Sally and her blogs early on in my blogging life. They have made the world of difference to my blogging experience.
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Yes, they are, I enjoy both blogs and appreciate their writing. I did WritePhoto in my earlier blogging. My schedule got interrupted a year ago. I love my conversation with Sue even though my time to do challenges are limited.
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Thank you very much for inviting me over, Robbie… and for the wonderful reviews. It made my day when I first heard you were reading the books aloud to Michael, though Ani assures me that I need take no credit for them as they are her books 😉
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Ani is a very talented writer, Sue. Michael would like Ani to write more books about her antics. I have two of the books you co-authored with Stuart waiting patiently on my kindle for me to finish up work this week. I am very happy to have you over for a visit and I hope this post gives these two delightful books a boost.
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Please tell Michael that Ani will almost certainly be getting a new book out next year. X
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Meet author, poet and blogger Sue Vincent in this post from Robbie’s Inspiration Blog.
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Thank you, Don. I appreciate your sharing this post.
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You’re welcome
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thank you, Chris. Your share is much appreciated.
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Welcome, Robbie 🤗❤️🤗
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Great interview, robbie and Sue. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Frank.
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Thank you, Frank
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I really enjoyed this interview with Sue, Robbie, finding out a little more about her and a lot more about her thoughts on poetry. I appreciate the considered answers she gave to your probing questions. Her reasons for admiring poetry are ones I share.
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Thank you, Norah. Sometimes, answering questions is a good way to clarify thoughts.
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That’s very true, Sue. 🙂
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Thank you, Norah. Sue’s answers were lovely and gave a lot of insight into her life, thoughts and personality. Her special qualities and lovely writing also show through in her writing.
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They do indeed, Robbie. You were a great team.
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Enjoyed this! Sue is a special person, and a lovely writer as well.
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Thank you, Kaye, that’s very kind.
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I am glad you enjoyed it. I agree that Sue is very special and I loved both of her books.
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Reblogged this on Campbells World and commented:
I’d like to encourage all to read like, and share this post. It would be much appreciated. Remember, sharing really is caring. It is much more as well. It is a way to help authors, and business owners promote their work, thus helping them to succeed.
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Thank you very much for sharing. It is appreciated.
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Love this interview!
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Thank you, Jennie!
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You’re welcome, Sue.
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Thank you, Jennie. I really enjoyed Sue’s answers too.
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You are welcome, Robbie. I thoroughly enjoyed Sue’s answers.
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Reblogged this on Not Tomatoes.
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Thank you, Alethea
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Sue is a treasure. Nice to see her featured on your blog, Robbie.
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Thank you, John… I’m glad to be here 🙂
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Me too, Sue. I’m always glad to be somewhere.
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😀 Well, you’re always welcome at mine, John 🙂
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I am very happy to have Sue over, John. She is a wonderful poet, blogger, author and a lovely person too [with an awesome dog – smile]
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🙂
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Life from the Tail End sounds so cute, and I love the way Sue writes the poetry. I can following the rhythm, feel the flow. What a wonderful gift for a dog lover.
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Thanks, Jacqui. The Small Dog sems to enjoy poetry 😉
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I don’t have a dog, Jacqui, and I loved both of these books, as did Michael. We even thought about getting a dog but I think it would get lonely when we are out all morning.
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The Small Dog is blushing 😉
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Thoroughly enjoyed your interview with Sue, Robbie. I’ve gotten to know her so much better through her insights on poetry. ❤ Sharing…
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Thank you, Bette… I enjoyed writing this for Robbie.
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Thank you, Bette, I appreciate your sharing.
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I am always in awe of poets and Sue is a fine example! This was a wonderful interview. I loved the samples of poetry Sue chose to share with us. An enjoyable read, Sue and Robbie.
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Thanks, Darlene. I really do love these two poets… and know their works very well, even though they wrote in such widely different veins.
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Thank you, Darlene, I am so pleased you enjoyed Sue’s choices and thoughts. I really enjoyed them too and, as always with Sue, I learned a lot of new information.
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Thanks, Robbie, for bringing Sue the Poet to your series. I loved learning about her favorite poets, reading the verses, and reading about how Sue defines the integrity of a poem. Wonderful post. 🙂
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Thanks, Diana. I enjoyed the excuse to dig out some favourites 🙂
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Thank you, Diana, I am so pleased you enjoyed this post. Sue is a wonderful poet herself and learning about her favourite poems and poets was very interesting.
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Wonderful to see Sue here today Robbie. Sue certainly deserves the spotlight for all she does for so many. Loved Sue’s chosen poetry too! ❤
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Thank you, Debby. I was happy to have an opportunity to host Sue on my blog. She has me over to her blog quite often. I enjoyed Sue’s responses to my questions a great deal and I am thrilled to see how interested everyone is in her thoughts.
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Of course Robbie. Sue is full of wisdom and wonderful stories. 🙂
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Thank you, Debby. It was fun to do this 🙂 xx
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It was fab sue 🙂 xx
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🙂 xx
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi.
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Thank you, Traci.
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Thanks, Traci 🙂
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You’re welcome, Sue!
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I’m not sure I would be confident enough to ever try reading poetry in a language I don’t speak fluently. I wonder how fluent her French is?
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I think Sue will pop in later and answer that for you, Tandy. I only speak a few words and sentences in French; I am not got with language other than English. Sue’s poetry is heartwarming and delightful.
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Pretty fuent, Tandy… I lived there for years, married a French musician and my eldest son was born there.
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Great post. It is lovely to see Sue here and read more about her taste in poetry and her background. And what a great review. Love to Sue, Ani, to her very inspiring son and to the rest of the family. Thanks, Robbie.
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Thanks, Olga… the family send their best wishes to you in return 🙂
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Thank you, Olga. I was delighted to have Sue over with such a fabulous post.
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Reblogged this on Just Olga and commented:
Robbie Cheadle features Sue Vincent as part of her Poetry Readathon. Unmissable!
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Thank you for sharing, Olga 🙂
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Thank you, Olga, much appreciated.
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Wonderful Robbie and a great series … lovely choice of poetry to share Sue.. hugs to you both.. I have pressed for later today..
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Thanks, Sally… both poets that have a lot of memories for me, quite apart from their works. And thanks for sharing too 🙂 xxx
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Pleasure Sue.. hugsx
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Thank you, Sally. This is such a great post from Sue I am so pleased you are sharing.
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I definitely thought so Robbie..hugsxx
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A great celebration of Sue, a wonderful writer and blogger.
Two of my favourite blogging ladies, one featuring the other.
A joy to see. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, Pete… it was a real pleasure to come over here, And Robbie’s reviews made the Small Dog’s day 😉
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Thank you, Pete. Sue’s poetry is inspirational and so are her historical and other blog posts.
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I did so enjoy reading Sue’s poetry, and she’s given me the courage to read other poets, too. I must admit to being a little afraid of poetry–I am always convinced I’m missing something important.
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Thanks for visiting and commenting, Amy. I am of the view that if you enjoy a poem or piece of writing in your personal capacity, it doesn’t matter if your appreciation of it differs from other peoples.
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I agree with you. I think I get junior-high teacher voices in my head when I read poetry–I need to banish them!
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I agree, Robbie. And Amy… poetry is not always that ‘high-brow’ stuff designed (it seems sometimes) specifically to leave you wondering. I love the fun stuff too.
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Sue, I fear the high-brow stuff! But I’m getting better…
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Dont fear it, just feel it and see where it takes you 🙂
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I love learning more about the people I admire greatly. Thank you, Robbie, for sharing Sue with us! And thank you, Sue, for sharing you! ❤
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My pleasure, Dorinda. I loved Sue’s thoughts about poetry and her favourite poems.
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Thanks, Dorinda. This was a really enjoyable post to write with all the memories it called up 🙂
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😊
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This was a lovely post to read. Sue summed up what poetry means to her so beautifully. I loved your reviews of Laughter Lines and Notes From a Small Dog, Robbie. I really enjoyed them both.
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Thanks, Mary. I rather enjoyed Robbie’s reviews too 😉
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Thank you, Mary. Beautiful books. I have two other books by Sue to read over my holiday.
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A wonderful interview. ❤
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Thank you, Adele ❤
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Thank you, Adele
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MUCH enjoyed Robbie, thank you for this lovely interview with Sue –
an interview
with Sue
caused a smile
as wide as a mile
to me
and thee
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What a great comment, Susan. Thank you.
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Wonderful interview!
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Thank you, Jennie. Sue is a great interviewee.
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You are welcome, Robbie. 🙂
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I cringe when some people write about their animals….To them it’s meaningful, even if not well written…BUT when well written, original, and especially humorously, it’s totally different. Sue’s a great writer. Bring it on!
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Sue’s Ani poems are brilliant, Joy, and so funny. I am looking forward to book number 3.
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