This morning I visited The Stove to record my poem, The Enchanted Forest. It’s going to feature as part of ‘The Switch On’, an “all-day festival of the written word” taking place in Dumfries on 30th November to coincide with the switching on of the Christmas lights. (You might remember me speaking about this on my blog post on 6th November.) It’s the first sound installation which I’ve been involved in, and it’s all a new experience for me.

Recording the poem was a nerve-racking business. The last time I had to speak into a full-size microphone and hear my voice projected back to me like that would have been over eleven years ago, when I used to help out with my school’s radio station. I was able to hear snippets of some of the other poets and writers who had already recorded their pieces, and they all sounded incredibly professional. I can’t wait to hear the finished result – it’s going to be fantastic!

My nerves, combined with a couple of technical issues, meant that I stumbled on my words a little and ended up having to read my poem out five or six times, but it was worth it. Afterwards I felt really excited to have done it, and I can’t have done too badly because I even got a high-five from my highly discerning son!

I felt even more honoured when I discovered that I was one of only fifteen to be selected out of over fifty submissions from all over the world. Commiserations to anyone reading this who was not selected – trust me, I know the disappointment only too well – but, after eighteen months spent working hard at my MLitt Creative Writing whilst raising an energetic toddler, I am so proud that others might finally be recognising an improvement in my writing.

The Switch On takes place on Monday, 30th November. My poem will be played from noon until 10pm in one of the closes around the centre of Dumfries (most likely the one opposite the entrance to the Loreburne Shopping Centre which runs down to the NCP car park). There are lots of great activities going on that day (not least the Christmas lights switch on itself!) so if you’re in the area please pop along, and if not then I’ll be trying my best to get a video recording which I can share with you afterwards!