(The Planetary Ennead’ is available to buy now in the Lulu Online Bookstore)
I have had a fascination with all things Space-related since I was a boy, and so when I began writing poems I knew that it would only be a matter of time before my poetic gaze turned to the stars. That time came in October 2022, when I began to draft out a poem about the planet, Jupiter. I may have seen something on television, in the news, or perhaps came across a picture of it, I can’t fully remember what prompted me, but as soon as I began I was hooked and wanted to write about another planet. For my second planet, I chose Neptune and it quickly became clear that a poetic representation of all the planets in the solar system was calling, but could I be bothered to complete a full set of planetary poems? I decided not to pressure myself and just write about a different planet whenever it took my fancy, in amongst my everyday writing.
“In a poetic sense, we could be regarded as a solar family of worlds…”
It was early on in this process that I also took the decision to include a technically ‘non-planet’ in my series; the dwarf planet Pluto. Throughout my childhood, Pluto had been asserted as the ninth planet in the solar system and so I had developed the same affinity to it as the the other eight worlds (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). However, it was de-classified as a planet in 2006, which left me with the problem of how to justify its inclusion in my collection of planets poems. I won’t go into the scientific rationale for its de-classification here, as I write about poetry, not science, but I retained the tiny ice world of Pluto in this collection for that same reason: In a poetic sense, we could be regarded as a solar family of worlds and, as many families tend to have their so-called misfits, then perhaps Pluto plays that part in our solar system.
I continued to write a poem about a different planet every few weeks. A key source of inspiration for me in all matters ‘Space‘ are the BBC Studios Science Unit documentaries with Brian Cox, on whom I depend to learn and understand about the Cosmos! The NASA website is also a valuable source of information and learning. This helped me to merge factual content with poetic interpretation in each of the poems, and by the New Year of 2023 I was in full swing, writing planetary poems in succession.
I ensured that the final planet I wrote about was Earth itself, because I wanted to be able to emphasise its value and importance within the broader context of the solar system, and the Cosmos. So, I needed to see how the other poems read before turning to Earth, so that I knew what tone to apply to it. I think that many of us know intuitively that our home planet is fragile and precious beyond measure, owing to it being a source of abundant life (including us of course!), and these qualities were reinforced to me when writing and contemplating the other planets. There is undoubted and spectacular beauty amongst the stars, but there is something particularly awe-inspiring about the phenomena of life itself, irrespective of the physical scale of the Cosmos.
While I was in the process of creating my nine-poem collection, a submissions callout was advertised by Green Ink Poetry, asking for poems relating to ‘Cosmos‘. I duly submitted three poems for consideration, and my poem ‘Jupiter’ was accepted and published in their edition in February 2023. This was really pleasing to see as I felt that it gave me confirmation that the style and approach I was using for the poems was effective and that others would find it enjoyable to read. It was a real thrill to get an acceptance from a respected online publication like Green Ink Poetry.
With the collection completed in the same month, I needed a title. I couldn’t simply name it ‘The Planets‘ as that was both unoriginal and inaccurate due to Pluto’s inclusion, so I wanted a word to describe a set of nine things, in the same way that a quartet describes four, and an octet describes eight. I found the word ‘Nonet‘ in the dictionary and provisionally called the collection ‘The Planetary Nonet‘, but at the last minute discovered a nonet is in fact a specific type of poem itself, making it a misnomer for this work. Further searching of the dictionaries revealed another word for a group of nine; an ‘Ennead‘ (pronounced ‘enn-e-ad‘). This was great, as I felt that ‘The Planetary Ennead‘ gave the collection a suitably epic feel.
” ‘Ennead’ [enn-e-ad] – a group of nine.”
merriam-webster.com
The question of how to share these poems was actually more difficult than writing them as I felt that independent printing presses were unlikely to accept a collection of nine works, it being too small. I was also enthusiastic about putting these poems out there as soon as possible and didn’t want to wait months for a response from publishers, only to find that no-one was interested because the collection was too short, so a colleague suggested I try Lulu Online Publishing. I had always shied away from going down the self-publishing route because I desperately wanted the validation of an independent publisher to qualify my work, but the situation with ‘The Planetary Ennead‘ seemed right, and I was excited to get the work out into the world! It took some persistence and an elevation of my Microsoft Word abilities to a new level, in terms of formatting, but I eventually was able to design a 30-page publication for paperback, hardcover, and ebook, using Lulu’s bespoke templates. I was very pleased with the result and, after ordering proof copies and producing promotional materials, all that remained was to organise my launch event.
From time-to-time, I attend the Wotlarx poetry and spoken word open mic event at Wrecking Ball Arts Centre in Hull, England, and it was here that the poet, Richard Harries, once announced that he was launching his new book at The Brain Jar cocktail bar on Trinity House Lane, also in Hull. This happened while I was in the middle of writing The Planetary Ennead and so, when it came to choosing a venue, I immediately thought of The Brain Jar. One Tuesday morning, I popped down to Trinity House Lane to make my enquiries. I found that they were closed to customers, the mesh gate over the door indicating as such. However, perhaps due to fire regulations, both gate and door were unlocked, so I crept through and entered. I introduced myself to the manager, Matt, and once he knew my plans he couldn’t have been more helpful. I was offered one of the lounges on the first floor, and use of their public announcement system for music and readings. After discussing my plans, the date was set for Sunday 21st May, from 1-2pm. I chose this time because The Brain Jar regularly hosts its Big Brain Sunday Quiz from 2-5pm and thought I might be able to attract some of their regular punters to arrive early by hosting a special ‘Planet Puzzler Quiz‘ of my own.
The next three weeks were spent marketing and promoting my event – very exciting! I trekked all over Hull, handing out posters and flyers on the street and in bars and cafes, and even got a couple of slots on BBC Radio Humberside, firstly with David Burns (‘Burnsy’) on his morning programme, and then Phil White on his Saturday morning show. Being on Burnsy’s show was particularly interesting, and horrifying, because in the minutes before I was due to receive the phone call to come on the air I heard them announce that they would be speaking to another poet before me; none other than Dr John Cooper Clarke himself! This, coupled with the fact that they were billing me as a ‘poet‘ ‘alongside the man responsible for the “most famous poem in British History” (‘I Wanna Be Yours’) just sounded ‘insane’ to my ear, and I immediately turned off my radio in fright! The interview actually seemed to go well in the end, and all credit to my local radio station for offering fledgling poets like myself a platform, and treating us with such deference and respect alongside established and renowned performers.
I was happy with the promotional push I gave to the launch, and finally the moment of truth came on Sunday 21st May at The Brain Jar. The turnout was lower than expected, but building a general interest in your work can be a slow-burning process and I didn’t view the launch as a ‘make-or-break’ event, but one of a series of promotional activities for The Planetary Ennead. Whilst I have never jumped at the opportunity to perform in public, I’m always prepared to do so in order to get my work out there. I actually write for the printed page, but in this mass media world, I think it is a necessity to ensure that you also perform content either in person or on social media, in order to generate awareness of your work.
(Getting things ready at The Brain Jar cocktail bar in Hull).
I must give particular thanks for the support shown to me by Dave and Polly Pattison (the hosts of Wotlarx), friend from work Sarah C, and Isobel, who arrived having received one of my flyers, and swept the board with my prize quiz; a NASA mug and solar system-themed bedside lamp ( I feel like I may have gained a new fan!). The team at The Brain Jar were also fantastic; their manager, Matt, in sorting out the logistics, and then on the day Rob, Alex, and Yasmine, were all brilliant in helping me get set up. It’s a really supportive and welcoming space for creatives to showcase their work and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to launch their material.
So, my poems of the planets are finally out here in the world (or, rather, outer space!) and I am delighted. I hope to do more promotions of this collection in the future, which is available to buy online at the Lulu Bookstore. I do hope you will read it, whether that be the paperback booklet, hardcover, or ebook. The latter is also on global distribution, so you can find it on most online ebook retailers.
The Planetary Ennead is here. We have ‘Lift Off’!
Poet in Verse 