Author Description

English is the most irregular and diverse language on the planet. The irregularities sometimes make even the most ardent language scholar wince. But in turn, they explain why a small group of islands in the North Atlantic gave birth to a language shared by Al Capone, the Beatles, the Dalai Lama, most of the population of India, large parts of Africa and all the missions into outer space. And it is something about those annoying irregularities which make English the most poetic language we have. Five years ago, I formed my own UK independent publishing house Time is an Ocean Publications and have now published more than 40 paperback and hardback books both for myself and other writers, from as far afield as California, India, Finland, Canada and Cuba. During the Covid summer of 2021 one of my writers was scrabbling around with very little money in search of a professional course to study poetry and creative writing. I joined in her search and together we found that university-based courses were both academically rigid and expensive (£9,000 per semester), while private courses were either expensive or just light weight. So, we made a conscious decision, with the help of some esteemed university academics, and construct the whole course ourselves. Hence: Alliteration to Ziplock Zippies. While this course book may not push every button, we hope you enjoy it, and help give you a shove to become a published poet or like Bob Dylan, create something timeless from the fringes. It all lies within you.