Doug Woods

Love in a City (a poem)

You may recall that I recently explored my attic and found a folder full of poetry from my teenage years. Here is another of those poems. Once more it is a ‘dark’ image; as so many of them seem to be. Again, it is crap but it is my crap. Love in a CityThe silver…… Continue reading Love in a City (a poem)

Snowflakes Fall (a poem)

What a delight it has been for me, if not for you, to have found many of my old poems. The other day, I climbed up into the attic in search of some poems I wrote when I was still a schoolboy. I was not certain that I still had them but I thought I…… Continue reading Snowflakes Fall (a poem)

Gloucester Poetry Festival – the epilogue

Last night I went down to the Fountain Inn in Gloucester, this is a great little pub near the city centre. Normally, I would not write about going to a pub but on this occasion, I was attending the final event of the month-long Gloucester Poetry Festival. I have attended a few of the events…… Continue reading Gloucester Poetry Festival – the epilogue

October’s Story Telling at Joe’s Yarns

Joe’s Yarns. The scene is set for Life Story telling at Smokey Joe’s Cafe in Cheltenham. The last Wednesday of each month is when we hold a storytelling event at Smokey Joe’s Café in Cheltenham. This event has been regularly running for over three years and still goes strong. Unlike many other storytelling events, it…… Continue reading October’s Story Telling at Joe’s Yarns

The Poetry Workshop

The other morning I went along to a poetry workshop, it was the first I had ever attended. Being my first, I was unsure what to expect. This is what happened. … We met in the cafe of an old theatre. There were seven of us in all; four I had met before, two new…… Continue reading The Poetry Workshop

I Once Wrote Some Poems part 2

I handed my poetry to my English teacher… It was two weeks before I got it back. I had expected red marks and comments on each poem, I had expected some grade, some pointers, some advice. Instead, all I got was; “Thank you for letting me read your work.” I’m not sure if that was…… Continue reading I Once Wrote Some Poems part 2

I Once Wrote Some Poems then Suddenly Stopped

When I was younger, I wrote some poems, received praise and had them published. Then I suddenly stopped. This is the story … I blame my English teacher at school. He was responsible for starting this all off. When I was fifteen or sixteen and still at school, our English teacher gave the class a…… Continue reading I Once Wrote Some Poems then Suddenly Stopped

Public Speaking for Introverts

I am naturally an introvert, so this article grabbed my attention. It outlines five strategies for delivering a speech in public. Some of these strategies I have tried myself and I am sure they could work for extroverts as well as for introverts such as myself. Here is a link to the article, 5 Strategies…… Continue reading Public Speaking for Introverts

How Do You Become a Public Speaker?

https://qr.ae/TWrFO4 There are many ways to become a public speaker. The starting point is to stand before an audience and speak. It does not matter what size your audience is; the first step is always to stand and speak. Some people go on to speak in front of an audience of hundreds or even thousands…… Continue reading How Do You Become a Public Speaker?

What Does Your Coffee Cup Say About You?

Do you know what this is? Of course, you do; it’s a take-away coffee cup. Yet. It is not any ordinary coffee cup, it is a Starbucks coffee cup. Furthermore, it is not just any old Starbucks coffee cup, it is a Starbucks Reserve coffee cup. This cup says a lot about me. It says…… Continue reading What Does Your Coffee Cup Say About You?