If You Need More Light ...

then here's a bright story, a beautiful poem by Morag Anderson, and a list of live subscriber events for 2026.

If you need light, I can tell you about my cousin, Alex.

About 8 months ago, Alex saw a post about a friend’s friend in renal failure. The mildest symptoms of end-stage kidney disease include severe fatigue, swelling, nausea, confusion, trouble breathing and horribly itchy skin. Without dialysis or transplant, it leads to seizures, coma and death.

If you’re as rubbish at biology as I am, you might need to be told that we have two kidneys. Both of that women’s kidneys were failing. But Alex reckoned that as she had two functional kidneys, she could give one to that woman in need.

So she did. On 19^th December, after numerous texts and evaluations, Alex become a live donor – and now she and the woman who received this gift are both doing well.

Alex is way too quiet and self-effacing to talk publicly about what she did. She’s embarrassed by admiration and effusive praise, though she’s deeply touched by the woman’s letter of thanks on behalf of her and her family. .

But there’s no doubt that what she did – and all the medical staff who made it possible - has saved a woman’s life, and transformed the lives of the people who love her.

And this light travels so much further than people who are directly affected. It travels way beyond their friends, and colleagues, and neighbours and children. This is a story of one human being offering everything to a stranger, simply because of humanity, and it brings light everywhere. “It’s nothing”, says Alex. “I had one spare”.

The world can feel dark sometimes. Every act of goodness and kindness is a tiny light; sometimes they flare for a moment. Cuz, this light will burn for years.

And for all its sparkle, Christmas can be a really sad time of year. So much nostalgia, so many memories - sometimes, the melancholy lands on heavy on me; sometimes, the loss echoes inside me like a great big drum. So much noise, so many crowds, so many things to do!

So I’ve love these quieter days after Christmas. Today is the first day I’ve had entirely to myself since term ended, and I’m spending it by:

- finding new shelves for old bottles

- reading poetry by Morag Anderson and Maggie Milner, and choosing poems for January Writing Hours

- plotting with Kim by text and arranging our live events for paying subscribers for January, February and March

- arranging broken bits of pottery into categories which are obvious only to me

- making whisky liqueur so that the house is full of the smell I remember from Christmas Eve

- looking for the local megaliths I’ve been ignoring for years - until I discovered The Megalith Portal in Fiona Robertson’s “Stone Lands”. Then my partner bought me “The Old Stones” for Christmas, and now all of the big stones on the moors are transformed, and a new obsession is born!

I’m wishing you light, and I hope that however dark or busy your day, there’s time, however snatched, to do the things that make you happy, or comfortable, or warm.

Talking of which - here are the dates of the online readings and workshops Kim and I will be delivering for paying subscribers in January, February and March, as a gigantic thank you for your support. There’s no way Kim and I could run this Substack without you - so whether you’re a £4 monthly subscriber, or a lifelong supporter - we’re very, very grateful!!! You don’t need to sign up – we’ll send all paying subscribers a Zoom link in the coming days, and a reminder shortly before each event.

Wednesday January 21st, 7-8.30pm:

The Path: a sharing by Clare

In the coldest days of winter, I’ll take you back to the hot, bright, and sometimes stormy days of August 2025, with readings from my Coast-to-Coast walk. Based largely on my diary, voice notes, photos and Coast to Coast substack, I’ll share work-in-progress and invite your feedback and input into the future shape and direction of this hybrid new collection.

Monday February 9^th, 7-9pm:

Writing Poetic Form Workshop:

join Kim and I for a two-hour creative writing workshop. Learn about traditional and contemporary forms and what they can offer your own poetry. Read, write – and perhaps try your hand at inventing your own form!

Sunday March 22^nd, 7pm:

Form Open Mic:

celebrate the return of Spring by showcasing your form poetry. Sign up to share your sonnets, sestinas, golden shovels and more!

And here is the final poem from Morag Anderson’s chapbook “And I Will Make of You a Vowel Sound”. All of the book is as beautiful and as perfectly formed as a its title, and it is available from Fly on the Wall Press.