On first reading I was distinctly unimpressed with Lorcán Black's "Strange Husbandry". Indeed, I very nearly didn't finish it. But I put it aside (for a couple of months) and re-read it last week. [This is a new process I seem to have adopted with poetry collections - especially those I struggle with initially.] The … Continue reading “Strange Husbandry”
Category: Poetry
Book trailers
Over the last few weeks I have been generating short video trailers for my books (most are less than a minute long). Here they all are collected in one place!
“An Arbitrary Light Bulb”
There is a challenge in reading poetry which is intrinsically personal to the poet. Often, in order to get the most from a piece, you need to know the people concerned or the places described or the events which happened. Without this, striving for interpretation can feel a little like reading with one metaphorical hand … Continue reading “An Arbitrary Light Bulb”
February’s best Substack posts
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of links to recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
Grimsby Docks – a trailer
“Constructing a Witch”
One of the many dangers in putting together a largely single-themed collection of poetry is that the poet may find themselves working with a restricted suite of words - this in addition to running the risk of 'sameness' or good poems/lines simply getting 'lost'. Painters do something similar of course (think Rothko or Picasso's 'periods'), … Continue reading “Constructing a Witch”
January’s best posts
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of links to recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out" And a link to my latest … Continue reading January’s best posts
“rock flight”
Not for me, I'm afraid. Hasib Hourani's "rock flight" is a work of protest and politics. I have no issue with that. Indeed, given the state of the world - and some of the so-called 'leaders' in our world (our world, not theirs) - there should perhaps be more. But I do I have an … Continue reading “rock flight”
Highlights from the end of 2024
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of links to recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out" And a link to my latest … Continue reading Highlights from the end of 2024
“Songbook”
Joshua Idehen's "Songbook" is a difficult collection to categorise - which is perhaps a reflection on the source of the material: mainly musical collaborations / rap. Many of the poems contain QR links to Spotify tracks, and these further demonstrate the variety of the work: from the melodic to what seems to me at least … Continue reading “Songbook”
Ian Gouge - Writer 