From its earliest origins in aural tradition, poetry has inevitably tracked the metamorphosis of language through time. You only have to reflect on the differences between Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Larkin to see how poetry maps not only the journey of a civilisation but its language and mores too. Perhaps poetry takes a little while … Continue reading “Homie”
Category: Poetry
The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
At the end of this month I'm giving up work. More or less by choice. It is a step that has been labelled in various ways by various people, me included: 'retirement' seems the most common, with the upcoming period a 'glide-path to retirement' - after all, I'm not officially qualified to be there yet...! … Continue reading The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
Did you know this? Stunning…
According to the trade publication, The Bookseller, in the UK today - Thursday 3rd September 2020 - some 600 books are going to be published. Yes, 600! On one day! Books from 'big' publishing houses as well as the myriad of independent and Indie publishers. The suggestion is that this figure represents a catch-up from … Continue reading Did you know this? Stunning…
“In the Lateness of the World”
Carolyn Forché's "In the Lateness of the World" is a collection of poetry about which it's very easy to be ambivalent. Not because the work is insipid or dull - far from it! - but because for me it veers toward both extremes on the good-bad poetry continuum. If I start with the more negative … Continue reading “In the Lateness of the World”
Rediscovering what’s important?
I wonder if that's what 'Life' does, getting in the way, forcing us to take our eyes off the ball, allowing us to forget what's important... In many respects it's also the easy option, isn't it? A kind of abdication. Knowing what matters to us, believing in it, keeping the faith - all of that … Continue reading Rediscovering what’s important?
“Solar Cruise”
Not for me, I'm afraid. I managed about a third of Claire Crowther's "Solar Cruise". Perhaps the subject - being so scientific - doesn't lend itself to poetry; but I'm sure it isn't just words like 'nucleus' or 'electron' which put the breaks on the poetic. The layout of some of the pieces - you … Continue reading “Solar Cruise”
“Road Trip”
Sometimes volumes of poetry that focus on a single theme or issue seem to sacrifice the quality of the writing in favour of 'the cause'. Marvin Thompson's "Road Trip" is rooted in both place - Wales - and subject - being black in an essentially white environment - and succeeds by never making that sacrifice. … Continue reading “Road Trip”
“Rendang”
In spite of myself I actually liked Will Harris' "Rendang". 'In spite of myself'? Well, there's a lot in this volume which I would challenge as being poetry; perhaps it's prose poetry at best. Yet there is much that is poetic (if that's not paradoxical), and the lyric quality of the pieces - thoughtful, reminiscence, … Continue reading “Rendang”
“Split”
If you asked me to find a single phrase to describe Juana Adcock's "Split" I confess I would struggle. 'It depends' seems such a lame response... But it does. It depends, for example, on whether I've just read "The Task of the Translator" or "The Overburden": one I liked, the second I did not. And … Continue reading “Split”
Radio Interview next week!
I am scheduled to be interviewed next week by the internet-based UK radio station, 'Chat and Spin'. They regularly interview writers, musicians, artists and the like, a ten-minute slot which gives you a chance to talk about your work. Looking forward to it - even if it is live and not pre-recorded! The slot is … Continue reading Radio Interview next week!
Ian Gouge - Writer 