One of the things I have learned over the last few years - especially recently - is that, when trying to write the concrete things we call 'books', they have a dynamic all their own. Sitting down and writing a short story or a poem off-the-cuff is probably the most relaxed kind of writing there … Continue reading A life of its own.
Sometimes, almost magically, words surprise you. Especially when you're not looking for them, settling down perhaps to watch tv or listen to music; just when you imagine your concentration is elsewhere. How can you write anything when you don't mean to...? Yesterday evening - and obviously not quite finished... a cracked voice tries to recapture … Continue reading No rhyme nor reason…
In Birmingham early for a business meeting, I found myself whiling away the time at the Gas Street Basin on the Birmingham and Worcester canal. It had been the haunt of my first canal holiday way back in the seventies. Redeveloped over the years, only the canal remained the same: the same shape, the same … Continue reading Gas Street Basin
There is a great deal in Tishani Doshi's "Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods" that, one might argue, has more the narrative than the poetic about it. Snapshots from Doshi's life, travels, encounters. In spite of this almost semi-prosaic style, there is a great deal here that is engaging, warm. I confess that part … Continue reading “Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods”
Early Edition They stand on the pavement waiting. Up before everyone, larks and all, they stroll down the road ever slower struggling not to beat the first bus from the depot and failing because they must get out. Today they are too early again. Unlocking a grill-protected door paint-flaked from too many … Continue reading Early Edition
When I was out jogging this morning - early, in the rain - I saw something that my mind immediately translated into words: Green. Round. Spikey. On the black roughness of a pavement improperly made the first horse chestnut. I love it when that happens. It's something I have no control over. Luckily I only … Continue reading As I went out one morning…
The strongest attributes of Failsal Mohyuddin's "The Displaced Children of Displaced Children" combine to create a kind of calm, reflective tone; one which suits his excursions into history and place. The poems are, in part, political, familial, intensely personal; and some of their imagery is almost casually excellent. Having said that, some of the poems … Continue reading “The Displaced Children…”
This may seem a little harsh, but for me there's little of merit in Vahni Capildeo's collection "Venus as a Bear". Some of the 'poems' in here are, frankly, nonsense. For example, here's the first half of a whole piece: I. the voice of the seed II. you said III. … Continue reading “Venus as a Bear”
The Spanish names and phrases that are woven into Loretta Collins Klobah's "Ricantations" endow it with a certain charm, even for the non-Spanish speaker like me. The poems have a lilt to them, and are clearly rooted in the Puerto Rico that is laid bare and celebrated in this volume. The sense of place and … Continue reading “Ricantations”
I don't think I have ever come across a collection of poems more suited to reading aloud then "A Ted Hughes Bestiary", edited by Alice Oswald. Because most may be perfect to be heard, many are - I found - difficult to read. Consequently I struggled with quite of few of these. I think the … Continue reading “A Ted Hughes Bestiary”
Ian Gouge - Writer 