Confession time: I didn't managed to finish this one. And actually, I didn't like it that much. Is that sacrilege? My reasons for finding it 'hard'? Most of the poems felt too personal, as if I was some kind of Peeping Tom looking in on lives and a relationship when I had no right to … Continue reading “Birthday Letters”
Category: Uncategorized
‘At Maunston Quay’ – published today
Today sees the publication of my new novel, 'At Maunston Quay'. You always hope that "this is the one"...perhaps this book will be the one that's read most, liked most - and more importantly, is the best yet. In many ways it feels that way, but only time will tell. Please check it out at … Continue reading ‘At Maunston Quay’ – published today
After the Concert
After the Concert falling foul of memory’s snare entrapment awaits and the waif-like recollection of an evening when time crept so slowly it felt as if we owned it as if the moon would never break beyond the branches of that winter ash nor disappear behind the distant hills it was romantic I … Continue reading After the Concert
“1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear”
"1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear" is the third volume in James Shapiro's historical / literary amalgam, each book focusing on a single year and setting Shakespeare's output in the context of contemporary events. In the case of "1606", the ramifications of the Gunpowder plot (Shakespeare was really close to the action - but … Continue reading “1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear”
“Feral”
Most of Kate Potts' "Feral" isn't really poetry. Normally that's a big red flag for me, but I have to confess, not this time. I really liked "Feral". There was something about the tone, the images, the quality of it - even if it wasn't 'poetry' - that was undeniably pleasing. I told myself that … Continue reading “Feral”
Full English on the 6:17
Full English on the 6:17 Breakfast en route to London everything so hot you could almost taste the radiation. Across the First Class aisle a young woman in a too-short hooped dress watches videos on her phone self-consciously out of place. And grey commuters whose days blur into an amalgam of routine take … Continue reading Full English on the 6:17
In Mourning
In Mourning There used to be a sparkle in your eye fired by a vigorous joust with life. No more. I watched it die as I watched you lose your wife, wanting to weep but dry-eyed at being left behind. She would have told you what to do: to keep … Continue reading In Mourning
“Milkman”
What. A. Slog. I can't recall when it last took me as long to read a book as it has Ana Burns' Booker winner "Milkman". Be warned, it is not an 'easy' book. I picked it up and put it down far too many times. Firstly, it's very dense. Virtually no reported speech, so page … Continue reading “Milkman”
‘The River’ – a short story
A long time ago, someone explained the difference between a salmon river and a trout river to him. Brown and swirly versus one that was black, quieter. He cannot remember, as he stands looking down at water as dark as ink and filled with menacing eddies, which is which. And then he wonders if it … Continue reading ‘The River’ – a short story
‘News’
News I wait for the telephone to ring. The inevitability of it. This is a strange waiting, a long waiting wishing for something not to happen even though it must. I tried your line today. My turn to call. There was nothing after the dialling tone as if that was the end of it, … Continue reading ‘News’
Ian Gouge - Writer 