The poems in this debut pamphlet are filled with ghosts – not ‘physical’ ghosts, but the ghosts of the past that live in the present through inter-generational stories and experiences. Natalie Linh Bolderston weaves a haunting tapestry of trauma, exile, cultural legacy and loss in poems that examine the scars left by the atrocities ofContinueContinue reading “Reviewed: The Protection of Ghosts, Natalie Linh Bolderston”
Tag Archives: Book Review
Louise McStravick, How to Make Curry Goat: Review
Louise McStravick’s collection explodes into the reader’s consciousness, seducing with vibrant, colourful imagery while also shining a light on life on society’s fringes. The opening poem ‘Just another road in Erdington’ sets the tone, filled with vernacular phrases and talk of prisons, arson and drug addiction that was the backdrop to childhood. From the outset,ContinueContinue reading “Louise McStravick, How to Make Curry Goat: Review”
Racheal Boast, Void Studies: Review
There is so much movement in this collection of beautiful vignettes, whether through the physical movement of the characters in the poems or the movement of the elements that meander through the poems. From the opening line “Late night like unopened letters” it feels that these are secrets whispered to the reader, elusive and illusory,ContinueContinue reading “Racheal Boast, Void Studies: Review”
Thomas McColl, Grenade Genie: Review
From the opening poem, it’s clear that this collection is an unwaveringly close examination of the modern world, its landscapes and its politics.It moves from the fresh and interesting descriptions of “buses are bison and people are grass” (‘No Longer Quite so Sure’) to the didactic “You’ve made a pact with the digital devil” (‘TheContinueContinue reading “Thomas McColl, Grenade Genie: Review”
The Salt Path: Raynor Winn
This had been on my radar for a while – the wonderful cover had me thinking of extended walks by the seaside – like a coastal Sebald or Solnit. It’s a little different, and not 100% what I was expecting. Instead of a poetic piece of psychogeographical narrative, this is a biography of a coupleContinueContinue reading “The Salt Path: Raynor Winn”
Lanny: Max Porter
I devoured Porter’s first book Grief is a Thing with Feathers in one sitting, so I cleared an afternoon and settled in. Although I am a bit of a traditionalist in terms of form, there’s something about the way Porter dissolves the boundaries of form that is really accessible. Lanny opens with a barrage ofContinueContinue reading “Lanny: Max Porter”
Ocean Vuong: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
I loved his poetry collection for its astonishing use of lyricism and twisting of classicalism (like in the incredible Telemachus) so I was very excited to get my hands on this. I heard him read at Toppings in Bath and knew from the short extract this was going to be something special – the delicacyContinueContinue reading “Ocean Vuong: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”
A stunning pamphlet by poet Mark Pajak
Spitting Distance is a Laureate’s Choice pamphlet from 2016 that I bought after hearing the poet read at an event in Bristol last year. From the moment he finished reading the first stanza of his first poem, I knew it would be special due to the concision of the language and the way in whichContinueContinue reading “A stunning pamphlet by poet Mark Pajak”
Olivia Laing’s To the River – A Midsummer meander
Laing’s To the River is a travelogue of sorts as the writer sets out on a midsummer morning to walk the banks of the River Ouse from source to sea. Peppered with memories of a failed relationship, this is a journey through memory, not just hers but those of Leonard and Virginia Woolf, whose diariesContinueContinue reading “Olivia Laing’s To the River – A Midsummer meander”
Underland by Robert MacFarlane – a fascinating passage into the underworlds.
Described by the Guardian as” A dazzling journey into deep time” this is a story about the worlds underground, which seems naturally more sinister in tone than his other books – perhaps because of the connotations with death, Hades and the spectres that haunt the underworld. It delves deep, both physically and metaphorically. This isContinueContinue reading “Underland by Robert MacFarlane – a fascinating passage into the underworlds.”
Nicola Heaney 