featured – Page 2 – Nicola Heaney

Wild Atlantic Way

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Assembly Lines by Jane Commane: Reviewed

There is a very strong sense of place in this collection – almost enough to term it psychogeographical. The post-industrial landscape of the Midlands lingers on the fringes of most poems, taking centre stage for many. Commane sets out her stall strongly from the very start. The opening poem presents a gritty world with linesContinueContinue reading “Assembly Lines by Jane Commane: Reviewed”

Mercados of Madrid

Spain is famous for its markets – but they’re not all about fresh food. Many of the city’s best eating experiences are to be found tucked away in stalls in the food markets. Here are my top four: Mercado San Miguel Just beside Plaza Mayor, this used to be a whole sale market, but itContinueContinue reading “Mercados of Madrid”

Mountains of the Mind

Regular readers of this page will know I’m a huge fan of Robert MacFarlane, so I was really excited to get my hands on his first book. Although it’s a little more scientific in parts than I was expecting, it’s still filled with poetic descriptions and enlightening observations. The book opens with an anecdote aboutContinueContinue reading “Mountains of the Mind”

Thailand

Milkman: A Review

I’d read a lot about this book before picking it up myself – that it was too obscure, too literary (since when has that become a bad thing?!?), so I was a little dubious before starting. I flicked through the first page before getting my hands on the whole book, and was instantly hooked. TheContinueContinue reading “Milkman: A Review”

Cuenca

About two hours west of Madrid, Cuenca is one of Spain’s most memorable cities. A World Heritage Site, it’s famous for its hanging houses (or casas colgadas), with their wooden balconies which hang out over the sheer cliffs of the gorge, but it’s the location that makes it so remarkable, with its old centre perchedContinueContinue reading “Cuenca”

Dostoyevsky Wannabes Cities: Bristol Review

If you’ve not yet encountered Dostoyevsky Wannabe, I’d highly recommend them. A small, independent press based in Manchester, they’re at the vanguard of accessible, innovative literature, producing work at a prolific rate (51 books in four years) One of their more popular projects is the Cities series, where they invite poets to collaborate to produceContinueContinue reading “Dostoyevsky Wannabes Cities: Bristol Review”

Allen Ginsberg – Howl: A Review

I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit San Francisco, primarily because its synonymous with the Beat writers, who I was obsessed with as a teenager. Every year, I revisit Kerouac’s On The Road, but I realised it’s been a long time since I picked up Ginsberg’s Howl. Wondering if it still held the same magic to thirties meContinueContinue reading “Allen Ginsberg – Howl: A Review”

Lavinia Greenlaw: A World Where News Travelled Slowly

I recently listened to an old Scottish Poetry Library podcast with Lavinia Greenlaw (if you’ve never tuned in, you must. They really allow the poets to open up on their art and influences) and was really struck by the way she talked about growing up in Essex and the impact her scientific background has hadContinueContinue reading “Lavinia Greenlaw: A World Where News Travelled Slowly”