This second collection from Julia Webb is published by the fantastic Nine Arches Press. Consisting of four sections, the reader is thrown into a world of violence, loss and family expertly examined with an unflinching eye. In the first section, ‘Body of evidence’ the poems have a sinister tinge, rooted in the physical. The openingContinueContinue reading “Review: Julia Webb’s ‘Threat’”
Tag Archives: Poetry
Reviewed: The Protection of Ghosts, Natalie Linh Bolderston
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”
Elisabeth Horan: Odd list, Odd house, Odd me
This collection is an ode to Emily Dickinson – to her work, her themes and her poetry. In an interview with Twist in Time magazine, Horan highlights the similarities between her own work and that of Dickinson in terms of themes, but this collection isn’t simply a reflection of Dickinson’s work – in some ways,ContinueContinue reading “Elisabeth Horan: Odd list, Odd house, Odd me”
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”
Bright Travellers: Fiona Benson
The debut collection from the award-winning poet was a book I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Deeply personal, it covers motherhood, landscape and includes a beautiful sequence of poems for Vincent Van Gogh. The opening poem ‘Caveat’ forms an epigraph for the collection with its message that it is possible to find theContinueContinue reading “Bright Travellers: Fiona Benson”
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”
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin: Selected Poems. A Review
This is an extensive selection of poems, many of which feel like the poetic interpretation of a Chagall painting, full of dream-like, surreal imagery haunted by ghosts and steeped in natural imagery such as ‘The Girl who Married the Reindeer’. The earlier poems at the beginning of the collection are filled with references to agricultureContinueContinue reading “Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin: Selected Poems. A Review”
Lantern, Sean Hewitt: A Review
This debut collection feels very much like a prayer in praise of the natural world and the symbiosis between man and nature. Almost every poem is steeped in the language of the natural world and many make direct reference to religion. From the opening poem ‘Leaf’, we are treated to natural images that feel bothContinueContinue reading “Lantern, Sean Hewitt: A Review”
Penguin Modern Poets Three: A Review
This series aims to introduce readers to new, contemporary poets. I bought this collection as I’m of the belief that one cannot have enough Sharon Olds poetry in their possession and I’d never read any substantial amounts Booker or Shire although I have been a big fan of everything I’ve read or encountered. Suffice toContinueContinue reading “Penguin Modern Poets Three: A Review”
Selected Poems: A Review
My first encounter with Paterson’s work was his second collection, God’s Gift to Women, a Poetry Book Society recommendation. One of the things I love most about that collection is the way Paterson has mixed a whole host of different elements to create a real poetry personality – there are references to ancient Greek mythologyContinueContinue reading “Selected Poems: A Review”
Nicola Heaney 