poetry
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Poetry is perfect to take on holiday, or travelling generally: something to be dipped into, pondered while staring at the sky, chewed over slowly, read aloud to the person flopped onto the grass next to you… or perhaps just to anchor you in calmness while the plane takes off. Simply because of its length –
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I hope you enjoyed last week’s holiday poetry reads posts. There are some great ones coming this week, so do keep an eye on the blog. One of them is from Robert Peake, who, of course, is hosting the transatlantic reading with me and Michelle Bitting on Wednesday on Google+. Here is an invitation video
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The first thing to say about Stephen Nelson’s new chapbook from the little red leaves textile series is simply how gorgeous an object it is. In this era of the mass produced, something so beautifully handmade — using old bedsheets and remnant fabric to construct the cover — is a rare joy indeed. This pamphlet
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I shall be in Welwyn Garden City in August, so perhaps I should take some Glyn Maxwell – and maybe I will. I’m also looking forward to reading a sequence of obscene sonnets by Alistair Elliot – not yet publicly available, but instead you could try his latest, Imaginary Lines (Shoestring) or, if you can
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Here’s just one book I’d recommend for holiday reading. It wasn’t really a holiday, of course. I was in Michigan working, and this wasn’t the book I’d taken with me to read, though I always do take a book of poetry with me when I travel. Poems don’t weigh much, and most collections can be
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The recent poetry book I’d recommend most heartily is Grace by Esther Morgan (Bloodaxe, 2011) It is an utterly absorbing collection full of writing of mesmeric quality which draws the reader in to a world of quiet attentiveness and grounded intensity. An older anthology I’d also recommend very much is Emergency Kit (Faber & Faber,
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A quick heads-up about two readings coming very soon. First, on Wednesday evening this week (3 July), I’m reading alongside Janette Ayachi, Vahni Capildeo and Rob A Mackenzie at the Yellow Bench Cafe in Leith, Edinburgh at 7:30 pm. In addition, the marvellous Ira Lightman will perform two mini-sets. Five entirely distinctive voices in what
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If I was to have a holiday, which is always my intention but I never seem to get around to it, I would take my usual six pack of books. They are made up of one novel, one biography/autobiography, one classic and three books of poetry. I will quickly run through my non-poetry books: The
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A huge thankyou to everyone who came to the Linlithgow launch of The North End of the Possible last night. It was a great turnout and, from my and Holm’s point of view, an enormous success. Here are a few photos of the evening, courtesy of my good friend Thomas Ritchie: Stewart, Frank and I
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Thanks to Robert Peake, I’m in the Huff again. That is, his interview with me and Rob A Mackenzie is now available in the culture section of the Huffington Post’s UK edition. I am hugely grateful to Robert for taking the time to ask us some penetrating and stimulating questions. In other news, I’ll be
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This morning was spent planning my sets for the Linlithgow launch of The North End of the Possible on Saturday this week. I’m excited about this event, because it’s not only a chance to give an extended reading from the book but to work with the violin and electric guitar duo Holm. It’s not just
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Diary permitting, I’m going to be participating in the rather exciting developments that Robert Peake has just announced in his post: Transatlantic Poetry Readings On Air. Watch this space — and that — for more info!
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A quick reminder that I’m reading tonight at 7:30pm at the CCA in Glasgow alongside Máire Wren, Colette Ní Ghallchoír and Aonghas MacNeacail as part of an Irish Pages event in association with Conradh na Gaeilge Glaschú. It’s also the Scottish launch of our current tenth-anniversary issue, “Self”, which will be on sale alongside another
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“Bereavement fir Dummies”, a Scots poem from The North End of the Possible, is poem of the week today in The Scotsman. It doesn’t seem to be online, otherwise I would link to it, but I might post a pic of the poem in the paper once I have my mits on a copy.
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I have three readings coming up in the next several weeks. The first, on Saturday 15 June at 7:30 pm in the CCA in Glasgow is an event from Irish Pages and Conradh na Gaeilge Glaschú as part of Glasgow’s Irish Language Festival, Féile na Gaeilge Glaschú 2013. I will be chairing and reading at this event,
Amy Jo Philip 