My review of I Never Think Dark Will Come originally appeared in issue 63 of The Journal.Things abound in the first book by Susan Jordan, which takes as its focus the corporeal and tangible. 'Let us praise little things, the use we make of them,' Jordan declares in 'Laudemus' (the Latin for 'let us praise) … Continue reading I Never Think Dark Will Come by Susan Jordan
Tag: Reviews
Operations of Water by Ian Seed
My review of Operations of Water originally appeared in issue 63 of The Journal. There's a famous story about the novelist Saul Bellow when, stuck in a rut with an unfinished novel, an American in Paris, he walked beside the Seine and became inspired by the freedom of the water. This relationship between the written … Continue reading Operations of Water by Ian Seed
Substantial Ghosts by Doreen Hinchcliffe
My review of Substantial Ghosts originally appeared in issue 61 of The Journal.The reader is offered an odd encounter towards the end of Doreen Hinchliffe's Substantial Ghost, her second collection after Dark Italics in 2017. In the poem, 'Twin', Hinchcliffe describes the narrator visiting an apparent twin's bedroom, after fifty years. ('Inseparable, we move and one, each/ Of … Continue reading Substantial Ghosts by Doreen Hinchcliffe
Home Turf by Ann Matthews
My review of Home Turf originally appeared in issue 61 of The Journal. Home Turf by Ann Matthews is, as poetry books go, a pleasing thing: a good cover, well designed, with a nice weight, shape and heft. And the thingness of the book is important, because Matthews's work is offering us a conceptual sense of … Continue reading Home Turf by Ann Matthews
London Grip Review: West South North, North South East
It's nice to end the year with something positive, and this very kind review of West South North, North South East by Mat Riches on London Grip is certainly that. It's probably the most perceptive review of this little book to date, and certainly the most involved. 'The title of this collection suggests a journey … Continue reading London Grip Review: West South North, North South East
On ‘Heredity/ASTYNOME’ by Naush Sabah
It's been a busy December, what with work, Christmas, and the ravages of the virus. I almost forgot that my review of Naush Sabah's ‘Heredity/ASTYNOME’ appeared on Wild Court a couple of weeks ago. 'If poetry ever had ‘must have’ purchases, then Naush Sabah’s debut release from Broken Sleep Books proved to be one of … Continue reading On ‘Heredity/ASTYNOME’ by Naush Sabah
The Aesthetics of Breath by Charles Lauder Jr
My review of Charles Lauder Jr's The Aesthetics of Breath has been published on The High Window. 'In some ways this manifold debut— taking in, as it does, historical figures, family lives, the problem of evil, and how an element of fantasy and danger is never far from our perception of those we treasure and … Continue reading The Aesthetics of Breath by Charles Lauder Jr
Her Lost Language by Jenny Mitchell
My review of Jenny Mitchell's debut collection, Her Lost Language, has been published by The High Window. 'In the age of social media, we’re accustomed to communicating when, perhaps, we don’t have much to say. Everyone does it; it’s the currency of our time. Probably, this has influenced the way we think of poetry, where … Continue reading Her Lost Language by Jenny Mitchell
Cuckoo by Nichola Deane
My review of Nichola Deane's poetry collection, Cuckoo, is online at London Grip. 'The main thing you notice about Cuckoo, Nichola Deane’s debut collection from V Press, is the names. The work teems with characters, from poets (Auden, Lorca, Ahkmatova, Edward Thomas), to artists (Klee, Cornell, Hockney) to politicians (Thatcher and Pinochet, somewhat gruesomely), to members … Continue reading Cuckoo by Nichola Deane
Under The Radar Review: West South North, North South East
A nice, perceptive review by Charles Lauder, of my poetry collection West South North, North South East, published in Under The Radar magazine. 'The continual motion of [Acton (The Solstice)] epitomizes the journey of Bennett’s work. Wisely, the exploration doesn’t limit itself to London nor to the walled city of Carcassone that finishes the book’s … Continue reading Under The Radar Review: West South North, North South East
Absence Club 