23/08/2021
Great review of Air and Armour by Laura Wainwright in Wales' Buzz Magazine: 'The balance of ‘what is out there’ to ‘what is inside here’ – the outer, physical realm versus the inner realm of subjective thought and feeling – is brilliant, I think, giving the poems a pleasing emotional timbre whilst also embracing the objectivity of the very best nature writing. The poet leads us by the hand to take in “Powys owls” and “new acorns”, flying ants and the birth of spiderlings. A beautifully written pamphlet indeed.' Thanks to Mab Jones for her insight.
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Play Lists by Jessica Mookherjee (Broken Sleep Books, price: £6.50) recollects the music, lovers, and wild times of youth: “we flew too close to the sun, hairstyles catching fire, those brilliant records…” It’s a dizzying dip into memory’s pool which, in this case, is infused with glitter, dripping mascara, and a love of David Bowie.
A subtle thread, entwined within this, are the more mature reflections of the poet who looks back and is able to discern the power plays, of sexism and other prejudices, as well as the parochialisms of smalltown Wales. However, all told it’s a whirlwind ride – each poem, like songs themselves, with a different tempo, a different flavour, a new beat telling an ageless song, of youth, yearning, and Saturday night, “where the wine glass / grows bright”. There’s even a matching playlist that you can listen along to as you read, as picked by the poet. A lovely touch to match these sometimes sensual, always scintillating poems.
Finally, Dark Confessions is an anthology of writing from Black Bough (price: £8), the popular poetry community who I frequently encounter on Twitter, run by writer Matthew M.C. Smith. The first of two editions commemorating 50 years since the death of Jim Morrison, ‘confinement, isolation, and grief’ are its given themes, with plenty of ghosts, gods, tears, and “bitter fruits” for the reader to dwell upon. The range of voices and views here is impressive; the standard of the poems is high; many of them are extremely affecting.
If poetry is concentrated language, then there are many fine, crystalline draughts here. Reading in one sitting, as I did, results in one’s imagination becoming ever more fervent and full of morbid, almost gothic style fancies. Again, it’s a most welcome experience for such as myself – this is a book to be savoured – and you can also immerse into some of the poem’s lush, languid, darkly beautiful pieces on Soundcloud.
If you would like to submit some new, published poetry for potential review in this column, contact Mab via her website (you can find social media links there) or get in touch via Buzz.
words and photos MAB JONES
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN: If you’re 18-30 years old, you live in Wales, and you want to get ahead in the creative and cultural industries, this is for you.
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tag: arachne press, black bough, bloodaxe books, broken sleep books, buzz book reviews, buzz poetry column, fly on the wall press, green bottle press, jeremy dixon, jessica mookherjee, laura wainwright, mab jones, matthew mc smith, morag anderson, penelope shuttle
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