Welcome to a new feature on Paul Writes Poems. Every Sunday, I’ll be sharing the poetry pamphlet, anthology or collection I’ve been reading that week! Each week will feature a different book and I’ll let you know how I enjoyed it.
On a week where the only weather I didn’t have was snow, I spent my breaks and downtime reading;
The Language of Bees
- Author: Rae Howells
- Press: Parthian
After reading Rae Howell’s, This Common Uncommon (which I recommend if you believe that wild spaces should be kept and not built upon), I wanted to read more. Her characterisation and smart word-play in This Common Uncommon had me going page to page and almost devoured it in one sitting.
In my opinion, The Language of Bees is an outstanding collection, (an opinion shared with lots of others, including the judging panel at Wales Book of The Year 2023) that talks about the importance of bees to humans and climate change in an engaging way. The way insects are used to discuss personal themes including loss, loss love and other deep human tragedy is tremendously done with care taken over each word.
I’d highly recommend reading this if you’re a fan of poetry that deals with nature and has very personal and broader themes packed with smart language and incredible imagery. I would say to have some tissues handy as some pieces are highly emotive.
Favorite Poem:
A bit of a cheat here but my favourite is a sequence of poems that are sprinkled throughout the book with the title Dying Bee in a Takeaway Box.
Find out more about Rae Howells at https://www.raehowells.co.uk/ where you can find links to her other books.
Next Week’s Read
Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;
- Title: Street Sailing
- Author: Matt Gilbert
That’s it for this week one. If you’ve read any of the books I’m sharing or have recommendations for what poetry I should be reading, drop a comment below.
Take it easy
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 