Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope your week has been poetically rich.
This week I managed to play my saxophone with less pain and made good progress learning Mr PC by John Coltrane. I also got to speak to one of my poetry heroes Matthew MC Smith, wrote a new piece and ramped up writing group plans. I also spent some time in Northumberland seeing family.
On top of that, I’ve been reading;
A Dress With Deep Pockets
- Poet: Jen Feroze
- Press: Smith|Doorstop Books
I’m a big fan of Jen Feroze. Having heard and read Jen’s poetry in several places both online and in print including Iamb, Dust, Ink Sweat and Tears and more, I’ve also had the pleasure of interacting via social media through Top Tweet Tuesday.
The collection is acknowledged ‘For my friends’ so it should not come as a surprise that friendship is a main theme of the book. At its heart, this pamphlet deals greatly with people and place.
‘Hare Girl’ is the opening poem and introduces readers to an old friend with a perfect blend of nostalgia, imagery and humour. For people who ever camped while under the influence of cheap spirits and artificial cider in their early teens, like me, this was very relatable.
I first heard the poem ‘Gorge’ in Wave 16 of Iamb poetry and is a piece that displays Jen’s skill in encompassing multiple emotions and moods into a piece. The shifts in tone throughout the poem give it an importance like the Gorge itself. The feeling of wanting to escape small towns for cities is reminiscent of many people I grew up with including me.
For readers who like to see different forms used in a collection will be happy that there are multiple styles used throughout. ‘Let’s Start A Commune’, a stream of consciousness poem (my favourite) and a golden shovel ‘It’s 2003 and Joni is Teaching Me About Love’ and ‘Anne in December’ are three distinct pieces.
The poem ‘Now I’m Older I Can Call Her Linda’ deals with the how we see adults in authority as children then as adults. The piece ‘I Invite my Grown-Up Daughter Round For Her Dinner’ is the opposite in premise. How adults see children in the future and wondering if the impression will be the reality.
The way in which relationships are portrayed throughout the collection are honest. Jen brings her friends and family from the page into the world with all their idiosyncrasies. The people all seem familiar as if they were part of your social circle or wider community. A great example of this, is the piece ‘The Four Of Us In August’.
I could go on an on about the poems in this collection. I would talk more about the friendships on show in this collection, but they are so special I will let you find out for yourself.
This pamphlet is a showcase on people and place, friendship and time. It is relatable, heartfelt and soulful poetry.
To read more about Jen and buy this book, find more details at https://jackdaweditorial.com/
To listen to Gorge and other poems by Jen on Iamb click here.
Favourite Poem:
‘Let’s Start A Commune’ followed closely by ‘Gorge’ and ‘Will You Be My Friend, Grace Dent’.
One More Thing…
Broken Spine Arts are holding two workshops in April. Untamed: Writing Without Fear is on April 13th with Write the Night taking place on April 27th. I have attended both of these workshops in the past and found them engaging and useful. I managed to craft solid poems from each workshop. Also, all funds made go directly into Broken Spine’s Award Fundraising Campaign. Details of Broken Spine Events can be found here: https://thebrokenspine.co.uk/event-calendar/
And Another…
The landmark 60th Anniversary issue of Poetry Wales is now available celebrating 60 new Welsh poets. For more details click here.
Finally…
There are a couple of really good submissions open at the moment that I’ve saw online. Links are below, and if you’d like me to share more competition or submissions news let me know in the comments or on social media.
The Madrigal
The Interpreter’s House (opens on 1st April)
Next Week’s Read
- Title: Debone and Fold
- Poet: Si Griffiths
Just Before You Go
I was very sad to hear of the passing of Ivor Daniel, an incredibly kind and supportive poet and man whose work I admired for his distinctive style. Matthew MC Smith has created a beautiful tribute to Ivor which includes some of his work here.
Mark Anthony Owen has also paid tribute to Ivor on Iamb. You can hear Ivor recite his poetry here.
Take care and be poetic,
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 