The Book Bag – Back From Away by Damien B Donnelly

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I read Panic Response by John McCullough and gave my thoughts on the collection.

This week, between finding out I have been nominated for the Pushcart by Broken Spine (details here), hearing I have a Christmas poem forthcoming in the Hedgehog Press Christmas Annual (details here), attending the 2nd launch of Consolamentum by James McConachie hosted by Matthew MC Smith of Black Bough Poetry where I read The Armchair, and submitting to a couple of presses, I’ve been reading:

Back From Away

  • Author: Damien B. Donnelly
  • Press: Turas Press

I’ll begin by acknowledging how much I value what Damien does for the poetry community and how much I appreciate what he has done for me from when I was taking tentative steps into my poetry journey. Being included in the Eat the Storms podcast gave me confidence and pushed me forward. 

Back From Away is a collection covering Damien’s return to Ireland following a well-travelled life. It is divided into two sections: Away and Back. It deals with aspects of lived experience, belonging, identity, and relationships. The pieces in this collection are honest, passionate, and very frank. 

Vivid imagery is found throughout the collection in poems such as ‘Shanghai Streets, ‘‘Far From Home,’ ‘Kamsahamnida,’ ‘Not Everything Is A Competition,’ and ‘Walking the Line.’ The language captures not just what’s on the page but what lies beneath. I especially appreciated the depiction of navigating Shanghai.

In Between the Floorboards and An Antique Letterpress in Amsterdam, the use of floorboards as a measurement of space both literally and figuratively is so well executed. Sometimes in poetry, you see something and think, I wish I thought of that. 

Relationships are scattered throughout the pages of the collection. Damien handles these poems in a multitude of ways including using particle physics in ‘The Scent of Something that Never Existed’, eating horse in ‘Better than Nothing’, and recalling songs in ‘Memory Is Often All We Can Hope For.’ The relationships explored in the Back section of the book hit me hard. Poems such as ‘The Blunt Butcher’, ‘That Snarl Amongst the Goddesses’ and ‘Mechanics’ are great representations of how poetry can be used in a way to describe situations that can’t be simply explained. ‘Mechanic’ had me welling up. 

Along with a variety of topics, Damien uses a range of forms from more formal structures to pieces like ‘The Wave’, ‘Tides’ and ‘The Sum Of’. Here he guides the reader through in delicately controlled way.

If you don’t have this book, then you should. The honesty and emotion is both palpable and visceral, a tour de force from a huge talent.

Find out more about Damien and his projects here: https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com/ 

For information about the Storms Podcast & Journal visit: https://eatthestorms.com/ 

To order Back From Away, visit Turas Press here: https://turaspress.ie/shop/back-from-away-by-damien-b-donnelly/ 

Favorite Poem:
Late Light is number 1 followed by This Act & Between The Floorboards.

One More Thing… 

There are translations of non-English words in the glossary section and some interesting footnotes including a Johnny Cash appearance. 

And Another…

Back From Away featured heavily in poetry recommendations on the Top Tweet Tuesday reviews week, so you don’t just need to take my word for how good it is. Also, I must get back in touch with Damien as I hope to dive back into a Storm…

And Finally… 

I have been kindly asked to read at an event being hosted by the super-talented poet Louise Longson on Thursday 12th December 2024 on Zoom. Called Human / Nature, the readings explore a sense of place and space. The lineup is stellar and tickets can be snapped up on the following link for free: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/human-nature-poetry-readings-exploring-a-sense-of-place-and-space-tickets-1094310144099 

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;

  • Title: The Keeper of Aeons 
  • Author: Matthew M C Smith

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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

The Book Bag: Panic Response by John McCullough

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on Toccata and Fugue with Harp by Margaret Royall.

This week, between the wintry weather, getting a copy of Last Light (an apocalyptic poetry anthology I am featured in, published by The Broken Spine, find out more here), and dashing home from a saxophone lesson to attend an excellent writing workshop by Blackbough Poetry on time, I have been reading;

Panic Response 

  • Author: John McCullough
  • Press: Penned In The Margins
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Panic Response is a collection of poems that deals with grief, mental health and steps toward recovery. Personal themes intersect with wider social issues. The collection is dark with glimmers of light and sometimes feels like several parts of his mind clash. 

The poem ‘Flowers of Sulphur’ deals with the death of a friend head-on. The rawness of the line ‘They found you in the bath, wrists opened. No note’ hits you square in the face and the heart within the context of the whole piece. I re-read this several times out of sorrow and respect. 

In the poem ‘Comma’,  we delve into an unrelenting stream of consciousness. And just like a stream, it doesn’t end how it begins. It’s a clever piece.  

Throughout the book, John McCullough’s vivid use of colour and how it equates to varying emotions or people is incredible. In ‘Quantum’ he dedicates the colour lilac to Avril Brown, his former chemistry teacher, ‘Mr Jelly’ has several depictions of the colour of silence and obviously the piece, ‘Electric Blue’. 

‘Glass Men’ deals with relationships between men expertly and is a great opening to the collection. One of the lines, made me gasp. I won’t say which one, but it is such a perfect observation.

The poem ‘Letter to Lee Harwood’ manages to capture multiple subjects in one; loneliness, Covid, fear, an elderly neighbour’s paranoia and injustice. The form of couplets gives readers time to digest and breathe in this piece. 

I mentioned the use of colour earlier in the poem. This collection also plays with form throughout. Each of these is carefully considered and makes perfect sense for the message of each poem.

I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book. It is sad, tragic, harrowing and gets under your skin but there are also lighter moments. I would highly recommend this to anybody looking to get a glimpse into the mind of a great poet and how he has managed to channel experiences into such a formidable collection.  

Favorite Poem:
Crown Shyness. 

One More Thing… 

When I started writing poetry again in July 2020, Reckless Paper Birds by John McCullough was one of the first books, I read. Find more about John McCullough here: https://johnmccullough.co.uk/

And Finally…

In the poem Error Garden, Hama-rikyu Garden in Japan is mentioned. For this week’s Top Tweet Tuesday, I wrote about the Japanese Cherry Tree Orchard in Alnwick Garden.

You can read it here: The Cherry Tree Orchard, Alnwick Garden

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s in my book bag next week;

  • Title: Back From Away 
  • Author: Damien B. Donnelly

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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

Taihaku Joypiloting at Alnwick Garden

We launch, feet pushing from worn grass. 
Our thick sleeper-swing, dampscented by 
April showers hitting heavy rope, 
cradles us under the boutique of Taihaku blossom.

A tender spring whisperbreeze rustles,
swirling silken kisses around the orchard. 
Calm wonderstruck coos echo from fellow joypilots.

Knees propel us further into the vortex, 
paperlight white-pink petals dress us, 
accidentally feed us. 

Bitter tastes are fleeting chasing contentment storms.

We slow,
our legs heavy in a serotonin lake,
flooded with vanilla-cherry pheromones.

A blissful embrace.

The Book Bag – Toccata and Fugue with Harp by Margaret Royall

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on the tremendous Elemental by Helen Laycock. 

This week, between visiting two different shorelines, attending two writing circles and a trip to York including the Christmas market, I’ve been reading;

Toccata and Fugue with Harp

  • Author: Margaret Royall
  • Press: Hedgehog Press

Toccata and Fugue with Harp was published by Hedgehog Press in 2024. In this collection, Margaret looks back on her formative years questioning whether it was nature or nurture that impacted her life, attitudes and beliefs. 

The collection is split cleverly into three sections, each with a different focus;

Toccata features poems and small short fiction pieces around a post-war childhood, a religious upbringing, and the impact it can have.

Intermezzo looks at how Margaret wants to break free from her roots whilst navigating the after-effects of her upbringing.

Fugue is a crescendo of poems that look at how Margaret views the world in the present offering glimpses into her passion for music, the arts and nature.

Margaret also bookends the collection with Prologue and Epilogue pieces.

Let me begin, by saying that some of the poems in the upbringing section, I could easily relate to. My Gran is religious and attends a Baptist church. One she used to corral me and my siblings to on a Sunday. Also during my GCSEs when I started discussing the fact Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, my Religious Studies teacher quickly told me to leave that week’s lesson (to be fair I didn’t want to do that as a GCSE but was forced when the class I wanted to take was no longer available). It’s fair to say I had a sort of chuckle at the ending of ‘The Swinging Sixties’. ‘A Postcard From Scarborough’ is a poem rich in nostalgia and had me thinking of trips to Primrose Valley and Pontins holidays in the late 80’s & early 90’s. It also reminded me of the time my Dad drove us to France from Northumberland, his Rover breaking down on the wrong side of the channel and my brother not happy in the slightest.

Family traditions and shared, learned knowledge are peeled open in ‘A Strategy for Eating an Orange’ a great observational piece on what we inherit. 

Vivid imagery is dotted throughout, poems including ‘Spurn Point Lighthouse’ and ‘Eye of a Coastal Storm’ contrasting with ‘Charisma In The Third Age’, displaying Margaret’s great skill.

Not only does Margaret deliver rich, sensory language, she also gives us a catalogue of different forms to whet our poetic tastebuds including sestina, villanelle, experimental form and response poetry. 

Throughout the ‘Fugue’ section, Margaret has added a colour and suggested accompanying music to each piece. All the musical choices, I’d say are pretty much perfect partners to the poetry. Keep a tissue or soft sleeve handy, especially for Eva Cassidy’s inclusion.

Get this book if you’re a fan of poetry, full stop. It is a tour de force of emotion, relationships, influence and self. Terrific writing.

Favorite Poem:
‘Brambling’. ‘Allow Me to Be Me’ follows second.

One More Thing… 

Some of the sayings and phrases dotted through Margaret’s book transported me back to growing up in Northumberland. ‘Classy Chassis’ is a phrase from my younger years I’d not heard or seen elsewhere until reading this book.


To find out more about Margaret and her books, click here: https://margaretroyall.com/my-books/ 

To see more about Hedgehog Press, click here: https://www.hedgehogpress.co.uk/

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;

  • Title: Panic Response
  • Author: John McCullough

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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

The Book Bag – Elemental by Helen Laycock

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on Consolamentum. The launch on Zoom via Black Bough Poetry was a great evening of poetry with some incredibly special guests.

This week, between following the US Election, seeing fireworks and enjoying a delicious meal in Northumberland, I’ve been reading;

Elemental

  • Author: Helen Laycock
  • Press: Independently Published

I was lucky to meet Helen at 2024’s Black Bough Poetry Party in Neath after reading her poetry on Twitter/X for @TopTweetTuesday. I was drawn to her work as she used space on the page in multiple poems rather than having a singular alignment. Also, the fact Helen is such a lovely force in the poetry community is another reason I enjoy her work.

Elemental was released in 2024 and is a collection of poems based around the elements of air, fire, earth and water. The poems are a tapestry of imagery, sound, motion and emotion. 

In Helen’s poetry, space is used to great effect. This is highlighted in the piece ‘Water Gasp’ as it moves through centralised stanzas into separated lines that control the flow and emphasise the emotion and movement. It also allows the reader to fully take in the scene delivered through vivid language. The poem ‘Spooling Light’ resembles a reel, matching the subject matter. It is a terrific poem delivered in so few words.

For fans of intricate imagery, read ‘Winter Flame’. That was my wife’s favourite piece of the collection. Other vivid pieces in the collection include Snowflakes, Communion, Stunned and Hare. 

Helen weaves emotion through her poetry. ‘Lovelight’, ‘Whale Fall’ and ‘The Sadness of The Tree Spirit’ are heavy with meaning and made me pause to reflect. 

If you want vivid poetry that packs a punch, and where various forms are used, buy this book. I’d buy it just to read my favourite poem (below). It is exquisite and special.

Favorite Poem:
‘An Ocean of Orca Tears’. It is an emotional journey about a mother’s grief at the loss of a child. Full of heart, full of impact. 

‘Hare’ is a close second. 

One More Thing…
Throughout the book, Helen has added quotes about the elements. These markers help adjust the reader to a different state before moving to the next. I found the quote by Tony Robbins preceding the ‘Fire’ section and the initial piece ‘Lovelight’ heightened the emotional aspect.

Read more about Helen’s other poetry at https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/marbleintocloud. 

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;

  • Title: Toccata and Fugue with Harp
  • Author: Margaret Royall

For Remembrance Sunday, I wrote a small poem called ‘War Memorial’. Find it here: War Memorial

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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

Before The Apple Bobbing

The effigy burns 		   slowly 
until he’s blessed with 		       lighter fluid 
and turps.         Inferno, 	like hell, 
swallows the straw-man 			     whole. 

Innocent faces stare wide-eyed - 
claret cheeks gorging 		      liquorice Catherine-wheels 
while their spin-fizz namesakes 
frizzle		   out 	     defiant 		    sparks 
in the face of 	   Roman candles. 

Lies are told about the name's origin  
by the man in charge.   
‘Oh, Catherine Wheels were named for a king’s wife.’  
Nobody questions Akela.  
Instead, Baloo seethes redder  
                than the flame-licked luridness 
                                                         emblazoning the yard.

                                                         Explosions ensue.




Featured image: Photo by Alexis Hunter on Unsplash

The Armchair

Cenotaph of my loathe-quarry
lurks in the corner
ominous obelisk of misery-grey fabric 
stained by stagnant-self
                    arms grubbier than a plagiarist in an inkwell.

It haunts my body
memory-foam cushions twisted
around my depression
                      like an alligator in death-roll.

                                  If perching, it’s only for seconds
dread at comfort swallowing me whole
or falling over the feet clumsily
                                 delivering self-recrimination
that plunges me into that dark brutal chasm
                                                                                   - again.

The armchair is a sound-hollow
negative echoes only
so I stay silent near its plinth
  	              ⁃ yet sometimes the pride in victory
my eyes hold
is loud enough to drown
                                              past despair.

The Book Bag – Consolamentum by James McConachie

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on Street Sailing by Matt Gilbert

This week, between a lovely curry at Dabbawal in Newcastle, trying to figure out what the budget means and some windswept hair that had me looking like a combo of Beetlejuice and Cousin It, I’ve been reading…

Consolamentum

  • Author: James McConachie
  • Press: Black Bough Poetry

I’ve heard James perform at Black Bough open mic nights in the past, his pieces always elicit a strong sense of place and pack a punch. When his new book was released in October, I ordered it the same day and waited (im)patiently for it to arrive from Amazon. While I waited, I watched some promotional videos that indicated that the book would be something special.

James gives the rugged landscape of his home in Northern Spain voice and personality throughout the book. Poems such as Cusp Of The Last Cold Moon, Off Grid 414ppm, Granada and Mientras Podamos are full of vivid imagery. When reading, my mind drifted to these scenes as if I were there, such is the level of detail. 

Rich representations of the people and culture are delivered in pieces like Yula, Tres Mujeres and Montauban. This is such a clever book and it made me so nostalgic for Spain (I was lucky enough to have done work experience in the South of Spain including at a residence used by Ernest Hemingway when I was just out of school). I stayed with a lovely family from Spain and we communicated in broken English and Spanish. 

Some of the poems in this collection shine a light on today’s wrongs, none more so than Tensile Strength that grips you in a headlock as you read it, coming out the other end with a dizzy feeling of unease and sorrow.

Read this book if you want to go on an emotional journey through the wilds of Northern Spain with some postcards from the UK. Or if you’re a fan of exemplary poetry, chock-full of imagery. This is a great debut.

Favorite Poem:
Liebre or Pig – two very different poems. Both class.

One More Thing…
The poem, Summer of ‘23, was recently featured in issue 2 of The Madrid Review.

Finally…

You can see the launch of Consolamentum live on Zoom on Sunday 2 November 2024, tickets are free and available via Black Bough Poetry on Eventbrite. See https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/black-bough-poetry-online-launch-of-james-mcconachies-consolamentum-tickets-1059127612199. 

Find more information on James McConachie and Consolamentum and read testimonies here; https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/consolamentum-james-mcconachie where you can find links to buy his book.

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;

  • Title: Elemental
  • Author: Helen Laycock

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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. If you want to read some of my poems, have a look around the site.

Take it easy

Paul

The Book Bag – Street Sailing by Matt Gilbert

Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on The Language of Bees by Rae Howells. 

This week, between Sax practice, attending my first writer’s circle and some bitter cold temperatures, I’ve been reading…

Street Sailing

  • Author: Matt Gilbert
  • Press: Black Bough Poetry

I was lucky to meet Matt at 2023’s Black Bough Poetry Party in Neath after reading his poetry on Twitter/X for @TopTweetTuesday. By all accounts, he is a decent, genuine chap and a very talented poet. It was a highlight meeting him. 

Street Sailing was released in 2023 and is an exquisite debut collection of poems that provide sensory portraits of daily life across a span of settings, full of imagery and texture. 

The bustling market of ‘Ridley Road’ is vividly brought to life in the pages, bringing back memories of when I spent a few months working on a market stall selling fleeces and coats (in the middle of summer – a job I didn’t excel in), is a prime example of this. 

Matt brings his emotion to the pages in the poem ‘Father’s Day’ revelling in his parenthood and in ‘I made a mess of my own pathetic fallacy’, he gives an introspection that combines tragedy and self-deprecation.

I’d highly recommend reading Street Sailing if you want to see life captured through an inventive and rich lens. Don’t just take my word for it either, it has plenty of strong reviews online and one of the poems, ‘Foxed’, was nominated for a Forward Best Single Poem prize. I loved reading this.

Favorite Poem:
‘Undercliff’. It brims with rich language, vivid imagery, nostalgia and achievement. 

One More Thing…
The cover artwork by Ben Pearce perfectly matches the urban poetry that is dotted throughout the book.

Read more about Matt Gilbert at https://richlyevocative.net/ and https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/matt-gilbert 

Next Week’s Read

Looking ahead, here’s what’s lined up for my book bag next week;

  • Title: Consolamentum
  • Author: James McConachie

That’s it for this week’s reading roundup! 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