Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.

This week has been busy. An open mic on Thursday, was a highlight although I could only stay for the first half. I submitted a couple of pieces to some really good magazines, had a tussle with Submittable and had a lovely rejection. I finished an audiobook that felt like it was unfolding in real time in places. Work is busy, and enjoyable and I’ve been able to work on a new project. I did find some time to get a long overdue haircut. On Sunday evening (tonight, 6th July), I’ll be reading at the Black Bough open mic.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Midden Witch

• Poet: Fiona Benson
• Press: Cape Poetry

Let me address something. This is the first time I’d read a collection by Fiona Benson in full, so I came into this review with only my appreciation for her work that I’d read in anthologies and online.

Midden Witch is divided into sections each titled with links to witchery, for example, ‘Discovery of Witchcraft’ and ‘Familiars’. There are micropoems on each division page, which feel like bonus material.

Language is a major strength of Fiona Benson. As this is a collection steeped in witchcraft and magic and the perception of it, this is no major surprise but poems such as ‘Robin Goodfellow’ and ‘North Berwick Witch Trials’ are incredibly rich. In fact, some of the pieces felt like spells, especially ‘Song of The Riparian Zone’ (part ii of ‘Beaver Trial’).  

A key theme throughout the book is how those in power have mistreated people, especially women in medieval times. Famous witches (yes I did my research and was shocked, SHOCKED by the accounts!) are referred to throughout such as ‘Jenny Greenteeth’. Poems including ‘Defamatio‘ showcase persecution. The reference to the church and the antaganost in the piece ‘Matthew Hopkins (Persecutor)’ is forthright and unapologetic.

There are some moments where I felt my heart crush and I had to pause reading, the impact was so intense. This was the case with ‘Charm For An Ailing Child’ . When you have such a strong emotional response when reading, you know a collection will stay with you.

Nature plays a major role in this collection. Fiona Benson creates exceptional imagery in pieces such as  The symbiotic relationship between humans and nature is explored also. The poems ‘Lark Ascending’ and ‘Lilac Chaste-Tree’ are great examples of this and show completely opposite approaches. However, ‘Moss’ for me is the standout in this theme, partly as I am partial to it but mostly because it is exquisite.

There is plenty of wit and humour in the collection in different shades. ‘The Bill Against Conjurations And Wichecrafts And Sorcery And Enchantments, Henry VIII, 1541-2 Cut Up, Rearranged’ feels like a dark satire reimagining a law against Witchcraft signed by Henry VIII, a King known for his treatment of women.

Fiona Benson plays with form throughout. We have chaptered poems in ‘Babushka’. ‘Amy Duny’ reads like biographical prose with a great shift in the closing line. Tercets appear throughout, including in ‘Wisp’. Alignment and spacing is played with in the poem ‘Exorcism: Wild Horses’ adding further emphasis to the writing.

Favourite Poem:

There’s a few in Midden Witch that I returned to time and again this week. I’m picking five six seven today, but it could be a lot more.  ‘Midden Witch’, ‘Patrick Swayze’, ‘Invention Of Opium’, ‘Leddy Lister’, ‘Accusatio’, ‘Charm For An Ailing Child’ and ‘Transformation: Galinthis’.

This collection will appeal to many. Witchcraft enthusiasts for one. Oh and people who agree that rules aren’t applied evenly to all genders, sexes and classes. It will appeal to poetry readers who love rich language, nature, various forms, myth, metaphor and realism. A bewitching collection.

To read Fiona Benson’s bio, click here.

Buy Midden Witch here.

What’s your favourite Fiona Benson poem or collection? Let me know in the comments.

I’m sharing another playlist today to accompany the reading;

Kate Bush – Babooshka
Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell on You
Frank Sinatra – Witchcraft
Donovan – Season of The Witch
Stevie Nicks – Rhiannon
Wardruna – Helvegen
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Spellbound
Aurora – Running With The Wolves
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – The Time of My Life

One More Thing…
It was great to see an exciting opportunity for poets who had attended or plan on attending one of the Black Bough Poetry ‘Crafting Your Year in Poetry’ workshops. I found this opportunity through subscribing to their newsletter. A terrific source of information including details of Louise Machen’s forthcoming online launch of I Am Not Light, a link to the new Silver Branch feature for July which celebrates a tremendously talented poet and artist, Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad and details of their next ‘Crafting Your Year in Poetry’ workshop. Sign up to their newsletter here.

And Another…
There is a new resource available to writers to get their work in front of new audiences through the Promote Indie Lit platform. If you know any writers who are looking to get their name out there for free, definitely direct them to https://promoteindielit.com. There are multiple opportunities and mediums for writers to have work shared including reviews (some will appear on The Book Bag), interviews, features and more.

And Another…
The Broken Spine are launching a new workshop. Cut To The Bone is all about editing your poetry to its sharpest. Details here.

And Finally…
Beautiful Little Fools is released on Monday July 7^th 2025 exploring and responding to The Gilded Age. I’m very happy to have two pieces in the collection, sharing pages with some incredible poets. On Monday, go to Amazon and search Beautiful Little Fools. I’m sure Broken Spine will be sharing a link on Monday via their BlueSky social media.

Next Week’s Read

• Title: Modern Poetry
• Poet: Dianne Seuss

Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.

Paul