Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.
In a week where I’ve received some voice messages from an array of characters, celebrated my Father-in-laws 70th birthday, attended a work conference on the other side of the River Tyne, enjoyed some sunshine, caught up with friends and watched Newcastle beat Leicester 3-0, I have also managed to finish a couple of audiobooks.
On top of that, I’ve been reading;
New Famous Phrases
- Poet: Daniel Hinds
- Press: Broken Sleep Books
I first came across Daniel Hinds at a Black Bough Poetry Open Mic. A familiar accent and some exceptionally well-read pieces were enough to get me to find out more. Luckily his debut collection has just been released so I thought, I’ll have that.
New Famous Phrases is a collection that appreciates poetry and includes conversations with, and responses to, poems that came before. That’s not all though, the poetry within these pages is fresh, inventive (including prose poetry reviews) and sharp.
The poems ‘Crying of the Gulls’ and ‘Earth Giant’ are just two of the catalogue of incredible imagery rich pieces in this collection. The language and points of reference bring scenery to life and ground you in the moment. ‘Keeping Watch’ is another excellent display, placing the reader in the first lockdown.
There are strong evocative pieces throughout the collection. Pieces such as ‘I Haunt You Back’, ‘Sundog Howl’ and ‘Lady of the Rock’ are just some of the poems that make you pause.
Form is used in multiple ways. In fact, Daniel’s book reviews in the form of prose poems were commended in the National Centre for Writing’s UEA New Forms Award 2021. Obviously the dialogue poetry in itself is a form that plays a pivotal role in the collection also. ‘Phillip Pullman’s Graduation’ is a response piece that is divided into sections which adds to an extra dimension.
For fans of myths and heroes, you’re in for a treat. ‘Banquet For Penelope’ is a tremendous poem that contains perceptive imagery, taut emotion, clever wordplay and a cast of heroes. The piece ‘The Magi’s Camel’ in response to T.S Eliot is another remarkable example, vivid with a palpable undercurrent.
Daniel does humour and wit really well. Poems including ‘Untitled, The Fourth Monster’ (which contains some great northern vernacular) and Cryptid (The Mystery of Water) are standouts. The latter being perfect satire for the 2020’s. Also, throughout are some footnotes that will make you chuckle.
The conversation poetry is expertly done. None of the pieces feel clunky or in the realm of unintentional parody and caricature. The piece ‘The Train Goes Backwards’ is a great response to Ezra Pound’s ‘In A Station Of The Metro’.
Yes, you’ve read that correctly. I’ve mentioned Pound and Eliot, there’s also some Hughes responses, HD, Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and more. All considered to be greats, so to tackle them could have been deemed a risk. But with great risk comes greater reward. Which is what this book ultimately is.
Buy New Famous Phrases if you like creative, inventive poetry that is rich in imagery and emotion that brings the old greats into the modern era with responses, challenges and respect.
Favourite Poem:
Cryptid (The Mystery of Water).
To learn more about Daniel, read his Society of Authors profile here.
New Famous Phrases is available to buy on Broken Sleep Books here.
One More Thing…
Daniel was this week’s host of Top Tweet Tuesday, posting a challenge to open dialogue with an imagist poem. My contribution can be found here.
And Another…
If you read The Book Bag last week, you’ll know that Debone & Fold has an online launch coming up on April 17th with special guests. To find out more, click the Broken Spine Arts events page here. You will also be able to check out upcoming workshops and other events.
And Finally…
Keep your eyes peeled for The Book Bag dropping a special Bonus episode on Wednesday.
Next Week’s Read
- Title: Smatterings of Cerulean
- Poet: Susan Richardson
Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 