Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.
This week was the second week of training in my new role at work and has been very busy. The Executive team sent me a box of chocolates to congratulate me on the new role which was unexpected but greatly appreciated. I struggled at my Sax lesson due to my bust shoulder but it was fun all the same. Also, I really enjoyed the speakers I saw at Alnwick Story Fest. All very different topics but important too. Did I blow my budget on books? Yes. I also picked up this week’s collection though.
Poetry-wise I’ve started drafting some pieces and submitted a couple of poems. I’ve also started work on creating an online writing group.
On top of that, I’ve been reading;
Sleepers Awake
- Author: Oli Hazzard
- Press: Carcanet Press
Sleepers Awake opens with a sprawling 56-page poem encompassing various forms and themes. Progress: Real and imagined pulls in multiple directions like a fever dream or string of consciousness.
The poem is very clever in that it involves writing a poem in response to a painting by Nicole Eisenmann. However, before returning to finish, the poet must deal with the distractions of everyday life. As in real life, the distractions are constant, external and internal.
The shifts in form bring changes in pace and thematic subjects, keeping you engaged as a reader. I didn’t lift my head for a while, giving the occasional ‘ooh’ and chortle.
At times the piece becomes very meta, referring to language choices made to increase the poem’s status. The act of adding a pear to make the piece ‘more hummy’.
I have to credit Oli Hazzard for such a well-crafted and complex piece.
Oli Hazzard is adept at wordplay, the poem ‘Postpositivity in Spring’, is a string of economical couplets split into sections, with each couplet starting by ending the previous one. Smart work.
‘Sleepers Awake’ is a terrific display of imagery and lyrical language to discuss snowfall in Glasgow. There’s also romanticism at play here which I really enjoyed. This is my second favourite poem in the collection.
We are treated to plenty of contemporary references within the collection. Pieces including ‘Dingdingdinggedicht’, ‘Living, etc’ and ‘Earth IV’ are all strong examples of being restrained in use to deliver the best impact. (Side note: The Hufflepuff reference made me chuckle. My wife played a Hufflepuff in the first Harry Potter movie.)
Music is mentioned throughout the book. The poems ‘Composed at Edberg’ and Theory of The Lyric are the obvious titles to note, but then there is another immense sequence titled Incunabulum. 16 poems made up of 4 stanzas with 4 lines per stanza. The lines are too long to fit on the page in ‘portrait mode’ so were printed in landscape. The arrangement has multiple musical qualities and is another show of skill and craftsmanship. I must say this shows a great relationship between Oli Hazzard and Carcanet as I’m sure this would have caused some challenges when printing.
Buy this book if you’re into poetry that is thought-provoking in terms of theme and form, like some humour and a musical quality to your poetry. This is a collection that stretches traditional themes into the current poetic sphere.
To buy Sleepers Awake, visit the Carcanet Press here: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781800172999
Favorite Poem:
Progress: Real and Imagined for the sheer scale, effort and complexity.
Before You Go…
Black Bough Poetry has an open mic on Wednesday 12 March 2025 kicking off at 7:15 pm. It’s a great forum to test poems in a supportive environment with a wonderful host, Matthew Smith. Details here.
One More Thing…
Full House Literary have released the latest issue of their litmag and it is visually stunning with incredible poetry, prose, art and other fascinating creative work. Read it here.
And Finally…
Broken Spine Arts is running a weekly poetry prompt on Blue Sky. #PoemsAbout is every Friday and they also now run a regular #PoemsAbout open mic to get involved in. Find out more about the open mic here.
Next Week’s Read
- Title: Chris Campbell
- Poet: All Island, No Sea
Take it easy and stay poetic,
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 