poetrybooks

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