recap

The Book Bag: Through Salt-Heavy Seas by Andrew Williamson

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

This week has been a fairly quiet one with the bleary, grey weather. I did manage to get across to our allotment and look at the current progress of garlic and shallots, parsley and onions. They seem to be doing well despite the constant rain. At home we sowed some sweetpeas to start them off for spring. Also we harvested the last of the sprouts and used them to make a delicious slaw.

I’ve been able to write, do some editing, I launched this month’s Poetic Voice, the excellent Paul Connolly. Read part one here and bookmark for further work being added.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Through Salt-Heavy Seas

  • Poet: Andrew Williamson

I first encountered Andrew Williamson’s poetry as part of the weekly PoemsAbout prompts on BlueSky ran by Alan Parry & Broken Spine. His work caught my eye for several reasons – the minimalist word count, the power he packs in and the relatability of his poems. Andrew is also a member of Write Here, Right Now and always provides clever and creative insight.

Through Salt-Heavy Seas is a collection that focuses on place and how it impacts our very core. The piece ‘Tūrangawaewae’ (one of my favourites) and ‘When You Are Ready To Get On The Plane’ both lean into Andrew’s antipodean heritage. ‘The Kitchen’ draws readers into the intimacy and legacy of domestic spaces.

Imagery is vibrant and vivid throughout the collection. A prime example (and one of my favourites) is ‘Coire Uisg’ which uses a broad palette to paint the horizon. ‘Lambing Snow’ will feel ultra-familiar to anyone who has lived in rural areas or worked in agriculture. The piece ‘Forest’ is a clever poem that inverts the natural imagery of a forest poem.

Across the book, poems will cocoon you in various emotional states. ‘Hiraeth’ sparks pride, ‘Lullaby’ is a heart-wrenching piece that drew pause. The piece ‘Catching The Train From Dundee on New Year’s Eve Without You’ is an authentic and relatable love poem especially for those who’ve ever had to leave the comfort of family for a place that now feels unfamiliar despite its familiarity.

There is varied use of form and style in the collection with ‘Seven Questions To A Mountain’, a question poem, ‘Spring’ gives us a haiku which is always a treat. I enjoyed the looseness of punctuation that allows readers to dictate pace and let the poem continue in the mind to shape an outcome especially in ‘Coming Out Of Hibernation’ and ‘I Am Waiting For A Summer That Never Comes’. Andrew has also added a small glossary of translations to the book which was welcome as I was able to add to my vocabulary. In fact, Andrews use of traditional languages is an excellent inclusion in the book. Keeping these words in the public’s mind is tremendously important.

This collection will appeal to readers who love poems that speak of place and how we carry it. Poetics who want emotive pieces that speak on relationships and longing with honesty and authenticity will appreciate the poetry contained within. A gem of a book packed with relatable, accessible poetry that can be returned to time and again.

Favourite Poem:

I’ve already mentioned ‘Coire Uisg’ and ‘Tūrangawaewae’. Here’s another handful that spring to mind as I write this. ‘Unrequited’, ‘An Dùblachd’, ‘Variants’, ‘Kintsugi’ and ‘Letting In The Wolf’. I’ll also say ‘Compass Point’.

To learn more about Andrew, click here.

To buy Through Salt-Heavy Seas click here.

And if you’re looking for this week’s playlist, here it is. Something a bit eclectic again but what else would it be?!

Deacon Blue – Dignity
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms
Runrig – Skye
Mànran – Lahinch
Ellie Beaton – The Island
INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five
Manic Street Preachers – A Design For Life
Crowded House – Weather With You
Art Pepper – Patricia
Norma Winstone – Distance
Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending

Before I Go…
The Book Bag Open Mic Session 3 is shaping up nicely with exactly a month to go. Reader and Audience tickets are available here. Always a supportive and inclusive space for poets to share polished gems or roughcut coals.

One More Thing…
The Broken Spine have a submission call for Punk poetry. An opportunity to let loose and potentially be published in print. Full details can be found here.

And Another…
Black Bough Poetry has a new project called Fragment Friday. Details are on social media. Give them a follow and get involved (Meta: @blackboughpoetry / X: @blackboughpoems / Bluesky: @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social).

And Finally…
The North currently have an open submission call for their ‘Libraries’ issue. Libraries mean so many things to so many people. Full details available here. 

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Mædwe
  • Poet: Corinna Board

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

Paul

The Book Bag: Songs from Last Imaginations by Dorian Nightingale

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

Well it’s good to be back after a good Christmas break where I’ve slowed down a little. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve hosted Write Here, Right Now, hosted another instalment of The Book Bag Open Mic Sessions, attended a Black Bough poetry bootcamp for planning how I’ll make the most of the year to come.

I’ve also been lucky enough to be welcomed by Matthew MC Smith to be a guest sub-editor for Black Bough’s Christmas / Winter Anthology . Last weekend I attended a workshop facilitated by the excellent Vanessa Napolitano, then on Sunday (pre open mic) I read at a Winged Moon launch event.

Due to the weather, the allotment progress has been a little slow, but the ground is thawing and the plot is just about ready for spring planting. We did get the start of a climbing bean arch in last week.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Songs From Last Imaginations

  • Poet: Dorian Nightingale
  • Press: Flight of the Dragonfly Press

I’ve been following Dorian’s work for a while now and was over the moon when he announced his book was coming out with Flight of the Dragonfly. Songs from Last Imaginations is a pamphlet of poetry and terrifically curated photography.

Dorian’s major strength is his sound patterning built on a base of incredibly lyrical and melodic language. Poems including ‘One’, ‘Narcissus’ and ‘Sparks’ (one of my favourites) are all prime examples of this using sibilance, alliteration, variations on rhyme. Also, I’ll drop a special mention for ‘Clair de Lune’ as being a gem of a poem (this is the first piece of music I learnt on the saxophone).

There is a vibrancy in the imagery of this collection. ‘A Day At The Beach’ is energetic with quick rhyme in the opening, pulling to a slower pace by the closing line. ‘Deep Blue Day’ is a slower paced piece from the start but maintains attention due to rich, vivid language.

The pamphlet does not shy away from complex emotions. ‘Round and Around’ is an accomplished piece using the spin of a vinyl record as metaphor for waiting and longing incredibly well. ‘In Bloom’ is a great poem on resilience and creates a distinct engaging tone.

Form and style are played with throughout. White space is used to its maximum in the poem ‘Nobody Home’ and in ‘Airlock’ the slash method of line breaks is used to break up the text. The language contained within the pamphlet is incredibly considered and rich. ‘Reverie’ and ‘Reckoner’ are both exemplary in demonstrating this.

The photography included in the book has been carefully considered, adding visual beauty through simple, unfussy images. I’ll also mention the musical scales included in the pamphlet that tie into the theme and ambition of this book.

This book will be a hit with readers of lyrical poetry who appreciate immersive scenery and emotive pieces. These are poems to read aloud and have fun with, test your cadence and style reading speed and style for each one several times and see how they can alter. A wonderful pamphlet to kick off 2026.

Favourite Poem:

There’s a few pieces in this pamphlet. I’ve mentioned ‘Sparks’ already so I’ll add ‘Swan Song’, ‘You’, ‘Spellbound’, ‘The Final Cut’ and ‘Little Wing’.

You can find more on Dorian, here.

Dorian’s pamphlet can be bought here.

And for the first playlist of the year, here’s an eclectic mix to go with Dorian’s exceptional book based on my interpretation and some of Dorian’s musical inspiration (listed in the acknowledgements).

Bob Dylan – Visions of Johanna
Bruce Springsteen – The River
Röyksopp – Eple
David Bowie – Wild is the Wind
Portishead – Roads
U2 – The Sweetest Thing
Phoebe Bridgers – I Know the End
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Duke Ellington – Sophisticated Lady
Led Zeppelin – Good Times Bad Times
Claude Debussy – Clair de Lune

Before I Go…

It seems The Book Bag Open Mic Sessions are proving popular. Tickets for session 3, taking place on Sunday 8th March 2026 at 7pm, are now on sale and can be bought here. Spaces are limited. Don’t want to read? You can enjoy as an audience member for free.

One More Thing…

You may remember I signed on to assist the team at Frazzled Lit for the fourth issue. Well it’s out in the world and can be read here. It was an honour to be asked and read some excellent writing.

And Another…

The submission window for Black Bough’s Christmas / Winter Anthology 7 opens on 28th January and runs until 1st February. Full details can be found here. Read the guidelines and send your very best work to appear in an always excellent anthology.

And Finally…

I’d love to know what poetry books you got for Christmas. Did you get any from The Christmas Gift List? Is there a title I should be featuring on The Book Bag? Drop me a message in the comments.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Circulaire
  • Poet: Bex Hainsworth

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

Paul