relationships

The Book Bag: Why I Wear My Past To Work by Chris Campbell

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

I’ve probably asked this about 437 times this week, but how is it October?

I’ve had quite the rollercoaster this week. Sunday morning was spent at the allotment, making a bulb lasagne. Hopefully come spring, we’ll have some lovely pastels flowering. Fingers crossed! 

I also saw Newcastle get (undeservedly) beat by Arsenal. But then we bounced back with a Champions League win. It was also the 2nd anniversary of getting Brody. We celebrated by giving him toys and treats. Unfortunately, the weather put pay to our planned walk. 

Wednesday was the launch of this month’s Poetic Voice feature and I’m thrilled that Carson agreed to take part. If you’ve not read the first part already, catch up here. Thursday was National Poetry Day on the theme of ‘Play’. I shared a small piece on social media. I’ve also added it here with my TopTweetTuesday entry.

Also, this week I’ve sent off several submissions and had some good news. You may remember my poem ‘Laundry Day’ was accepted and published by Dust Poetry Magazine (link here), well I’m beside myself, because it has been nominated for a Best Of The Net award. I’d like to say thanks to Dust for trusting in my work and congratulations to all other nominees. 

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Why I Wear My Past To Work

  • Poet: Chris Campbell
  • Press: Parlyaree  Press


This is Chris Campbell’s second appearance in The Book Bag. He is back with a bang in Why I Wear My Past To Work, a collection that spans recovery from illness, family, relationships and life. There is definite evolution in this collection from All Island, No Sea. I was lucky to be part of his online launch a couple of weeks ago. If you get a chance to hear him read, take it. His voice carries real weight and emotion. 

One of Chris’ main strengths is his sharp observation. He can immerse a reader in a scene or situation that feels relatable rather than forced. Poems such as ‘Five Schoolboys Pick Pyracantha’, ‘The Sea Steals Our Picnic Blanket’, ‘The Meadow, Dugdale Avenue, 1993’ and ‘Revellers Howl In The Fine Hours’ excel in this vein. The piece ‘Cold Crooks By This Fire Pit’ made me think of ‘Hippy Green’ behind Old Eldon Square in Newcastle.

The pieces relating to Chris’s recovery are at times harrowing and at times funny. ‘Today I Can’t Speak’ is compact yet compelling. ‘In The Queue At Bristol Royal Infirmary’ is a darkly funny piece that is so relatable to anyone who’s spent time in an A&E and one of my favourites. Poems including ‘After Leaving The Ward’ and ‘Holed Up After Hunting For A Gift’ also highlight Chris’ spirit, resilience and the journey he has been on. In these pieces we are seeing Chris at his most vulnerable.

The pieces in this collection which address his relationship with his family are delicate and authentic. Poems including ‘Day Trip, 2000’, ‘You Are Here, Grandad, In This Mute Playpark’ (which left me in a flood of tears) and ‘Bin Workers Wake You’ are all perfect examples of this across a scale of emotion. ‘My Son Grows as I Regress’ is a tremendously thoughtful and moving piece.

Aside from family relationships, Chris connects with everyone, he is after all a genuinely decent human being. I must the poem ‘I Drown During An Awards Do As The Queen Dies’ where Chris confronts a former soldier who is spouting bigoted diatribe. The piece ‘How This Cuban Shop Serves Pachanga’ is a lovely poem on community full of sensory imagery. We need more Chris Campbell’s in the world.


In terms of form, Chris uses a variety throughout including couplets in ‘A Helping of Sand After University’, compared to the flow of single-versed ‘Our Date Night Will Be Ponchos In January’. In ‘I am The Man I Wanted To Be’ we are shown some neat, intricate internal rhyme along with honest introspection. I really enjoyed some of the surprising line breaks throughout the book especially in ‘There Is A Mortuary On The Horizon’.

This collection will appeal to poetry lovers who appreciate heartfelt poems from a masculine perspective that don’t border on cliche. Lovers of vivid imagery and sharp observations will appreciate the pieces throughout this book. These are poems to return to time and again, it feels like having a conversation with a friend who relishes family, friends and the small (and big) things in life. Also if you’re looking for gift inspiration for the forthcoming festivities, Why I Wear My Past to Work would make a great Christmas present. 

Favourite Poem:

I have several favourites in this collection. I’ve already mentioned ‘In The Queue At Bristol Royal Infirmary’ so I’ll stick to another five as I’m writing. ‘Who Gave Our Kid Glitter Stickers’, ‘You Play The Violin On Your Mum’s Birthday’, ‘Shove Your 3-for-2 Flyer’, ‘Let Me Breathe Apricots’ and ‘Why I Wear My Past To Work’. I must also give a special mention to ‘Egg Lamp’s Verdict’. Oh and ‘Ode To The Pruning Woman Eaten by Vines’ is pretty special too.

To learn more about Chris, click here. 

To buy Why I Wear My Past To Work click here.

And of course, it wouldn’t be The Book Bag without a playlist to accompany Chris’s collection, so here’s an eclectic selection to pair with the book…

Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now
Florence & The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
Oasis – Songbird
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
Miles Davis – Blue In Green
Yusuf Islam – Father & Son
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Three Little Birds
The Verve – Sonnet
Bill Withers – Lean On Me
Elton John – I’m Still Standing
Mumford & Sons – After The Storm
Portishead – Only You
Muddy Waters – Got My Mojo Working
Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending

Before I Go…

Frazzled Lit are open for free submissions throughout October. I am excited and honoured to be part of the reading panel which also includes Louise Machen and Val Roberts. Details and Guidelines here. Send your best work.

One More Thing…

Broken Spine Arts have another thematic callout for submissions, this time for gothic poetry to be included in ‘The Havisham Steps’ anthology. Details here.

And Another…

If you want to partake in a supportive and friendly open mic, The Book Bag Open Sessions: Session 1 is on Sunday 9th November between 7 & 9pm (UK Time), via zoom. Share polished gems or roughcut coals. Or sit back and enjoy as an audience member. Details here.

And Finally…

Mark Anthony Owen’s excellent ‘After…’ journal is open for submissions throughout October looking for ekphrastic / after pieces. Full details here.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Somewhere A Tree Waits For An Angel Or A Butterfly
  • Poet: Eileen Carney Hulme

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

Paul

All Of Us Horses

Wild stallions overrunning cobblestone streets 
gallops fierce as northern thunder, 
manes a frenzy of electric-shock wind; 
all thoughts of consequences 
trampled in the wake of lightning-hooves. 

Shoots of meadows sprung up 
in tarmacked alleys and avenues. Band of brothers separated,  
searching for pastures of their own to graze. 

Love bridles all. Reins accepted willingly. 

Untethered and unburdened by expectation, 
when we horses herd together; 
                                                         we canter.

Photo by Vladimir Vujeva on Unsplash

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

Before The Apple Bobbing

The effigy burns 		   slowly 
until he’s blessed with 		       lighter fluid 
and turps.         Inferno, 	like hell, 
swallows the straw-man 			     whole. 

Innocent faces stare wide-eyed - 
claret cheeks gorging 		      liquorice Catherine-wheels 
while their spin-fizz namesakes 
frizzle		   out 	     defiant 		    sparks 
in the face of 	   Roman candles. 

Lies are told about the name's origin  
by the man in charge.   
‘Oh, Catherine Wheels were named for a king’s wife.’  
Nobody questions Akela.  
Instead, Baloo seethes redder  
                than the flame-licked luridness 
                                                         emblazoning the yard.

                                                         Explosions ensue.




Featured image: Photo by Alexis Hunter on Unsplash