THE WEST MIDLANDS READERS’ NETWORK
& Poetry on Loan

June is Poems 1960-2000, by Fleur Adcock. She was born in New Zealand but spent part of her childhood in England, returning to live in London in 1963. She has published ten previous books of poetry, and has edited several anthologies, including The Faber Book of Twentieth Century Women’s Poetry. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded an OBE in 1996.

Read on....

 

For a Five-Year-Old

 A snail is climbing up the window-sill
into your room, after a night of rain.
You call me in to see, and I explain
that it would be unkind to leave it there:
it might crawl to the floor; we must take care
that no one squashes it. You understand,
and carry it outside, with careful hand,
to eat a daffodil.

 I see, then, that a kind of faith prevails:
your gentleness is moulded still by words
from me, who have trapped mice and shot wild birds,
from me, who drowned your kittens, who betrayed
your closest relatives, and who purveyed
the harshest kind of truth to many another.
But that is how things are: I am your mother,
And we are kind to snails.

                Fleur Adcock
                from Poems 1960-2000
   

Here are some comments from the anthology's readers:-

‘I must admit I didn’t like the look of this weighty book, with its severe cover and its getting on for three-hundred poems, spanning forty years, by a worthy respected poet. So I dipped in without much enthusiasm, and stumbled on a couple of surprisingly sexy poems. Then I read one about Tony Blair (rhyming with ‘care’, ‘hair’ and ‘unfair’) that got me sniggering, followed by a bizarre one detailing a dream about John Prescott. Then a whole dazzling sequence, Meeting the Comet,  about a girl born with two fingers missing, and I was a convert.’

‘Thank goodness for a modern poet who tells a story. This is a book I can imagine coming back to time and time again.’

‘The incredible range of subject matter and styles can be a bit overwhelming at first, so take your time and just browse. On the other hand, her precise, ironic, conversational style make the poems quite easy to get your teeth into.

'My favourites were the ones about her ancestors and her family’s history.’

‘Seemingly simple, uncluttered and light, this poet stings whilst you are unaware. These poems disturb, touch raw nerves, and leave you feeling uneasy. They should be on your bookshelf, near at hand, available – we all need shaking up once in a while.’

 Especial Thanks To The Reviewers of June:

Readers from Warwick.

Want More....

U.A.Fanthorpe is another poet who writes calmly, lucidly, but with an edge.

If you enjoy Adcock’s more surreal moments, you would probably also enjoy Jo Shapcott’s witty, clever poetry.

For more ironic, stinging poems about relationships, try Wendy Cope and Sophie Hannah.

More Bloodaxe poets reviewed by our readers…..

Carrying My Wife by Moniza Alvi

‘At first I found the surrealism hard, but as I worked my way through the book, (it’s arranged with the newest poems first) I found the poems got much easier to relate to. Returning to read the newest poems again, I really enjoyed them.

There is such pleasure in colours and textures, which spills over into love and family – beautiful, positive writing.’

The Boys at Twilight – Poems 1990-1995 by Glyn Maxwell

‘I really enjoyed most of the poems here, especially the later ones from Rest for the Wicked. Each poem seems to create its own individual world.’

The Budapest File by George Szirtes

‘Evocative and very personal poems, which fuse together to form a moving history of events affecting the lives of Szirtes and his family.’

‘Szirtes fled with his family from Budapest during the Hungarian 1956 uprising, and writes powerfully both as an outsider imagining the city he knew as a child, and more recently as an insider, following his return to the city of his birth.’

The Back and the Front of It by Connie Bensley

‘A very clever collection – under a bright, brittle surface, some thought-provoking material.’

‘An ideal poetry book for a busy person. So much humour, but with a serious side that will make you keep returning to it, if only for a few minutes at a time.’

‘Upfront, approachable poetry. One of the verses in Holding Hands in the Movie Show hurtled me straight back to angst-ridden teenage years.’

‘I was irritated by the way she describes a woman’s life – we are not just about shopping, mobile phones and lipstick! Or maybe this poetry is just too subtle for me?’

‘Choosing from a wide range of geographic locations and cultural backgrounds, this anthology is great to dip into, to start an exploration of twentieth century poetry. The brief introduction given to each poet is really useful, and contributes to the unifying theme of the whole book.’

 Destination: Further…..

Reading groups: Many of the reactions to the poetry in this leaflet were written by members of reading groups. Reading groups are a way of sharing the pleasure you get from reading. They offer you the chance to meet with other readers who also enjoy talking about the book they’ve read. Most groups are free, meet monthly, and have up to fifteen members. Group members decide what they want to read and talk about – meetings are informal and everyone’s opinion counts.

If you are interested in joining or starting a reading group, ask at your local library or bookshop. They may already run a reading group. If they don’t they should be able to give you information on your nearest group, or advice on starting one yourself. The West Midlands Readers’ Network supports readers and readers’ group in the region – check out your local library, lit-net's writers and readers page or e-mail handinhand@cwcom.net for details of your nearest group.

Lit-Net (http://www.lit-net.org) is the West Midlands’ own books and reading website. A lively, constantly changing site including book reviews, discussions, and details of events for readers and writers.(I should cocoa, Lit-Net Ed)

Poetry On Loan West Midlands is a network of 20 libraries in the region which specialise in the promotion of contemporary poetry. The six libraries participating in Poetry Book of the Month are Poetry On Loan members. All have a special Poetry Place within their libraries, with information, collections of poetry, etc. Click here for details of other Poetry On Loan libraries.

The Poetry Society helps poetry thrive by promoting it through a range of work including publications, competitions, education work, and a website (http://www. poetrysoc.com).  It is a membership organisation open to all and offers benefits to members. Contact: Membership, The Poetry Society, 22 Betterton Street, London WC2H 9BX.

The Orange Reading Groups Guide (free, Book Trust, 1997) contains everything you need to know about setting up a reading group. Phone 0973 150 720 to order a copy.

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e-mail Christine Bridgwood at handinhand@cwcom.net