Antony Owen – The Dreaded Boy (Book Review)

I am a frequent blogger as regular viewers to my blog will know and

also where-ever I blog poetry for read and comment if they like.

During this kind of activity, it’s frequent I guess I end up reading

other people’s poetry which is part and parcel and when I can I

like to comment on it.

Without been big headed over this kind of thing, I have made a

few friends and in most of these cases have then later on ended

up supporting them when-ever they bring out a book. (Good

books of course).

With money been tight, which it is in society nowadays,

buying poetry by none friends is a very different ball game indeed

however.

Antony Owen’s poetry is one such case.

I first encountered him on Write Out Loud, I guess what maybe

18 months ago and was that impressed by his poetry, I emailed

Him to ask where to get his book from.

He answered me, and I am shamed to admit it took a good 16

months for me to get round to buying his debut book,

My Father’s Eyes Were Blue which I will review soon and by

the time I got round to reading it, his second collection

‘The Dreaded Boy’ had just appeared.

‘The Dreaded Boy’ is a book about war poems. Not the way

Wilfred Owen would tell them but to quote the press release

“affecting and unflinching investigation into the violence and

loss inflicted by modern warfare”.

Take for example, the title piece of the collection 'the Dreaded boy',

it is filled with images like

'Where battalions fell /

Autumn poured eyes /

out of spiky cribs /

their beige pupils rolled /

like sky in a soldier's iris',

there is something in this that totally unsettled me in the first

stanza which I couldn't put my finger on which as the piece

develops turns into a holy nightmare.

No answers are offered why, no after thoughts whether the

crime went unpunished – just the event itself.

There is certainly a element of Wilfred Owen in this

in the way the horror is not played over the top,

almost like a newspaper article but the horror here

is played with almost a detachment not as a obersver

which is just as chilling.

Other pieces such as my personal favourite 'Wastelands'

offer no further answers with 'limbs of typewriters' and 'tears

became exclamations', giving a very readable but

downright haunting feel which has a feel of Billy Ramsell

in some places with tons of layers and layers hidden

within in it.

Recommended.

Go here for more details..

http://www.pighog.co.uk/titles/the-dreaded-boy.html

Jude Cowan – For the Messengers (Book Review)

I first met Jude Cowan back in the summer of 2010 at Ireland’s excellent

‘Poets Express’ festival which is hosted and ran by Kylyra from Dark World

International and memorised by her singer-songwriting with a uiklee

which seemed to go into a totally different universe to a lot of the rest

of the festival.

This book is totally different to that.

I remember on the way back listening to her début CD with my friend Tony

and now ex keyboardist, Jeff and all three of had a great time listening to 

the CD which did border on poetry in places, but had layers scattered 

throughout it, it made me think of a novel, but a kind of novel I had 

not read or explored before.

This book is totally different to that.

For the Messengers, her début collection began in early 2008 

when she began to write poems almost daily in response to 

the unpackaged daily news footage she was constantly archiving

 for the Thomson Reuters news agency.

The book itself covers a wide range of topics such as Benazior Bhutto’s 

assassination to the Mumbai terror attacks and from the first Olympic Games 

and the election of Barack Obama, she had a array of material to 

draw onto from literally all over the world.

The poems in this book are on the whole generally pretty brief and 

on the whole I think work better for it. The press release that I 

read for the book describes her as having a talent for locating 

the key details which cut to the human centre of a story, which 

I totally agree in pieces like ‘ Iraq: Sifting' where a full story is told 

in just 4 lines or 'Mexico: Warlock' where I particularly like the 

bits in italics 'Hillary Clinton will be the next US President' 

and 'Central America will almost disappear' which give 

the picture a different form of reality.

This is a book that is different for the amount of topics 

she attempts to cover in contrast to so many books that 

you read by some poets that have two or three ideas and 

constantly, constantly keep returning to them. Jude’s book 

is very different to that in also the way she keeps away on 

the whole from writing about her own life directly and writing 

lots of poems about England and her own life (which I guess 

is more common ground for any new writer).

Speaking personally, I loved this book because I try to keep 

in touch with the news when-ever possible, and I think the 

market for this book will be people who have an interest in 

world-wide history / news which may restrict it’s cross-over appeal.

However, it’s a book that is worth exploring. Just don’t expect 

to be able to read it in half hour, as like the news, there is a 

awful, awful lot to take in.

More information can be read at (including samples)

http://peonymoon.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/jude-cowans-for-the-messengers/

Steve Garside – A Million ways to measure the Sun (Book Review)

I first met Steve Garside, I guess around the end of 2009 through 
my guitarist Jeffarama’s first tour under the name off ‘Busking for Beer’ 
which was a marriage of poetry and music and again at the start of

2010 when he donated some paintings for the Desparately seeking 
Alex charity night at the Green Room in Manchester that I co-ran.

In a lot of ways, Steve’s début book ‘A Million Ways to measure the sun’ is a

extension to those paintings with words and are littered with double layers
(or allusions in his words if you like) and require several readings.

Take for example ‘The Paper Trees‘.

Bits like 'Flattering the sound of streams

in folds of breeze; the paper trees.

Equidistant lines of fifty in a field

sunlight geo-divided by their honest bark'

This is a beautiful and deep use of language that deserves 
repeated reading over and over until the language starts to show 
something very different.

Another review I read when researching Steve's book said 
'it’s difficult not to become immersed in the deliberate and often 
precise rhythm and choice of his language or become aware 
of how it sits perfectly with not just each individual poem’s 
theme but the book’s overall feeling of inequality throughout

life’s various stages' which I totally agree with, but also 
add the point with Steve's work, at it's best (which is 
constant throughout this book almost completely) 
is in it's layering – like all great painters, Steve's words 
reveal themselves over time.

Another interesting example is in 'Our Teacher took photos of us'
where on first readings I took the piece to be a sad story
about death and the passing of time on for example.. 


'before the dark end of teenage
/slipped from bullying into heroin'


The use of memory here was slight and left tons of
gaps for you to fill in yourself... Was the poet himself there
or was it a story he heard somewhere maybe recently or
a long time ago, and is the back cover of the book linked 
into this? 


Steve's work at it's best for me doesn't even give you half
of the answers, let alone the questions as above and is
a really rewarding read because of that. 

Recommended. 

(Book can be bought direct from Amazon on
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Million-Ways-Measure-Sun/dp/144661431X)

About Me

I now also have a account on about me..

http://about.me/andynpoet

This can be found as above

Latest News - Week Commencing 22 May 2011

Dear all;


After the mad run-up to the Chorlton Arts Festival last week, it was to be expected that afterwards it would be a bit quieter.


The set at Chorlton Arts Festival, I was really pleased with and have plenty off footage to go through, but so far I have uploaded three videos from the night - these are:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKaoceh5_c0


Genocide 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TkKLSt4S3Q

Percy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg2Wiekm6cM

A Coin in the Fountain 

Over the coming weeks, I'll be uploading other videos from the night

but the rest of last week and into the bank holiday was resting as

much as possible and in the process, I managed to do a bit of

writing - I posted a new poem as a blog on write out loud called 

'Escape (

http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=21141#page_comment_74878)

for you to read and have another new one just about done called 

'Maine Road Massacre (1988) and a major revision about half

done of a old favourite called 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which is still the same

but has a new lick of paint on it making it I hope somewhat different. 

This week, with it been a shorter week - I am going to chill on Tuesday

before on Wednesday helping Cathy with her mid week shopping

and then on Thursday going to Guitars and Verse, the night me and Jeffarama

run over in Bolton.

This month quoting Jeff off the facebook page ' Following a fine show with 

Linda Jennings and John Darwin last month, this month we have singer/songwriter 

Jason Johnson (pic) and poet Laura Taylor.

I met Jason recently when he did a gig at the Octagon with Dave Sharp, was 

impressed with his songs and asked him to do G n V. He's coming over from Tameside 

and has just released a new album which I can definitely recommend!

I know Laura from the poety and music scene in Wigan, shes on writeoutloud, and 

writes well and is a great performer, well worth seeing!'.

Of course, there is a open mike section that takes at least half of the show which

is just as exciting where I will be debuting two new poems (Probably my last

two blogged on W.O.L.), so come along folks.

And then on Saturday to see Johnny Depp in Pirates 4, which I hope is better

than the terrible third one.

Have a good week all folks.. 

Week Commencing 23th May 2011

Phew! Last week was quite a week, all in all

And I am still recovering from it now truth be told.

Monday, first of all – I popped over to see my friend,

Rick for a quick beer for his birthday and even had

Time to pop in to see another friend on the way home

Literally who had some thoughts for a rewrite on a

Old poem of mine (which I need to sit down and have

A look at).

Tuesday – It was A Means to an End rehearsals

And we did another trial run at Chorlton’s brilliant

Iguana Bar and had a great time there – got my

Band another gig in June or July when our schedule

Lightens up at Asoustic Wednesdays in Manchester, but

More details on that to follow. Also took some pictures

On the night and perhaps got a few people to come

Along and watch us on Monday 23^rd May 2011 (tonight)

Play Chorlton Arts Festival in a full length set.

Wednesdays – Was out Hospital visiting for a sick friend,

But when I got back to Cathy’s sat down and started scribbling

On a new poem which needs a lot more work about football

Hooligsm.

Thursday – Ended up going over to Freed Up Poets @ The Green Room

In Manchester for it’s last poetry open mike there. Co-hosted again

By original co-announcer Steve O’Connor, the night was a lot better

Than it has been in recent months if I am honest as a lot of people came

Back who started going a while back and it was nice to see some of

These faces again. I, myself was placed on second which was a bit

Earlier than I would have prepared if I was honest and there was

No warning of a running order (unlike previous months) which

Made it harder, but I delivered my newest poem ‘Ghosts of Manchester

Victoria’ and a older poem ‘First Holiday in Ireland’ and was happy

With what I wrote..

Friday was a total break after that, and on Saturday me and Cathy

Went to see Hanna, a new film at the cinema which was really good

With a pounding soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers which I need

To check is commercially available (I hope so). Sunday, I left early and

Went to Chorlton to perform a short set at Chorlton FM which is linked

To Chorlton Arts Festival which was great fun before then heading over

To watch Jude Cowan, a friend from London do the Manchester launch

Of her debut poetry book which was interesting (More on that later when

I review the book).

But tonight, it’s Chorlton Arts Festival.

Puppywolf wants your poetry for 'Best of Manchester Poets Volume 2'

Last Year I had a poem that appeared in my first book ‘Final Appointment’

In Best of Manchester Poets Volume 1 by local Manchester Poetry Press –

Puppwolf.                               

Just over a year later, they are now recruiting for Volume 2.    

Reading their website, they advise ‘we are now inviting submissions for the second volume, which will be published in September 2011. You can submit two poems and it’s free of charge to do so. The deadline for submissions is 30th June 2011.

The first volume contained work by established poets and those who had never been published before. We’re proud of this and intend it to continue in Volume 2.

Entries will be judged anonymously by a panel of Manchester poets.

Go here for more details - http://www.puppywolf.co.uk/news/?page_id=6

Latest News - Week Commencing 16th May 2011

Dear all;

Sorry for the delay in not posting last week.

Last week all in all turned into one of those weeks where

I didn’t seem to stop.

First of all, there was two band rehearsals instead

Of one in prep for the Chorlton Arts Festival gig next

Monday 21^st May 2011.

We also managed to squeeze in a live test run of some

pieces at W.O.L. Bolton where some went down

better than others truth be told, but I debuted my

keyboard live on stage for the first time (Was dead

nervous over that).

I also did a gig for Gemma Lees called ‘Poets take

over the Market’ @ Bury Market where I did about

15 minutes and really enjoyed it, although the weather

was bloody awful.

Earlier on tonight, I also squeezed in another test rehearsal

At Iguana Bar in Chorlton Cum Hardy too which was

Fun as normal.

Over the next week or so, I’m next up to the following: 

                            

19th May 2011

'Freed Up Poets'

Green Room

Manchester 

21st May 2011

'Guitars and Verse'

The Crescent

Salford 

22th May 2011

'Chorlton FM'

Chorlton Precident 

Chorlton Cum Hardy

Manchester

(Can be heard online between 1pm – 2pm)

23rd May 2011

'Chorlton Arts Festival'

Chorlton

Manchester

So it will be all go literally as normal.

Week Commencing - 02/05/2011

Not much happened last week as I got tied up with my birthday and running
around in work making sure everything got cleared before I finished this week
for leave aside from more band rehearsals and another lovely walk in Chorlton's
Longford Park (See above).

The band itself has it's first major gig I guess at Chorlton Arts Festival on
Monday 23th May 2011 at one of my favourite places, the Lloyds Hotel
where we will be performing a free maybe 45 minute or so set, which
I am really looking forward to it.

There is plenty of other gigs on the way, but over this week - shortly
I am heading over to watch my friend Helen Back perform at 'Stirred'
a women's poetry reading at Sand Bar, on Grosvenor Street, Manchester.
Not sure if I really fancy this truth be told, but it's for a friend so I'll hang
around until she's been on and then quietly disappear if needed afterwards.

Tommorrow, with Jeffarama 'A Means to an End' are doing our first
pre Chorlton Arts Festival gig at 'Iguana Bar' in Chorlton Cum Hardy.
No idea when we will be on, but I expect it'll be starting maybe 8.30pm
or so.

Wednesday, I am popping over to other halves to make sure she hasn't
forgotten me, before returning over to Bolton for 'Guitars and Verse'
again co-run by Jeffarama which'll be a laugh I hope.

No plans for week-end aside from seeing other half and hopefully enjoying
this weather a bit more and maybe doing some work on book number 2.

More soon.

Hope you are all good

Cheers

Andy N