As
advertised previously, my second full length collection ‘The End of Summer’ has
now been released by Goya Press.
Originally
released in a hard to find limited print on demand run last year, this new
version specially released by Goya Press contains new artwork, specially
re-edited by the author and new additional material , the book was written over
a five year period from 2011 to 2016.
Quoting what was wrote on Amazon
the book was originally started as a creative way to show how the writer was
dealing with a newly diagnosed major change in health, the book developed over
time to talk about the change in season, in this case from the end of Summer
into the beginning of Autumn, mirroring much more than just a change but an
emotion that overcomes us all at major turning points in our lives.
Told often in taut, short little pieces, the
book invites comparisons with the poet Hugo Williams but also shows a love of
music through two of the author’s own favourite music groups with July Skies
and Epic 45, which explores the Englishness of the countryside in sparse,
echoing brush-strokes which often need more than one read to breath the images
he portraits.
With an introduction by noted American writer,
Amanda Silbernagel. ‘The End of Summer’ is a book that tunnels into memories,
creating new emotions at the end of it.
(Press
copies are available)
Some
thoughts by fellow writers:
These are
highly evocative poems, each one painting a distinctive picture in the mind.
There are some beautiful images, loaded with melancholy and nostalgia, and some
effective descriptions that come from left field.
Karen Little, Author of Filled with
Ghosts, shortlisted for Saboteur Award, 2016.
A very special
collection capturing the both the every-moment of perpetual seasons as well as
the vital minutiae of daily life, all wrapped up a whirl of words like autumn
leaves kicked up by the last of summer’s winds. Andy takes nature’s
contradictions and her false promises and casts them over our human condition
as hopeful and nostalgic disciples of the glorious sun and the beautiful snow.
Nestled in the middle sits Andy’s powerful five-part reflection on the 2011
Manchester Riots which seem to burst from the pages like a thunderstorm,
soaking us all to skin, only to be blown away again by the ebb of time and
memory. This is how Andy’s poems work; brief illuminations as the sunlight
breaks through the cloud, inviting contemplation and rewarding frequent
repeated reads. Each piece is its own finely-cut gem awaiting your discovery,
each as precious as the last. Set some time aside and dive in, before the light
fades…"
Dave Hartley, Author of Spiderspeed
Andy N
is a true innovator and emerging powerhouse in the poetry genre. He combines
haunting and vivid imagery with historical anecdotes that create a unique
experience for any reader.
Andy's
style mimics some of the compositions we revere from yesteryear, shedding a
shadowy light on personal experiences as well as the tales of many others 'in a
candid way signature of his style and touch.
Keith Fuchs aka Myth the Poet
Brave,
human and elegant. Touching the sensitive parts of the marvels of schools,
parks, funerals, rain, cars, rock t-shirts and mercy. To connect the personal
and universal my friend the poet has been busy, digging into the mystery of the
ordinary life. 'Words
soaked in the northern seasons. Imagery animating the deserted and people
landscapes of woods, roads and bridges. Moments in the moonlight. Scenes fading
into scent and tears 'runs hot and cold with the warmth of family and the icy
nothing of the waiting grave. Pleased to be a fellow Mancunian and a fellow writer with
a man who possesses such a voice.
Jude Cowan Montague, The News Agents
Andy
writes the type of poetry that you feel as well as read. Every poem is
beautifully crafted and perfectly emotive. I can’t recommend Andy’s poetry
enough. There are readers out there who struggle with poetry but these words
can speak to anyone and I can promise they will leave you craving more
Stephanie Williams
Andy has a way of turning the seasons into his canvas. He
writes with such rawness about love and loss and connects grandiose images to
delicate moments with skill and ease. The back and forth pattern between the
natural and the intimate is melodic. His use of photographs interspersed
between the poems provides a lovely picturesque context into the poet’s emotions.
Andy balances the serious with the humourous throughout his work.
In his poem, “Out of Reach,” he begins the poem “Our
hotel room felt like/ a battered birdcage,” but then juxtaposes those
beautifully somber lines with ones that read, “like one of your/ constantly
starving cats” written just two lines below.
To use his own words, Andy’s poetry is “buried in silent
magic.” Reading The End of Summer is like looking in the mirror, and
rediscovering yourself in “a wordless language.” There are poems in this book
for all readers, all seasons, and all stages of love and loss."
Jocelyn
Mosman, Author of Soul Meets Body.
A wistful collection, laced with melancholy and longing.
Emma Whitehall
What does autumn mean to you? This collection observes the
changing seasons of life, and how even the distant prospect of change can shape
your present. So, so, relevant to us all. Haunting.
Just
finished reading your book, and wow, I expected to feel emotional after that
but not so much!
I
like the recurring theme of the end of summer throughout the poems, it somehow
feels as if it is a summer difficult to let go.
I
loved that piece from "Journey":
"And
the air smelling pepper before chocking out soot like it was holding onto the
sky,
Asking
you to wait behind the line while dancing on diamonds as the journey home never
felt more far away." I found it very evocative and I could perceive the
painful and anxious waiting of the arrival.
I
found the poem "Womb" very enigmatic, and I liked a lot the sharp
contrast between the sunrise and the war, and not being able to forgive, it is
a poem made of multiple flavours.
Among
my favourites:
-"Almost
from the beginning", I like a lot the imagery and the way it's written, as
if the most important part is timidly left at the end.
-"The
end of summer", I love the imagery, so evocative and intense, it feels as
if it was an animated painting!
-"Migration",
really resonates with me and reminded me of some old memories which are painful
looking at, and that I somehow left there, in the places where I have been
living.
-I
particularly loved the second part of "Summer will rise again", the
imagery is so intense and I was really able to picture the images and the feelings
you were describing, I felt them on my skin and nearly shivered, as if I was
feeling the cold after summer breeze on the seaside, and the sense of
loneliness of desert streets, closed shops and ended love! I loved it!
-"End
of the world", very evocative of smells, colours and imagery
-"Staircase
in the Wind", it's just so beautiful and so unconventional!
-"Threads
of a Jumper", moved me and resonated with me and my past memories... I
sometimes too think about all the people in my past, and all the memories spent
together, which some of them are gone, and I find myself somehow crossing them
out my life with a sharp, painful final gesture.
-"Swallows
and Amazons", I just love it!
-Nice
turn in the end of "Next Summer", which caused a nod in my throat and
nearly made me cry, so beautifully painful the end, so intense and
melancholic... it felt nearly unfair to have it at the end of the book, and to
be left with that bunch of unspeakable tears.
Thank
you very much for sharing this with me, if felt as a nice present to enjoy in
autumnal nights, just now that the summer ends.
Poets,
and indeed a discerning public, know instinctively that poetry is much more
than structured words. Poetry is communication, it is compassion, and
perhaps most of all community. Over the last decade or so, Andy N has
emerged as a poet with belief in the People`s voice. His provision to
young people in particular, (but not exclusively), of a platform for their work
through his Spoken Label has
the true respect of his peers.
Some
poets write for specific, (often literary), audiences - many indeed never
revealing anything of their inner selves in the process. We never truly
know what they`re thinking as they strive hard to impress with their
knowledge. These traits cannot be attributed to Andy N - his writing is
reality itself, aimed at real people with real problems in an unforgiving
World. His observer`s pen reveals a tender and touching vista of freshly
remembered past friendships, fading souvenir shops signalling The End of Summer and indeed the spontaneous
fire-starting, (which was the Manchester riots 2011), graphically described in Edges of the Flames 1 to V - which surely must rank as a modern
urban masterpiece. (II. The looters who breathed white-hot flames with
the rage of splattered hammers. III. Their cigarette lighter
humming for a second before being thrown in cars. IV. Flames danced
high ..like
a hip-hop re-imagining of The Wicker Man in the fire.)
We
all seek clues in order to make some sense of our busy and sometimes muddled
lives. Andy`s clues are different, a
treasure hunt rather than detective novel. His
great talent is to watch and walk away unseen. Furthermore, he`s a poet
unafraid to reach for and describe moments he can`t quite hold on
to. Happiness`s and intensities quietly slipping away, poignant memories
in hotel rooms - all with the apparent absence of regret of the accurate
observer. Andy`s words are often adventure(s)
best left unexplored - memories ...gathered in forgotten shadows. In
his own words he unpicks the lock (of
his heart) and walks away
without regret.
The
End of Summer is a collection
ranking Andy N with a new wave of People`s
Poets freeing themselves from an overbearingly literary approach to
the poetic art. Our Summer`s are indeed ending - at least as we knew
them. No longer can July and August be regarded as prime English holiday
months. We should treasure the memories portrayed in this book - for all
too soon global warming will disrupt them forever, Indeed, we are left weeping daily for the return of
Summer.
What
better than to sum up Andy N`s talents than with a quote.
Imagination
is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein 1929
Lead
us with your imagination Andy N - the pleasure of the journey will be all ours.
Potting
Shed Pete
Andy N delved deep into The End of Summer…, with Parts 1
and 2 of Summer will Rise Again. Again, more wonderful lines of seasonal
sorrow: ‘There was no more summer left, no more blue whispers in the sky’
really grabbed my ear. There was also a beautiful personification of Summer
itself, speaking to us with enormous sadness as if regretful of its impending
demise.
John
Keane
Like the
second album the second collection is probably the most difficult. With echoes
of the first Andy smoothes this transition, blending light with dark. It may be
'The End of Summer ', But the collection doesn't herald a winter of discontent.
Gordon
Zola
Andy's collection feels
crisp like the fallen leaves, that have started to colour in the autumn sun. A
perfect read for shorter days and for cosy nights infront of the fire.
Marie
Lightman
A captivating mix of emotion and greatly entertaining.
Katie Haigh
