Wildlife

This Saturday, join us for the launch of The Return: Selected Poems by Myfanwy Haycock, selected by broadcaster Jenni Crane

A lovely, personal angle on this review of Wild Cherry from Mab Jones, here for Buzz ...  'A poet who I feel more affinity with than most; who writes about Wales but also about the cosmos (as I do); who’s as clear, pure, lucid, light, and accessible as I wish to be; who’s as true, bright, honest, right-seeing, and unafraid as I, also, aim for in my own work [...] Perhaps it’s because of the hills and the sky, the sea on our three sides and our cultural inheritance, but I find the landscape of Jenkins’ work here hugely appealing, highly inspiring, a mirror for me and the poet I am and would like to grow to be. [...] Honest, lively, so finely written, and entirely enjoyable and uplifting for any reader...' https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/mab-jones-poetry-column-november-2023-nigel-jenkins-abigail-parry/

I'm looking forward to the launch of Wild Cherry: Selected Poems by Nigel Jenkins on Thursday 2 November, edited with an introduction by Patrick McGuinness and the wonderful cover features artwork by Iwan Bala. 6-7.30pm Mumbles Tabernacle Church, Newton Road Mumbles SA3 4AR ... please book a free ticket if you'd like to come... https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-wild-cherry-a-celebration-of-nigel-jenkins-poetry-and-legacy-tickets-712924214517

There's a lovely write up on the Poetry Wales Winter Readings by editor Zoë Brigley here. https://zoebrigley.com/2023/11/28/reflecting-on-the-poetry-wales-winter-holiday-reading-28th-november-economic-stress/

  Laird & Smith  Wild & Wildsmith  The new issue of Poetry Wales has arrived and I am amused.

Diolch to Nation.Cymru for publishing Patrick McGuinness's introduction to WILD CHERRY, the selected poems of Nigel Jenkins. https://nation.cymru/culture/nigel-jenkins-introduced/ 'Jenkins had a clear understanding of what it meant to be a Welsh poet writing in English in the 20th and 21st centuries. That understanding was informed and energised by its attentiveness to Welsh-language culture, and from its sense that the English-language tradition of Wales could learn from the centrality of poetry in Welsh-speaking society ... A sense of history underpins Nigel Jenkins’s writing, but it is the present that propels it. In that sense, his poetry and prose are part of a single, albeit various, oeuvre. They are the work of a writer who believed that poetry has a duty to engage with the world as it is, while holding out the imaginative possibilities of what it can be.' WILD CHERRY is available to buy now.

  A lovely spread in the Western Mail today on Wild Cherry: Selected Poems by Nigel Jenkins.  ' Wild Cherry: Selected Poems [reveals] a writer of massive scope – a poet equally adept at lyric poems, poems of love and desire, poems for public spaces and occasions – and, crucially, a powerful wielder of words against some of the most pressing issues affecting Wales and the wider world in Jenkins' lifetime (and now), such as environmental damage, militarism, capitalism, imperialism – Jenkins took it all on with rage and humour ... [The book] is richly nourishing, entertaining, lyrical and wise – doing merit to a multifaceted talent whose influence already reaches far and who will continue, posthumously, to be an ambassador for Wales.'

I'm reading my poem 'A lady was the last thing I wanted to be', inspired by one of Nina Hamnett's fancy dress costumes, at this online issue 59.1 readthrough on Tuesday... along with many other poets from between the covers. Join us!

It’s wonderful to see Hymnal by Julia Bell and Letters from Wales by Sam Adams featured on Wales Arts Review's 2023 Writers' Recommendations Both available from Parthian Books

  The week we become a two published authors household. Bring on the Blue plaque. [Super proud wife, buy Flags & Bones from Cambria, from us or from your favourite bookshop!]

Thomas Morris and Tessa Hadley talking short stories in Penarth tonight. ‘It may not be a way to make a living, but it’s a way for me to feel alive.’ — Tom

Julia Bell's memoir in verse Hymnal is now out in bilingual Italian/English with Edizioni Kolibris

'an invaluable guide to Welsh writing' – Sam Young delves into all things culture and literature as he explores Letters from Wales: Memories and Encounters in Literature and Life , a weighty collection which draws together the cultural and political commentaries of poet and editor, Sam Adams. https://walesartsreview.substack.com/p/on-sam-adams-collected-letters-from

Thanks Mike Parker and Planet for the lovely review of two of our poetry titles: Hymnal by Julia Bell, and Moon Jellyfish Can Barely Swim by Ness Owen! Here are a couple of snippets: 'Part of a poet’s job description is to be the canary down the mine. This vital function is exquisitely rendered in two new collections from Parthian... Owen gives us lyrical wave after wave breaking on the shore of our consciousness, a sensation so strong you can almost smell the seaweed.' 'Julia Bell pulls us deep into her memory, where depth charges lie planted which are then detonated to great effect. We are there, in her moment, and though her eye is unwavering and her wit biting, it is never at the cost of empathy.' https://www.parthianbooks.com/collections/recommended-poetry If you want to read the full reviews plus loads of other great content then head over to Planet's website and take out a subscription!  https://www.planetmagazine.org.uk/

'Nigel Jenkins has a staggering presence in the literature of Wales. His poetry is both political and beautiful, deeply human, wonderfully cosmological ... often scathingly humorous. Swansea’s most amiable bard and, undoubtedly, its most popular poet since Dylan Thomas.' Thanks to Topher Mills for this wonderful review of Wild Cherry . https://nation.cymru/culture/review-wild-cherry-selected-poems-by-nigel-jenkins/