Poetry

Olivia McCannon's latest collection is shot through with questions. How ecological is English? How do you read an unreadable world, or a transforming planet? The Lives of Z is an inventory of poem-artefacts gleaned from the spoilheaps of a speculative future. Each 'find' emerges with the randomness of any archaeological discovery, in that moment when its significance hangs in the air. Except that here, life is growing out of the data. In this space of provocation and encounter, the reader is invited to "play Z's game" and crash-test different ways of being in language. What will I have been? Who or what owns the 'collective possessive'? How many life forms can inhabit the same pronoun? Z, the creative principle of life - multitudinous, networked and irreverent - is running the experiment, in an unrepentantly 'bad science' mode. Salvaged from what can't be thrown away, these poems meet uncertainty with creativity, searching for the freedom and the words to reclaim human and earthly connections.

"The Life Everlasting of Doäna Lisa is a hard-boiled, minimalist, postmodern novel about perennial problems of postcolonialism. This is a tale of a failed attempt to escape Trinta di Mei, the postcolonial revolt of May 30, 1969, in Curaðcao. Edgar Raven, the central character, makes a consequential choice, to abandon Curaðcao temporarily during Trinta di Mei, bringing with him his two closest friends, for a "little vacation" to Venezuela to buy a new fishing boat. This choice unleashes an avalanche of consequences described in a narrative style that seems like a digressive festival of ideas and philosophies, intellectual duets and arias stitched together with the clipped and brutal realism of the narration. Originally written in Dutch, the novel is suitable for courses on Caribbean and postcolonial literature, and for readers of fiction in general"--

Rumi's verses have been a balm for readers' souls for over eight centuries. This exquisite selection brings together some of the Persian mystic's most profound, evocative and transcendent works. Exploring passion, heartbreak, friendship, faith and the myriad ways in which we move through the world, these strikingly modern poems are perfect for those looking for inspiration, guidance, or endless delight.

"A comprehensive selection of religious poetry that Scotland has produced over the centuries, including some Gaelic voices and reflecting the mixed religious profile of Scotland today. An earlier edition published in 2000 was a huge success, selling out very quickly. This eagerly awaited follow-up offers the very best from a diverse, often turbulent history and reveals an attractive and distinctive spirituality that is unique to Scotland. The poetry spans 15 centuries and includes poets from every corner of Scotland. It reflects the rich range of language across regions and centuries and is a unique collection of the deepest religious thought of a nation. Selected and introduced by three experts in the field, this offers an attractive and informed volume that will appeal to all lovers of Scottish literature."--

A beautiful and faithfully reproduced slipcase edition of the best-selling, revolutionary publication from one of history's most visionary artists.Widely recognised as a masterpiece of English literature, Songs of Innocence and of Experience also occupies a key position in the history of Western art. This unique edition, newly reissued in a slipcase, sees William Blake communicating with his readers as he intended - reproducing his own illumination and lettering from the finest existing example of the original work. In this way, readers can experience the mystery and beauty of Blake's poems as he first created them, discovering for themselves the intricate web of symbol and meaning that connects word and image. Each poem is accompanied by a literal transcription, and the volume is introduced by the renowned historian and critic, Richard Holmes. This beautiful edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience will be essential for those familiar with Blake's work, but also offers an ideal way into his world for those encountering him for the first time.

THE COMPLETELY UPDATED COLLECTION WITH OVER 70 BRAND NEW POEMS, FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE 'Amazing . . . Donna's words speak to my heart' Davina McCallTo the Women is a celebration of the beauty, strength and joy of being a woman. A love letter to our deep capacity to love, rage, fear and rebuild, Donna Ashworth reminds us that we are stronger when we come together and unstoppable when we accept ourselves. With poems such as 'Be That Woman', 'Take Up Space', 'When One Woman Screams', 'There Will Be Days' and 'To the Woman Who Thinks She Isn't Good Enough', Donna helps us find comfort, inspiration and courage in the many roles we play in life as daughters, guides, mothers and friends. Originally self-published in 2020 with 48 poems, this beautiful gift hardback edition has been fully revised and updated complete with over 70 new poems and a ribbon marker. Full of wisdom and comfort every woman needs to hear, Donna helps us see that we're never walking alone. PRAISE FOR DONNA ASHWORTH'Powerful and comforting ... Donna's words could change your life.' DAWN FRENCH 'Absolutely beautiful ... whenever I'm feeling lost, I reach for Donna Ashworth's words and feel found.' BRYONY GORDON 'Some people have the Bible by their bed. Others a self-help manual. I have Donna Ashworth.' SUSANNAH CONSTANTINE'Donna's writing calms me down, lifts me up, inspires and enlightens. She makes women feel good about themselves and that's my type of girl!' DENISE WELCH

*Archivum *is a book - wise, funny and inventive by turn - that explores what it means to look at artefacts in an archive, and how these objects resonate with events in our lives. Imagined as a walk across Edinburgh, landmarks such as the Balmoral clock, National Library of Scotland, Meadows, Canongate Kirkyard and Water of Leith provide a meditative backdrop to the poems. The archives - in particular the archive of the writer Muriel Spark - are used to create a space to come to terms with the complexities of a life and how we in turn tell stories about ourselves: the depths of our familial relationships, relationship breakdowns and the death of a parent. What's found in the archive's boxes -- including recipes, telegrams, letters -- stirs and amplifies feelings of belonging, disorientation, triumph and grief. With a focus on women writers and mixed-race relationships, the book explores objects belonging to significant figures in the poet's imaginary: along with Spark, the actor Maggie Smith, poet Elizabeth Bishop, the 19th century slave owner's daughter Eliza Junor, psychotherapist Marie Battle Singer, as well as the lives of women of colour in Scotland.

"In twenty-one interviews spanning nearly half a century, Conversations with Ted Kooser chronicles the Nebraska writer's rise from a regional poet of the Great Plains to a Pulitzer Prize-winning artistic luminary. The candor, clarity, and eloquence, which distinguish Kooser's plentiful body of work, color these edifying and entertaining conversations. The interviews in Conversations with Ted Kooser are conducted by esteemed poets and critics, radio hosts, and journalists. They discuss Kooser's life and career as well as his award-winning poetry, prose, and children's books. The collection includes two previously unpublished interviews, separated by a twenty-year period, with poet/scholar Mary K. Stillwell, author of The Life and Poetry of Ted Kooser, as well as live interviews broadcast on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Library of Congress host Grace Cavalieri's The Poet and the Poem. The book also features thirty of Kooser's poems, accompanied by his commentary on their genesis. Seventeen of these are drawn from his Pulitzer Prize-winning collection, Delights & Shadows. Kooser (b. 1939) is a two-term United States Poet Laureate, dedicated to making engaging poetry available to all readers. His syndicated newspaper column, American Life in Poetry, begun during his tenure as poet laureate, delivered contemporary poems by poets from across the nation to more than four million readers, long after his laureateship ended. Now in his mideighties, Kooser remains highly prolific and internationally popular, continuing to compose life-affirming-and, as many attest, life-changing-poems, celebrating the wonders of the natural world, the subtle grandeur of human connection, and the unifying order he observes in all creation"--

"In twenty-one interviews spanning nearly half a century, Conversations with Ted Kooser chronicles the Nebraska writer's rise from a regional poet of the Great Plains to a Pulitzer Prize-winning artistic luminary. The candor, clarity, and eloquence, which distinguish Kooser's plentiful body of work, color these edifying and entertaining conversations. The interviews in Conversations with Ted Kooser are conducted by esteemed poets and critics, radio hosts, and journalists. They discuss Kooser's life and career as well as his award-winning poetry, prose, and children's books. The collection includes two previously unpublished interviews, separated by a twenty-year period, with poet/scholar Mary K. Stillwell, author of The Life and Poetry of Ted Kooser, as well as live interviews broadcast on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Library of Congress host Grace Cavalieri's The Poet and the Poem. The book also features thirty of Kooser's poems, accompanied by his commentary on their genesis. Seventeen of these are drawn from his Pulitzer Prize-winning collection, Delights & Shadows. Kooser (b. 1939) is a two-term United States Poet Laureate, dedicated to making engaging poetry available to all readers. His syndicated newspaper column, American Life in Poetry, begun during his tenure as poet laureate, delivered contemporary poems by poets from across the nation to more than four million readers, long after his laureateship ended. Now in his mideighties, Kooser remains highly prolific and internationally popular, continuing to compose life-affirming-and, as many attest, life-changing-poems, celebrating the wonders of the natural world, the subtle grandeur of human connection, and the unifying order he observes in all creation"--

"Committed to developing frameworks for defining and evaluating Black poetry, literary scholar Stephen E. Henderson (1925-1997) examined the question: What makes a poem Black? In his critical approach, Henderson prioritized form but not at the expense of source, function, or context, and, in so doing, developed convincing theoretical frameworks for examining African American lyric expressions, especially that of Black Arts poets. Black Saturation: Selected Works of Stephen E. Henderson is designed to expand and enrich understandings of Henderson's critical corpus by showcasing many of his most essential essays, presentations, and syllabi in a standalone volume. Henderson deftly conceptualized the ways in which aesthetic innovations were interwoven with revolutionary exigencies--a marriage of poetry and politics that became a hallmark of the 1960s and '70s. While other critics often ignored or fumbled to construct an adequate rubric for evaluating and celebrating Black Arts poetry--penned by Amiri Baraka, Carolyn Rodgers, Sonia Sanchez, Jayne Cortez, Mari Evans, Sarah Webster Fabio, Haki Madhubuti, and Larry Neal, among many others--Henderson constellated a triad of interdependent characteristics (structure, theme, and saturation) through which he examined Black literature in general and poetry in particular. Revisiting Henderson's scholarship in the third decade of the twenty-first century allows us, on the one hand, to further appreciate his imprint on current scholarship about Black literature, especially poetry, and, on the other, to introduce contemporary students and scholars to his salient theoretical frameworks, not to mention his persuasive critical style"--