I’m very behind on my blog reviews… so here is a fantastic poetry book I read some time ago from P. J Reed.
My Review
I didn’t know what to expect as I haven’t read poems from P J Reed before. I was interested to see that some of the poems in Flicker are about COVID19, a subject which I have also written about too.
There are observations of a child standing apart from a long lost friend. The impact of closure of public toilets. Overheard conversations from disbelieving binmen. The UK governments eat out to help out scheme. Nature’s revival in roaming wildlife seen in our streets during the first Lockdown in March. Hoarding of toilet rolls and the impact of selfishness on the vulnerable. Poetic commentary about the public’s inability to wear face masks properly, and amusing face mask faux pas!
There are so many wonderful poems expressed in so few words. The power of poetry at it’s best!
Such a great variety of poems – poetic observations about plastic surgery, homeless men, the blessing and curse of social media, modern war, the authors rescue dogs, tourist watching abroad, magical observations of the moon, sea and nature, to light-hearted and amusing coffee shop anecdotes.
Plus a wonderful intro by Karen Jones.
My recommendation: a fantastic collection of poetry. I loved it.
A Slice of Sky Pie - Shadorma
Blue and white
A slice of sky pie
Massive tree
A redwood
Leafy lollipop heaven
Steep climb to the top!
My poem is inspired by a recent trip to the botanical gardens in Cambridge. I noticed this magnificent tree and the wonderful slice of blue and white sky.
Here are some other magnificent champion trees that I saw on my walk. Enjoy!
And a bee hotel.
I intended to go for another walk today but it’s pouring with rain so I’m writing this blog post.
I managed to go for a walk in the rain later!
Check out this wonderful review post from Balroop Singh for Colleen Chesebro’s Wordcraft Prose and Poetry and my poetry and prose book – Mr. Sagittarius.
Thank you so much to Balroop Singh for these wonderful reviews of Colleen Chesebro’s Wordcraft Prose and Poetry and Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose. So thrilled.
For life I chose fate, for move I opted for disturbed
I saw these trees whilst out for a walk with friends. There was something quite melancholy about their soaked roots.
I see a wonder
Trees disturbed in deep water
Soaking up their roots
Drinking in fate’s wilful woes
Sorrow is an endless pit
I originally wrote this before I knew the prompt synonyms! The 2nd line was: Trees submerged in deep water, which I changed to Trees disturbed in deep water. And thereafter, I made a few other adjustments – fourth line – was Drinking in life’s wilful woes, I changed to fate’s wilful woes. Colleen’s SYNONYMS made me dig deeper for a different word!
Congratulations to Colleen on her new release and on her new poetry journal. So exciting!
NEW RELEASE: Word Craft: Prose & Poetry: The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry by Colleen M…. https://t.co/0eSqU4z0Es via @amazon
— 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸 (@ColleenChesebro) May 14, 2021
Thank you so much to Robbie Cheadle for this lovely feature on Treasuring Poetry over at Kaye Lynn Booth’s Writing To Be Read
Curious about my favourite poem? A clue… think Autumn. Want to know what my favourite poem is from Mr. Sagittarius? A clue… a bird. There’s more… a wonderful review of Mr. Sagittarius from Robbie, (thank you so much,) and a discussion about my inspirations.
My good friend, and sis Colleen Chesebro has some wonderful news!! Her new book Word Craft Prose and Poetry is out in kindle! Such a huge accomplishment. I know that Colleen has worked so hard on this. It is a huge poetry community endeavour and she includes so many of her community’s poems as examples in the book.
I’m thrilled that my Garland #Cinquain poem about a copse of trees is included!
Over to Colleen…
In her words: I’m honored to share with you the Ebook release of “Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry.” Are you ready to learn how to craft Japanese and American…
Are you ready to learn how to craft Japanese and American poetry? Consider this book the first step on your journey to learning the basics of how to craft syllabic poetry. Inside, you will discover many new forms, syllable combinations, and interpretations of the different Japanese and American forms and structures of haiku, senryu, haiga, tanka, renga/solo renga, gogyohka, haibun, tanka prose, the cinquain, and its variations, Etheree, nonet, and shadorma poetry.
So… what are you waiting for? Let’s craft syllabic poetry together!
A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of Poetry Treasures in give my opinion freely and without bias.
My review
There is an introduction by Kaye Lynn Booth (Word Crafter Press,) followed by Sue Vincent’s beautiful contributions which are even more meaningful and poignant given that this lovely author, blogger, talented soul, dear friend and loved one has since passed and is dearly missed. I particularly love all Sue’s poetry in this collection. My favourites: Snow Drops, and Aflame.
This collection is a wonderful introduction to the poetic talents of many wonderful authors many of whose work I have read before with great enjoyment. I include them here with my favourite poem in brackets, Colleen Chesebro, ( The Weather Witch,) Robbie Cheadle, (How I See, ) Frank Prem, (Joe – Pretty Words,) Geoff Le Pard (The Coffee Machine, )and Annette Rochelle Aben (Yes – a tanka).
It was also a great way to discover more about Kevin, (Lonely Train, ) Tori (A Grain of Sand) and Jude (Darkness and Light) whose books I have not read before.
The poetry within shows versatility, a sense of the supportive community and the many differing styles of the poets.
Well done to all the contributors, a lovely collection and one I can highly recommend. It is one to read more than once!
I received an ARC and give my opinion freely and without bias.
I’m thrilled to announce the paperback of my poetry collection Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity has released and is available to buy on Amazon. I’ve been a bit slow of the mark in notifying my blog viewers about this as I’ve been busy editing my second YA Fantasy novel: The Curse of Time #2 Golden Healer.
More about that soon!
I’m particularly thrilled about the paperback release as I created the cover myself. The back cover also features ‘my face with pink hair,” designed by the multi-talented Sarah Northwood. I loved her image so much that I wrote a poem about it.
Here’s an excerpt of the poem from the book which gives you an idea of the quirky nature of the poems within…
Also, the reviews have been coming in! The latest which I’ve shared below is from author D.L. Finn, many thanks for the kind review. <3
Reviews mean so much!
“Lockdown Innit” is a glimpse into the pandemic through poetry. There were various subjects and types of poetry, including going to the supermarket, driving, cancer, and books. I laughed when reading “SuperMarket Bozos,” it reminded me of my feisty grandmother. “ROAD RAGE DURING COVID-19” is an all too often occurrence, even during the last year. While “Little Library” offered a picture of something one could do during the stay-at-home orders, read. The collection ended with “THIS author longs for Pets,” and I admit jumping into a cat’s dream might be that perfect escape from the heaviness of the epidemic. This is a book I’d like to go back and read ten years from now as a reminder of this time in history because it gives a unique perspective into strange times.
This anthology and compilation is for everyone, wherever you live in the world. We are all experiencing the impact of COVID19 and lockdown. As writers, bloggers and creatives we express our thoughts and opinions in writing: in heartfelt poetry, pieces on isolation and the impact of COVID19 and the ‘new normal.’ There are twenty eight talented contributors, including the creative NHS Mask Making Fundraising Team of Jane Horwood and Melissa Santiago Val. The contributors come from as far afield as Australia, Canada, USA and Zimbabwe, or closer to my current home in England – in Ireland, Scotland and Italy.
It is as Willow Willers, a contributor said, ‘A piece of living history.’
This extraordinary and unexpected time period will be shared with future generations one day.
Compiling and editing this anthology has given me a purpose over the period of Lockdown and for that I am grateful.
It is an anthology and compilation of diaries, short stories, poetry and flash fiction set during extraordinary times. This Is Lockdown is written from many perspectives, including a writer’s perspective highlighting the day-to-day life and struggles experienced during such an uncertain and frightening time. It also gives a glimpse into the blogging, writing world. The book showcases several authors and their thoughts on what it is like to experience ‘isolation’ as a writer. I discuss the handling of the pandemic and my opinion about what might happen next. In the final part of the book I share my latest short story: a YA romance set post lockdown along with poetry, and flash fiction inspired by the pandemic.
Flicker by P.J. Reed
