The Dawntreader belongs to the stable of magazines published by Indigo Dreams, an award-winning independent publisher. Iris Anne Lewis is delighted that her poem ‘Winter in Kempsford’ has been published in this winter’s edition alongside other fine poems. To find out more about Indigo Dreams click here.
This month’s poem, by Tina Baker, was inspired by overhearing a woman saddened by the dwindling number of Christmas cards she received each year. It is a poem for those who still love the tradition and ritual of sending and receiving them, especially the elderly.
Tina’s work often focusses on memories, and the power they have, whether good or bad. She also writes short stories and was surprised and delighted to be short listed for the Stroud Short Story competition in 2020. Another love is play writing and one of her plays, a comedy, has been aired on Corinium Radio. On the back burner is a completed novel awaiting its fourth redraft.
When she is not reading or writing, Tina spends her time walking in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside and trying to tame her garden.
To read Tina’s poem, ‘Relics’ go here, or click on the ‘Poem of the Month’ logo on our website.
This month’s poem The Star in the East was written in response to a painting of a winter scene at dusk. Writer Iris Anne Lewis said: ‘I was struck by the ambiguity of the light in the sky – was it the sun or the moon? – and tried to convey this by coining the word ‘sun-moon-light’. I continued to make use of hyphenation between words to convey the sense of otherness that imbued the painting – the snow-gilded path leading into the distance, the strangely compelling trees and the feeling that something lay beyond the confines of the painting.’
Kim Harvey in Palette Poetry said of the poem:
I admire this sturdy micropoem with its creative use of hyphenation/compounding to describe the winter sky and how the East Star looms, a bright light always present but hidden beyond the horizon. The way Lewis ends the poem by describing the star as shining “ox-blood-bright” simultaneously brings to mind pagan ritual and the ox and lambs beside the Christ child in the crèche. This poem is so lovely and compact, yet somehow all-encompassing. To find out more about Palette Poetry click here.
The Star in the East was first published in Black Bough Poetry Christmas and Winter Anthology Volume 1. To read the poem click here or on the Poem of the Month logo on our website. The illustration is by Michael Sykes.
Black Bough Poetry has brought out another super anthology full of exquisite micro poems (ten lines or fewer), all with a Christmas or Winter theme. Iris Anne Lewis is delighted that her poem Childermas is included in the anthology which features over sixty writers from across the world. It is beautifully illustrated with distinctive woodcut art by Emma Bissonnet and would make an excellent small Christmas gift for a poetry-loving friend. You can order copies from their website here.
Crime novelist Debbie Young revealed the secrets of her success at an evening hosted by Wotton Writers Group this month. Debbie, who organises of the Hawkesbury Upton literature festival each April, is the author of the seven Sophie Sayers village mysteries and the St Bride’s School series of funny-feel-good books. Members of Somewhere Else were warmly welcomed by the Wotton Group who had invited us to join them for the evening in North Nibley Village Hall. You can find out more about Debbie’s writing life – and her books here.
Frank McMahon was delighted to learn that his poem, The Stag, had won second place in the Indigo Dreams competition, Wild Nature.The poem will feature in an anthology of other prize-winning poems in 2022. Indigo Dreams is a successful indie publisher, with three magazines and collections from individual posts. You can find out more about them here.
The Seafarer, a poem by Iris Anne Lewis, has just been published in Issue 2 of Seaborne Magazine, a digital literary and arts magazine.Based in Cornwall, the editors are committed to helping keep our seas clean and support the wild and marine life who are dependent on it and will be donating a percentage their sales to local charities who help protect the oceans and marine life.
Issue 2, with its theme of storms, omens and monsters, has contributions from writers and artists around the world and includes poetry, fiction, non-fiction and artwork all about the sea. Why not head over to the magazine website here and treat yourself to a copy?
35% of the revenue from sales of this issue will be donated to Surfers against Sewage, a charity that helps fight against ocean pollution.
This month’s featured writer is Clare Roberts, whose passions include wild water, music and mountains. Formerly a journalist, Clare now studies poetry, alongside her work teaching piano and singing. Her poem, ‘Tar Barrels of Allendale’ available to read here is one of two published in ‘Voices,’ a brand-new anthology of writing by the students and alumni of the University of Gloucestershire.
Clare says: ‘To hear different voices, we must listen. As a keen singer, the theme of the anthology conjures the idea of different melodies creating harmony. There will sometimes be dissonance, but that can make the waiting more poignant, and the resolution sweeter.’
Clare also writes radio programmes for Corinium Radio under the banner of Somewhere Else Writers, exploring themes including Inner and Outer Space, and Playfulness, using literature and music.
‘Voices’ is available through the university bookshop. You can also read ‘Tar Barrels of Allendale’ by clicking on the ‘Poem of the Month’ logo.
Somewhere Else Writers Group 