I have a new collection of poetry coming out. It’s called True. The book is published by the Black Spring Press. https://blackspringpressgroup.com/products/true
All of the poems in True were stimulated by real-life stories. The poems touch on themes of love, loss, memory, spirituality, conflict and the environment. They are not ‘found poems’. The real-life story has instead provided a launch point for the poem. Ciaran Carson, founding Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre in Belfast, christened them ‘discovered poems’. True brings together my discovered poems and is dedicated to the late Ciaran Carson. The book can be traced back to me winning a pamphlet competition in 2018. The first prize was publication, but Covid delayed things and the pamphlet was revised and upgraded into a full collection. So where did the inspiration for these poems come from?
My inspiration came from a wide variety of places, all of
them unexpected. I happened upon the real-life stories in news reports, exhibitions, diaries,
brochures, sagas, public notices, journals, broadcasts, obituaries and by word
of mouth. Curiosity drove me
to look into these real-life stories
further, and many of them turned into poems.
There will be a book launch in due course. I’m also hoping to read from True at literary festivals later this year. I will keep you posted on these arrangements. In the meantime, you can order a copy of the book from the Black Spring Press. https://blackspringpressgroup.com/products/true
