Monthly Archives: August 2017

Give me a diversity of seasons

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Give me a diversity of seasons.
Save me from one, long heatwave.
Give me reasons
To rejoice
Ingenuine choice.
Let me hear the blackbird’s voice,
Not the crass
Mass
Who scream
For suncream
And complain
That the rain
Is wet.

Peasants in late Medieval London faced extreme violence

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According to recently published research, “Peasants in medieval London faced extreme violence”.

Skulls of peasants unearthed in the UK’s capital show a much greater number of fractures than do those of the upper classes and it is conjectured that many died soon after having received their injuries.

The researchers believe that due to the cost of the legal system, peasants in Medieval London had no ability to employ barristers so would frequently settle their disputes in bar or street brawls, many of which ended in death. Interestingly most of these brawls appear to have taken place on Sunday, which was the only day peasants had off.

In contrast the better off residents of London had recourse to legal representation to settle disputes or, if they did engage in duelling, they wore armour which greatly reduced the danger of death.

For this interesting article please visit, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4833460/Peasants-late-medieval-London-faced-extreme-violence.html.

Naïve?

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Naïve?
Who to believe?
What we perceive,
The signals we receive,
Are so much
Double Dutch.
Or are they so?
For the wise may know
The meaning
Of scheming.

An imagined delight
Takes flight.
The perceived swan
Is gone
And the old owl
Has no time
For the poet’s rhyme,
For behind each word
Is heard
The wolf’s foul growl.

Interview with Amy Foreman

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An interesting interview. I was particularly impressed with Amy’s defence of rhyming poetry.

rhymepoetry's avatarRhyme

Rhyme is honored to publish an interview with Amy Foreman, one of the best contemporary poets.

What was your relationship with poetry before you started writing it?

I have always loved reading literature, including poetry, so, even though my BA was in Music and Theology, I got my MA in English Language and Literature. Poetry, especially the rhyming poetry of such greats as John Milton, George Herbert, John Donne, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and, of course, William Shakespeare, always appealed to me. I especially enjoyed formalistic criticism, in which we look at the poem’s structure, and how that adds to the meaning.

What prompted you to start writing poetry?

Our family moved to Arizona in 2014, and, in our new community, there was a group called “Writers on the River” which met and publicly read personal works of poetry, short stories, or essays. I decided to have our seven children try their…

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Getting your self-published books into libraries

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A useful article on how to get self-published books into libraries.

I know from my own experience, that approaching libraries directly is a productive means of getting your work onto their shelves.

I was delighted when Liverpool Central Library, wrote to confirm that they had added 2 copies of my collection of poetry, “My Old Clock I Wind”, (http://moyhill.com/clock/), to their shelves.

As a result of me contacting Swansea University (my former place of study), they kindly accepted my donation of one copy of “My Old Clock”.

Consequently, from my own experience I can say that getting your self-published books into libraries is perfectly possible.