International Echoes (18): Emma Lazarus, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Statue of Liberty, 'The New Colossus'

I often keep an eye open for Carol Rumen's 'Poem of the Week' as her choices are often fascinating and slightly off the beaten track.

The latest poem to fall under the spotlight, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, is no exception. It is a sonnet that has been with me since January when I visited New York for the first time.

The harbour area around the statue is steeped in history, for it was the first point of contact for those who arrived by sea as immigrants from Europe. The towering Statue of Liberty would have greeted them as they moved on to land at Ellis Island for 'processing'. Those who were well and fit for work moved on swiftly to the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, where they caught their trains to the places that would soon become 'home'.

Ellis Island, in particular, was a fascinating, if at times heart-rending, outpost to visit. The huge institutional walls echo with the sound of multicultural stories. The exhibitions were first rate rate, and we greatly enjoyed an afternoon in the American Family Immigration History Center, tracing one of my Scottish-Australian ancestors who would have passed through New York before I was born, en route for Britain.

Magazine Moment (16): Cultural Horizon Magazine (Romania)

You can enjoy the vibrant 'buzz'

of Van Gogh's famous Sunflowers
here

I was delighted to receive the current copy of Contemporan Orizont Literar (Annul III - Nr.4 (18) / JULY-AUGUST 2010) through the post from Bucharest. Mihai Cantuniari is Director of this international and largely multi-lingual publishing enterprise, with Daniel Dragomirescu as Editor-in-Chief. The magazine's new Foundation is a media partner of MTTLC, which comes under the guidance of Professor Lidia Vianu at the University of Bucharest.

GOOD NEWS! ... Members of the magazine's editorial and production team have secured a national headquarters in Bucharest. The new Foundation is now on track. Daniel and his colleagues have persevered to ensure that the magazine goes from strength to strength, rising to new heights and inspiring readers (and writers) from all corners of the globe. I am not alone in acknowledging a debt to the editor's cultural foresight.

A package from Romania!

The arresting and penetrating eyes of Van Gogh, in his self portrait 'without beard', adorn the front cover of this issue. I cannot help feeling that the portrait complements the poem on p.16, After Kirchway after Keats by Professor Donald Riggs of Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. I have no idea whether the painter's depressive and suicidal traits were manifested in a previous generation, but I find myself substituting 'brother' for 'sister'* in Van Gogh's case. The poem poses - as perhaps all good poems should - more questions than it attempts to answer, concerning our genetic and social make-up as individuals. I found myself reconsidering the old chestnut of whether art arises in its most potent form out of suffering - or whether suffering is just one of many valid catalysts for creativity.

This fine poem by Riggs is, of course, not about Van Gogh but about Keats. A picture of the poet lodged itself in my head back in 1985, when I lived in Rome, and paid my first visit to the Protestant Cemetery by Piramide (named after the eye-catching Pyramid of Cestius), to see those paradoxically ethereal and immortal words of epitaph etched in stone. Since then my vision has mutated somewhat, and it would be fair to say that the Keats of Bright Star is probably the dominating picture today - such is the power of story, reconstruction and (perhaps especially) the moving image.

Curiously, this issue has more of Keats on p.50. Swansea poet, Byron Beynon, evokes the interior of the Keats-Shelley House at 26 Piazza di Spagna, in his poem, The Spanish Steps, Rome. The poem includes the chilling line, 'death entered at eleven o'clock'.

Speaking of Wales, you will find my interview with Cardiff eco-poet, Susan Richardson (and here), on p.4 - along with Susan's polar poem, Waiting at the Breathing Hole, about life above and below the ice, in which the speaker waits expectantly for 'the whiskered nose of inspiration'. The poem is from Susan's acclaimed poetry collection, Creatures of the Intertidal Zone, published by Cinnamon Press. Thank you, Susan, for your detailed answers to my snow-shower of questions! Incidentally, you can read about Susan's recent visit to Keats' House in Hampstead, UK here.

This edition contains 60 packed, illustrated and well presented pages of:

• Articles and Features (e.g Deborah Ann Erdmann, USA on There's No Place Like Home)
  
• Poetry (p.8-11, 16-18, 21-22, 25-26, 30-31, 34-36, 43-48, 50-55, 59)
  
• Contemporary Perspectives and Horizons (e.g. Peggy Landsman, USA; Iorgu Gălăţeanu, Romania; Maria Eugenia Mendoza Arrubarrena, Mexico)
  
• Photographs and Illustrations (throughout)
  

Thank you once again, Daniel, for the opportunities that have arisen - opportunities to make new friends, to gain fresh perspectives on the multi-faceted world of the Arts, and to learn more about Romania itself.

This edition is truly 'international' in outlook. The following countries are represented by those who have contributed:

• Romania
• USA
• Germany
• Chile
  
• India
  
• Bulgaria
• Nigeria
  
• Spain
• Mexico
  

... and Wales, including a page of Lyrical Horizon | Orizonturi Lirice poems by Chris Kinsey. I interviewed Chris, BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year 2008, in an earlier edition in my occasional column, Dialoguri Galeze.

Do take a look at the magazine site here. New subscribers are always welcome.

• MAGAZINE PRICE: 12 EUROS | 15 DOLLARS PER COPY (SHIPPING INCLUDED). PayPal details to the right of the magazine page if you click here.

* A letter from Keats to his sister, Fanny

Poems on the Web (8): Poetry Cow reads Charles Simic

Highland Cattle family on Insh Marshes near Kingussie

You might enjoy Poetry Cow reading The White Room, a poem by Charles Simic. If the first link to the Poetry Foundation is not working, you could try this one...

Media Mix (5): What is Poetry For? The Guardian

You can read the article here. A measure of excitement mounts as we await the announcement of the new Oxford Professor of Poetry.

• Oxford University
• The candidates (BBC)

P.S. Poetry in the recent Honours to mark the Queen's Official Birthday: here

Creature Feature (15): Election Fever - Bill Oddie's Top 10

FORGET 'ANIMAL FARM': THESE ARE THE CUTE ONES!

I have taken a break from the Election in order to watch Bill Oddie's Top 10 'frights' and 'delights' in the world of wildlife. You can read about the programme here.

My favourite creature list would probably include the following (in no particular order):

• Cat
• Puffin
• Raccoon
  
• Pig
• Seal
• Dolphin
• Eagle
• Owl
• Kingfisher
• Pipistrelle

My least favourite creatures might include the following (in no particular order):

• Flea
• Wasp
  
• Tick
• Leech
  
• Maggot
  
• Scorpion
• Cockroach
• Louse
• Vulture
• Weaver Fish

I wonder if you have a Top 10...

Beautiful Birds (20): On a Wing and a Prayer...

Owl-Eyed
(This is a Long-Eared Owl - I have yet to capture a Barn Owl on film...)

You may well have read A Gull on the Roof by Derek Tangye or Beasts in my Belfry by Gerald Durrell, but I wonder whether you have seen these statuesque juvenile Barn Owls in the stone quatrefoil. Do take a look here at the amazing shot by photographer, Richard Brooks. The church is Christ Church, Fulmodeston in Norfolk, the beautiful county where I lived during my teenage years.

P.S. I was browsing through the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust site for this post, when I came across a curious feature on the Mountain Chicken. How much do you know about this threatened creature? You can read about it here.

P.P.S. On the subject of wildlife conservation and literature, do read about Wildlife Poetry and the Born Free Foundation Poet-in-Residence, Richard Bonfield. Many of us have followed Richard's work over the years in magazines like Reach Poetry (Indigo Dreams Press).

Poetic People (29): Sir Andrew Motion's Line, Part i

'Clash over degree courses that try to teach budding authors the write stuff'.

This was the heading in The Times (16 January) linked to a column by the education correspondent, Nicola Woolcock, in the run-up to the announcement of the TS Eliot Prize. The link is here, although the online version has a less controversial heading!

• 12 out of the 17 on the shortlist of those with the Masters Degree in Creative Writing were women.
  
• 7 (of these?) attended UEA.
• 5 of the 17 (men and women) have been contenders in the Costa First Novel Award since 2005.

Sir Andrew Motion made the valid point that nobody makes a fuss when musicians and actors receive training. He does not agree with those who feel that (creative) writing is not a suitable subject for universities to teach.

'The idea has taken root that writing can be taught as well or badly as acting, painting and dancing,' he concluded.

Do you agree? PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE IN MY POLL (top right). It will run for a week.

Seasonal Splash (1): Autumn Surprise at the National Botanic Garden of Wales

Autumn Acers

Lakeside scene

Looking up to the Great Glass House
Autumn Light
- or is it more like Winter?

Above and Below:
a splash of colour

A surprise visitor in the Great Glass House...

Looking down on the Tardis

I was inspired by Steven's terrific display of autumn 'fireworks' at The Golden Fish, and decided that I should post a few autumn photos of my own.

I was not expecting to see the Tardis on this visit to the botanic garden, although it has a habit of popping up in unexpected corners in our neck of the woods, as much of 'Doctor Who' is filmed in or from Cardiff.

The photograph below shows a previous appearance in the Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The wonderful lettering behind it is the back of the huge poem by Gwyneth Lewis that adorns the outside of the building.

Poetic People (19): Aeronwy Thomas-Ellis

The Boathouse, Laugharne
Photo: David Gill

I have just heard the sad news of the death of Dylan's daughter, Aeronwy Thomas-Ellis. She was an inspiring poet and tutor in her own right, and a marvellous advocate for her father's work. I was privileged to attend one of Aeronwy's poetry workshops in Laugharne a year ago: it is a memory that will stay with me for a long time. My thoughts and condolences go out to the family.

Tributes

• by Peter Thabit Jones on Contemporary Literary Horizon (Romania)
  

• This is South Wales
• Wales Online
  
• Aeronwy's interview about her father, BBC (2003)
  

Poetic People (11): your turn to vote

As part of the BBC Poetry Season, we have the (somewhat limited) opportunity to vote for a favourite poet on the BBC site. Why not cast a vote now. You might also like to look at the television listings for the Poetry Season: there are some good programmes coming up

Beautiful Birds(2): Wild Birds on our Farms

The Telegraph has a feature on the ecology of wild birds on farmland: Farmlife is for the Birds.

Poetic Persona (2): Seamus Heaney

Dennis O'Driscoll's book, Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney, was published recently. A fascinating interview can be read here. I was particularly struck by Heaney's comment about poetry and the path of a tank.

• Heaney and Walcott and their production of one of the Theban plays, Antigone by Sophocles.
• Egyptian Secrets: Meresamun, a singer priestess from Thebes (The Guardian).
  

Window on Wildlife (1): Ladybirds, Hoopoes ... and a Pink Dolphin

I was very taken with a news story in The Telegraph about a pink dolphin. I had to look twice at the photograph, and yes, it really is a pink (albino) dolphin.

The Telegraph also ran a story on the exotic birds, like the hoopoe, from Europe, Africa and Asia that will soon be making a home in the UK. It seems strange to me that our shores are not only attracting birds from the frozen north like the snowy owl seen in Cornwall, but also a number of visitors from warmer countries. Climate change can be very confusing at times! Fellow blogger, Mistlethrush, has just seen a crossbill. You can read about the species here.

On the subject of wildlife, I am rather intrigued by ladybirds at the moment; and was delighted to discover in a posting on LiveJournal that the collective term for the species is 'a loveliness of ladybirds'. Do you have a favourite collective noun? How would you feel about inventing one?

A Mix of Media (2): Puffins [don't] Twitter

Puffins on Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire

There has been much in the news recently about Twitter and how postings can be regulated. A representative of Penguin Books has said, according to The Guardian, that there are no current plans to advertise Puffin Books (for young readers) on Twitter.

• (Real) puffins on the Isle of May
• Michael Rosen's new book of bird poetry
  

Media Mix (1): The Wye, 'My Mile of the River'

The first of a four-part series by Chris Tally Evans on the River Wye was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 14.45 pm yesterday. The fifteen minute programme is available on iPlayer for the next six days if you would like to catch up before episode 2 (featuring a wheelbarrow championship) comes on air next weekend. Join Chris, Director of the unusual Stage School, as he celebrates the sounds of the river near his home in Rhayader, Mid Wales, and goes in search of a 'yaffle' in the woods. Meet the supporting cast - the presenter's family, his hawk and his dog - who star alongside the river itself as it 'flows through the lives of the people' who live along its banks.

• Rhayader to feature in Radio 4 series
• The programme listed on the Arts Wales site
• The programme listed on the Disability Arts site (scroll down)
• The River Wye on the Waterscape site

• On the subject of frivers: Alice Oswald creates a River Dart community poem

Surprise Subjects (2): Butter Poetry

One of my favourite childhood poems was The King's Breakfast by the creator of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne. It tells the priceless story of a king who went into a sulk because the sleepy Alderney cow thought (or perhaps hoped) that his Majesty might prefer marmalade instead of butter on his bread. Leslie McGrath, 2004 Nimrod/Hardman Pablo Neruda Prizewinner for Poetry, has just won the unusual honour of having her poem, Butter Taps, printed on butter wrappers from Cabot Creamery on the East Coast of America.

Creature Feature (1): Deer in the City

I was sorry to miss a programme shown yesterday on BBC2 about a pair of roe deer who have made their home in a city cemetery in Scotland. I blogged about unicorns a few days ago, and it seems that we now have a unicorn-deer in Italy. Just over a year ago Russian deer herders (click pic.2) were casting votes in a snowbound camp.

• BBC Autumnwatch: meet the deer (& other animals)
• Professor P. Brain on Scotland and red squirrels
• Sociable Scandinavian robins in North Wales
  

Desert Island Discs: Ruth Padel

The National Botanic Garden of Wales
(Photo: Second prize in the National Botanic Garden of Wales Competition)

I am very grateful to my friend, Mary (whose photographs of a redwing appear in my previous post) for alerting me to this morning's edition of Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4. Kirsty Young was interviewing prize-winning poet and recent Chair of the Poetry Society (2004-2006), Ruth Padel. Padel is the great great granddaughter of Darwin, and it was terrific to hear her account of an expedition to watch tigers. I was particularly pleased to learn that her chosen Desert Island book would be Homer's Iliad: I mentioned the version by Pope in a blog entry two days ago.

I notice that Ruth Padel is judging the Mslexia Women's Poetry Competition. The closing date is 24 April 2009.

Padel's new book, Darwin: A Life in Poems (Chatto & Windus) is due out on 12 February 2009. Books of poetry on scientific subjects seem to be in vogue. Last July I enjoyed a fascinating exhibition in the National Botanic Garden of Wales, which accompanied the new book by Anne Cluysenaar, Batu-Angas: Envisioning Nature with Alfred Russel Wallace (Seren).

New Year Resolutions ...

Left: Orchid found in Trumpan Churchyard on the Waternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye.

Wales is currently under ice, so it seems a bit strange to be thinking about summer plans. However, it is always good to review aspects of life as one year turns into another. Today's photograph reminds me of last year's summer holiday, and of the abundance of wildlife on Skye. We saw seals, otter(s), an eel, orchids, milkwort, saxifrage and ragged robin - to name but a few highlights. We looked and looked, but the sea eagles eluded us.

The flowers were beautiful in their highland-cum-island setting, but we do not all live in such a natural environment. There are times when our wild creatures and plants need a bit of a helping hand. I live on the edge of the city, and although there are fine swathes of countryside nearby, my garden is 'suburban' in feel. This is - apparently - no excuse for idleness!

I was particularly taken with a plan devised by Sarah Raven (BBC TV Gardener's World Special, 29 August 2008, directed by Juliet Graves) to encourage members of the public to preserve the face of Britain by introducing or facilitating a 'river' of wild flowers, so that protected meadows could be linked to areas of woodland. City dwellers were encouraged to find their own little patches where wild flowers could flourish, and this seems an excellent challenge for 2009.

There is scope for much creativity here! Let me know what you think.

On the subject of flowers, I wonder how many floral poems we know and love. I can think of songs ('Eidelweiss', 'My love is like a red, red rose', 'In and out the dusty bluebells', 'The Floral Dance' ...), but who can name a posy of favourite flower poems? Perhaps we should pick up our pens ... along with our seed packets.

Daffodils and primroses are already out in the Principality. It may be mid-winter, but there are signs of spring!

• Sarah Raven, TV presenter
• Bottle Rockets call for flowery Haiku submissions (& Bottle Rockets Press site)
  

P.S. I am still trying to identify a realistic poetic challenge for myself for 2009 : poem-a-day prompts abound in the Google listings. Meanwhile, I am enjoying some poetry features from the press ...

• Why Poetry still matters, The Independent, Boyd Tonkin
• Why Poetry matters, The Independent, Jay Parini