Poetry 'with Remembrance in MIND'

I shall be reading my (acrostic) First World War poem from Towards the light (Kapaju Press, 2018) at this Remembrance concert in aid of the charity, Suffolk MIND. Details of the evening are on the flyer above. Do come and support this worthy cause.

'Towards the light', a new poetry anthology on 'reconciliation'

There are a number of artistic projects commemorating the end of the First World War, and this book, Towards the light, represents one that is particularly close to my heart.

Pam Job and Judith Wolton embarked on a poetry enterprise that would lead to the production of two anthologies, one on conflict (so too have the doves gone) at the beginning of the commemorative period, and now this one on reconciliation to mark the end of the hostilities.

Sadly the snow meant that a number of us had to miss the launch at the Essex Book Festival, but there will be other events as the year goes by.

Poets who had been involved in the initial anthology project were invited to submit work for the second. Editor, Vivien Whelpton, selected my acrostic poem, 'Et in terra pax', about the surreal yet hopeful time when strains of 'Adeste fidelis' rang out across No Man's Land.

The new anthology, published by Kapaju Books (2018), sports a cover design by Karen Dennison. It includes a Preface by the editor, who writes that...

'Vivid metaphors bring home to us both the pain and difficulty of reconciliation and the joy it brings...'

Poetry Anthology ~ 'so too have the doves gone'

The anthology, edited by Judith Wolton and Pam Job, explores the subject of conflict and marks the centenary anniversary of the outbreak in 1914 of World War I. It includes my Edward Thomas tribute poem. 

Further details of the launch event and of the Essex Book Festival can be found here.

Anthology Alert: Kamesan's World Haiku Anthology on War, Violence and the Violation of Human Rights

'This landmark collection, 

interweaving hundreds of poetic voices from around the world, 

creates a powerful statement for peace and against war.'

Kim Goldberg

This volume of world Haiku has just been published by Kamesan Books. The volume has been edited by Dimitar Anakiev in Radovljica, Slovenia. Anakiev was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and is a co-founder of the World Haiku Association. The new anthology contains 903 Haiku from 435 poets in 48 countries, writing in 35 languages. The accompanying artwork has been created by Kunihara Shimizu from Tenri in Japan. The collection begins with Basho in the 17th century and goes on to include much contemporary work. My Haiku, written in response to the vision of a convoy of tanks on the M4 Motorway, is listed as 298 on p.134.   

'This is a multicultural book against war and violence 

that connects people from different nations around the world.' 

Dimitar Anakiev

Editor

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• The book can be purchased from the outlets listed here. 
•  You will find a sample Haiku here. 
•  You can read more about the book ... at Chen-ou Liu (劉鎮歐)'s blog, Neverending Story 

Publication Pointer: World Haiku Anthology

I heard today that my Haiku, dockbound, has been accepted for this forthcoming anthology, compiled by Dimitar Anakiev and illustrated by Kuniharu Shimizu. The book, scheduled for publication early in 2013, contains nearly 900 poems from 420 poets, from 45 countries (6 continents), written in 33 languages and English.

'This landmark collection, interweaving hundreds of poetic voices from around the world, creates a powerful statement for peace and against war.' Kim Goldberg, Canadian author of Red Zone and other books.

'The call for haiku on the theme of war by Dimitar Anakiev has been a call for courage, intelligence and belief in the possibility of peace. Believing in peace is essential to our survival.'  Marilyn Hazelton (USA), Editor, red lights.

Poetic People (16): Siegried Sassoon

You can read the story here.

Poetic People (4): Brian Turner

'My subject is ... the pity of War'
Wilfred Owen

I enjoy the challenge presented by unusual writing opportunities, and today I joined a stimulating workshop led by Brian Turner. Brian has served abroad with the US forces, and his poetry book, Here, Bullet (Bloodaxe 2007) was awarded the Beatrice Hawley Award.

I disregarded war poetry for many years, preferring environmental, topographical and historical themes, until I discovered the craft of Owen and the way in which Edward Thomas used his experiences of the natural world (e.g. his encounter with an owl) as a springboard for speaking about conflict. Today's fascinating workshop was my first encounter with a contemporary war poet. I have come away with a notebook full of poetry ideas on topics as diverse as the sea and the Antipodes. Thank you, Brian.

• Here, Bullet in The New York Times
• Brian Turner in The New Yorker
  
• Brian Turner in The Times
  
• Interview with Brian Turner
• Brian Turner's UK tour and Brian on Radio 4 (iPlayer)