Front cover artwork: ‘Good Night Irene‘ by Van Renselar; back cover, detail from image: http://www.van-renselar.com/
***
What a beautiful looking edition ! Must get this. Congratulations on the magazine’s longevity and high standards
(Anna Saunders, Director at Cheltenham Poetry Festival)
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.00 (Overseas: £12/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £45/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by: Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; D.A.Prince; Theresa Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
I’m sure I’ve said this before: flaming June, one way or the other. After all, with Nicki Griffin, you’d be From Another Country, or else, with Jan Owen, in a Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge And Atake. But you could always Escape, like Nell Farrell… then work out what Charlotte Stokes Meyer zu Natrup means in Ad Reliquos; I’m sure you understand the Gravity of it all, along with Stephen Littlejohn. Or try some Experiments in Time, which Patrick Druggan will demonstrate, unless you want to accompany Charles G. Lauder Jr for some Adventures At The Tip-Top Diner. Or find plenty to intrigue you right here, because Orbis , as Luke Morgan says, is a Gift.
Featured Writers
Winning poems from the Red Shed Competition, including Joanna Wright: My mother navigates
and The Wakefield Postcode Prize, including Deborah Robinson: He Wanted to Shave the Inside of his Head (title taken from a sentence in Sophie Hardach’s book, ‘Of Love and Other Wars’.
Poets include James Conway (The gentle of fish); Anthony Costello (The Lonesome Traveller); Jan FitzGerald (Dead spider); Laura Hess (Lost Inheritance); Jan Owen (Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge And Atake); Royal Rhodes (Nauset)
Prose from Elaine Alarcon-Totten (Queen Mab); Janice Dempsey (Aunt Edna and the GM Question); George Hopewell (No one ever looks above their heads)
Translation: Michael Swan, Drøm om mor by Henrik Nordbrandt: A dream about my mother
Past Master: Charles G. Lauder Jr on W.H. Auden
Orbis 208 Contributors also include Georgia Bailey; Jane Blanchard; Alison Chisholm; Sarah Dantas; María Castro Dominguez; Pamela Galloway; Jean Harvey; Pauline Hawkesworth; June Hurst; D. R. James; Gloria Keeley; Phil Kirby; John Lancaster; Frank Lowry; Lewis Lyons; Jami Macarty; T. J. Masluk; Ali Murphy; Marion Oxley; Chris Rice; Julie-Ann Rowell; Gwen Sayers; Michael W. Thomas; Shelley Tracey; Kelley Jean White; Dave Wynne-Jones
What a beautiful looking edition ! Must get this. Congratulations on the magazine’s longevity and high standards
(Anna Saunders, Director at Cheltenham Poetry Festival)
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.00 (Overseas: £12/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £45/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by: Reviews by: Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey D.A.Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
You know what they say, never judge a book by its cover: same goes for this issue because it should of course be Spring, not Summer… It’s enough to make you Howl, isn’t it, Rosie (Adamson-Clark), and not as if it were a question of being Undecided, like Edward Lee, or worse still, a matter of Indifference (Niels Hammer). No, the magazine may lack Andrew Barnes’sEight thousand layers of in-yun but it should be what Özge Lena calls a A Thing of Beauty. After all, plenty to fascinate readers, as Tina Cole explains How to Reconstruct Female Ancestors, Barry Smith serves up a description of The Wild Garlic At Shorwell, and Sarah Sibley relates the tale about Barbara Bryde, The First To Get Satellite. And you’re sure to want to know more from Marcia Gamsu: When I was a child I asked why I asked why. And at least Orbis 207 is actually full of the joys of Spring…
Featured Writer
Tanya Nightingale: The Terror; The Baby Carriage; Life Grew For Grandpa; Volcanology; Entropy; Echo and Narcissus
Poems from Özge Lena (Mussels); Emmaline O’Dowd (The daily round); Francesca Pridham (He came to them, walking on the water); Gareth Roberts (John Ever-Afraid); Luke Sawczak (Spring Haiku); Sam Smith (Low shouting); Martha Stainsby (What The Metaphysician Said)
Prose from Charlotte Gringras (An Element of Surprise); Denise McSheehy (Parallel Lives); David McVey (When The No. 25 Didn’t Turn Up)
Translation Stephen Capus, A Fragment by Miklós Radnóti
Past Master: Lindy Newns on Amy Lowell
Orbis 207 Contributors also include David Ball; Fred Beake; Stephen Bett; Cindy Botha; Lorraine Caputo; Laura A. Ciraolo; Nick Conrad; Nigel Crisp; Gail Dendy; Malc Fritchley; Alice Harrison; Graham High; Sean Howard; Jenny King; Craig Kurtz; Patricia Leighton; Paul Murphy; Patrick Osada; Geoffrey Winch; Susan Wismer; Mary Anne Woolf
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by: Reviews by: Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey D.A.Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
Front cover artwork :‘Where stories unfold’ by Mario Sanchez Nevado; Back cover, detail from image: www.marionevado.art
The elephant in the room…something beginning with X, which descends every year far too swiftly. Or else starting with W, because as Bethany Pope regales you with her tale of a White Elephant, never more apparent is it that one person’s dream gift is another’s nightmare. It’s enough to have you biting those lovely Fuchsia nails Ann Palmer is talking about. Yes, soon be time to be Bringing Home Holly with Sue Speirs, the prickly stuff, not the girl, although maybe… And like Debjani Chatterjee’s experience, it’s Dawning on you that what’s needed is well, you could call it Confirmation (John Lynch) everything will go according to plan: will it be David Dumouriez’sAn Anglican Event? Does s.d.s. know better than you whether my mother is coming along? And when we meet each other’s gaze, including Caroline Maldonado’s, could we describe it as the salt of life as Yogesh Patel tells us? But that’s what Orbis 206 is here to do in its infinite variety: spice things up.
Featured Writer Michael Henry: Scratchcard; Nightlife; Ibiza; The Italian Wine Bar; Exequy to a duckling
Poems from Charlie Baylis, watermelon sugar; Debjani Chatterjee,Windrush Five Hundred; Dr. Bethany Pope,Speaking In Tongues; Donna Pucciani,Basil, She Said; Bill Richardson, Spooky action at a distance; Phil Vernon, Crossing the line
Prose from Ann Palmer, Fuchsia nails; Sari Pauloma, Reflecting; John Siberry, Gone Fission
TranslationW.D. Jackson, Goethe: The Erlking
Past Master: Michael Spinks on Max Jacob
Article: Cover Artist: Mario Sanchez Nevado
Orbis 206 Contributors also include Denise Bennett; Ed Blundelll; Jim Conwell; Terence Culleton; Christine Curtis; Robin Daglish; Simon Fletcher; Ray Givans; Wendy Goulstone; Oz Hardwick; Eve Jackson; Marie Lecrivain; Isaac Lee; Tina MacNaughton; Gabrielle O’Donovan; Helen Overell; Richard Palmer; Rosalind Parkes; Jo Peters; Mykyta Ryzhykh; K.V. Skene
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.00 (Overseas: £12/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £45/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by: Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; Jennifer McGowan; D.A.Prince; Andrew Taylor
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
Front cover artwork: ‘Chora 32’ by Matthew Smith
Back cover, detail from image: matthew-smith.co.uk
Twinkle, twinkle… a whole host of stars within, in fact, what Chris Parsons
describes as a Constellation. Which you may enjoy watching along with
Mara Adamitz Scrupe, night/ cabin/ lakeside, tho maybe no Painted Angels
despite Matthew Smith telling you about them.
Down to earth… these days, you can understand J. Burke asking
Where did all theporpoises go? while Ellen Zhang makes the most of
Waiting for Those Pink River Dolphins. Endangered species include us of course,
the Dispossessed, as Phil Walsh reminds us, trying not to think about
Spindle, Thread and Shears (Ali Rowland). But be consoled by John Zedolik
and his reassuring, No Bother. All the more so, if like Aidan Fadden,
you want to embark on The Search For OK. You’ll find it here all right –
indeed; better than OK
Featured Writer: Gemma Parker
Southern Spring; Cicadas; Before the Storm; How to get through it
Poems from
Aidan Fadden,The Search For OK; S Kimbrough McLendon, Owl Courting; Tolu Ogunlesi, Meeting; Mara Adamitz Scrupe, night/ cabin/ lakeside;
Chiara Salomon, Palìrroia; John Zedolik,No Bother
Prose from Lani O’Hanlon, Written in milk;
Gemma Parker, Femme-Maison; Mark Reece, Escape
Translation: Ranald Barnicot, Naevius v. The Metelli
Past Master: Philip Dunkerley on Miguel Hernández
Orbis 205 Contributors also include Pratibha Castle; A.C. Clarke; John Irving Clarke; Jill Eulalie Dawson;Bill Dodd; Jenny Hamlett; Robin Helweg-Larsen; Tony Horitz; Annette Iles;Ben Keatinge; Kathy Miles; Lindy Newns; Mark Paffard; Jenna Plewes; Jean Prior;Elva Robins; Paul Saville; Terry Sherwood; Christopher Southgate; Miriam Sulhunt; Peter Sutton; Paul Truan; Judith Wilkinson; Lesa Walker
Orbis 204, Summer 2023
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize) ‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.50 (Overseas: £12/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £45/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; Jennifer McGowan; D.A.Prince; Pauline Rowe; Therese Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
Front cover artwork: ‘Flowers’ by Heather Harding\ Back cover, detail from image: HeatherRachaelsArt
From one extreme to another… yes, as you can see from this cover, the heat is on. But no need for An Apology (Sue Davies), surely. After all, you’ll find Jill Sharp describing a pleasant trip in The Day Before, and perhaps you’d care to join Helga Kidder, Dining at Repeal 33, making it a Family occasion, with Michael Bartholomew-Biggs, while Chrissy Banks can tell you about The Other One. Or you could observe the Acqua Alta with Cassandra Atherton & Paul Hetherington; Doreen Duffy for one says she will be Keeping my head above water. But what about Argonaut? Let juli Jana explain, while Timothy Harwood expounds upon High Clavdivs. And no doubt you who prefer the formal, and the historical, will appreciate Ray Malone’sSonnet135 and Maureen Jivani’sDear Sappho. Max Ekstrom will tell you, No Appointment necessary so come along in and enjoy this issue. ****
Featured Writer: Neil BeardmoreBehind a bookcase; Woman Bathing In A Stream: Rembrandt; Cave Paintings, Los Machos, Granada, Spain
Poems from Michael G. Casey: English speaks seductively; Helga Kidder: Dining at Repeal 33: Mark Mansfield: Do You Wonder?; Patricia Nelson: Monsters With Beautiful Faces; Marion Oxley: Solastalgia; Jeff Phelps: Cadman’s Leap
Prose from Neil Beardmore:The Thing Is…; Phill Provance: From The Jealous Land: Monongahela River Bottoms, 25 June 1769; June Wentland:The road with a dog
Translation: Wendy Sloan: Sonnet 208 by Gaspara Stampa
Past Master: Max Ekstrom on AliceDunbar-Nelson
Orbis 204 Contributors also include KB Ballentine; Jill Boucher; Arthur Broomfield; Malcolm Carson; Claudia Court; Ann Gibson; Doreen Hinchliffe; Ashleigh John; Clifford Liles; Ralph Mold; Katherine Noone; Anita Ouellette; Stuart Pickford; David Thompson; Davide Trame; Helen Whitten; Mantz Yorke; Martin Zarrop
Orbis 203, Spring 2023
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’ (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; D.A.Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
Front cover artwork: ‘I got caught in the rain’ by Ira Whittaker
Pouring down indeed to create an issue overflowing with incredible, inspiring writing, in Spectacular Fashion, you might say, as Chris Scriven does, so you can see what Sparks fly from the pen of Philip Burton. And how lucky is Andria J. Cooke, enjoying the Aurora – and how curious are you, to find out about Marie Papier’s Portrait of my grandmother as a wardrobe? And there’s more, much more, for example, Pat Marum’s tale of a Concubine, Beijing 1421, or Arun Gaur’s description of a Cenotaph plus Terrapins from John Gilham. Indeed, as Ruth Arnison says, Knowing he’s the one, or rather, its: what a splendid title from Michael Martin: One time me and the dog swam with the dolphins, they let you get so close you can touch a fin. And ok, you may feel it’s a step too far – or an issue too late, but how about Frank X. Christmas’sTribute from a three-year-old.
Because there’s certainly plenty here to encourage a response from all readers.
Featured Poet
Ros Woolner: Shouting at the sky; The unwrapping; Trucks; Permission
Poems from Courtney Brach: Lead Line; Richard Hawtree: I’ll Just Leave This Here; Anthony Head: Malá Strana; Peggy McCarthy: Pantoum For My Childhood Home; Vic Pickup: What she saw in the washing up bowl; John Smelcer: Churros With Death
Prose from Annie Newcomer: Gilbert Williams; Michael Swan: Anti-Boredom Procedure Type B; Nicky Winder: Crop Stories
Translation: Terese Coe: Homecoming, LXI, Book of Songs Epitaphe De Jaques Mernable, Joueur de Farces
Past Master: Richard Lister on Bibi Hayati
Orbis 203 Contributors also include John Arnold; Steve Barton; Martin Bennett; Courtney Brach; Patricia Brody; Vuyelwa Carlin; Andrew Curtis; Lori Drummond-Mundal; L.B. Jørgensen; Dave Medd; John McOwat; Pat Murgatroyd; Louis Nthenda; Doug Sandle; Carla Scarano; Dr. Roger G. Singer; Andrea Spurling
Single issue: £6.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; Maria Isakova-Bennett; Jennifer McGowan; D.A. Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Orbis 202, Winter 2002
All the best to you, and to Orbis! (Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £6.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16); Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; Maria Isakova-Bennett; Jennifer McGowan; D.A. Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
****
Front cover artwork: ‘Miyajima 09‘ by Niels Nielsen back cover, detail from image: www.petrifiedclouds.com
Oh come, all ye faithful: readers, subscribers, contributors –
something to warm your heart in this bitter Winter. Let us whisk you away to somewhere exotic, and join Jackie Wills when Cruella de Ville visits Brighton, or Charles Wilkinson, looking at The House in the Forest. No? Well, how about Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana… At the Fishmonger’s with my son. Then you could be transported by Tim Houghton – | and T-Rex, unless you’ve reached a Watershed; that’s you and Nathanael O’Reilly both. But if you’re wondering what Martin Worster means by The Let-Down, or Carolyn Oulton, asking What am I supposed to call this? Catherine O’Brien may have the answer in A Lexicon Of You, unless Rob McCarthy will translate From The Greek, or George Moore, using the Rosetta Stone. All the same, it’s no mystery because reading Orbis. can help bring joy to the world.
Featured Poet, David Callin: Fowmart; In Upper Sulby Glen; Preservation; Abney Park; The island; Elan
Poems from Claire Booker, The Horse In My Bedroom; Roy DuffieldA dream where procrastination works both ways; Martin ElsterDe-Extinction; Cathy Grindrod, Aunt Margaret; John Lanyon, Honorine Jobert; Jo Slade, O little root
Prose fromCharlotte Gringras, Midnight Memoir ; Phil Knight, Crosshairs; Marie L’Ecrivain, Ugly: A Post Dystopian Tale
Translation: Stephen Capus, Desanka Maksimović: Za Zveri Oklevetane
Past Master: Mary Earnshaw on Anonymous
Orbis 202 Contributors also include
Jane Blanchard; Mark Carson; Alastair Clarke; Tina Cole; Mark Czanik; Robin Ford; Peter French; Richard George; Jill Jones; Judith Pollinger; David Punter; Michael Spinks; Julia Stothard; Katherine Swett; Anne Symons; Carolyn Waudby; Isobel Williams; Susan Wismer; Marjory Woodfield
Orbis 201, Autumn 2022
All the best to you, and to Orbis!
(Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine
over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
Single issue: £6.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16)
Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey;
Jennifer A. McGowan; D.A. Prince; Pauline Rowe;
Theresa Sowerby; Andrew Taylor; Pam Thompson
Front cover artwork: ‘Melting butterflies‘ by Suzanne Bonds back cover, detail from image
So which is it for you: A Dying Fall, or is September the new January,
full of new beginnings? You can certainly enjoy Gabrielle O’Donovan’s Miracle Of Samhain, Drift with Rosie Adamson-Clark, and like Brooke James,
give thanks for An Abundance of Blessings – or be intrigued by Capybara and a camera; let Anne Osbourn explain. It’s all in a good cause,
like Tariq Hassan’sTen Charities; just follow Alyza Taguilaso‘sInstructions then you can appreciate Resurgam (Terence Brick) and concoct
something divine, like Ian Caws‘ Confectioner. But watch out for Jeff Skinner’s warning about a Cloudburst, even more so When it came to ways of saving the planet (Julian Bishop).
You may feel the need for some kind of Defence, as Aidan Coleman does.
Or just a really good read…
Featured Poet: Pam Galloway, Let’s go Big Toe!; Dovetail; Wings; Death and the moon
Poems from Ken Anderson, Simplex Munditis; Isabel de Andreis, condor; Marilyn Donovan, Red Knot: a Murmuration; S C Flynn, Dinosaurs on the roof; Martha Stainsby, Dragon Energy;Steven Taylor, El Lissitzky
Prose fromFiona Vigo Marshall, Serena conjures the unicorn; Paul Murgatroyd. COME TO WONDERFUL WHITLEY BAY; Anne Osbourn, The climate change workshop
Translation: Pablo Dubois, El Pasado
Past Master: Mark Paffard on Andrew Marvell
Article: Philip Dunkerley, Noel Williams’ Words Of Wisdom
Orbis 201 Contributors also include
Daniel Boland; Sheena Bradley; Terence Brick;
Mike Barlow; Caroline Carver; Laura Ciraolo; Eithne Cullen;
Barbara Cumbers; Billy Fenton; Lydia Fulleylove; Gabriel Griffin;
Pauline Hawksworth; Christopher M James; Fred Johnston;
Zoe Karathanasi; Nigel Kent; Alison McCrossan; Bert Molsom;
Emmaline O’Dowd; Richard Palmer; Ali Pardoe;
John Priestley; Martha Stainsby; Georgina Titmus; John Whitehouse
Orbis 200, Summer 2022
All the best to you, and to Orbis! (Glyn Maxwell;
shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal – and congratulations on such a successful magazine
over the years’ (Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
****
Single issue: £5.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16);
Subs: £19/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova Bennett
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies.
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; D.A. Prince;
Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Andrew Taylor; Lynne Taylor
Front cover artwork: designed by Tony Murphy
And here it is – you got the big issue:
Guest Poets, Featured Poets – and most of the poets chosen by you.
Yes, some doom and gloom but plenty of laughs along the way,
some of it quite surreal. Would you like to find out more,
eg Something I learned from Great Aunt Ethel? Christina Buckton
has the answer, or why Lord Egremont decides to change course
(Joy Wassell Timms), and how come Oz Hardwick is seeing Red –
never mind Sam Smith (facing a losing battle if you ask me): Cat and I, impassive, face to face. What’s our Reviews Editor,
Maria Isakova Bennett doing at Coburg Wharf looking South and North?
And David Harmer, busy Finding Stuart’s Bar,
while Matt Bryden has adopted another identity
it seems, when Clark Kent Revisits the Family Farm. Maggie Butt enjoys
the Last Swim of the Season, though not so much fun for Sean Howard,
who is missing poems (berkhamsted, herts).
Shall we join David Mark Williams for some Adventurous Knitting, or Michael Henry at The Bookseller’s Lunch? And hands up all those,
like Annie Klier Newcomer, who knew Antimony has two meanings,
or what exactly is the Suburban Secret? Let’s ask Eve Jackson, nicely,
And celebrate; every issue is special of course, but this one really is extra special…
Featured Poets
Hilary Mellon: Sleep; On Lensfield Road; The Sentence;The Busker
Michael SwanIbex; tasting notes; rivers go where rivers go
Guest Poets: Simon Armitage; Gillian Clarke:Glyn Maxwell
Poems from:John Cassidy; The Big Dub: John Lindley, A Hutch Full Of Heaneys: Nessa O’Mahony, Komorebi; Julie-ann RowellHether Blether
Prose from Katriona Campbell, Stelle cadente,Philip Dunkerley, Solution; Verity Oswin, Dark Flight; Denise McSheehy,The Plate Spinner
Translation: Laura Chalar: Fernando Pessoa
Orbis 200 Contributors also include
Daragh Bradish; Alison Chisholm; Gladys Mary Coles; Terence Culleton;
Brian Daldorph; Patrick Deeley; Gail Dendy; María Castro Dominguez;
Attracta Fahy; Martin Figura; Simon Fletcher ; Isabel Greenslade;
Max Gutmann; Kevin Higgins; Jenny Hockey; Gaia Holmes;
Jack Houston; Fred Johnston; Christine Lao; Rupert M Loydell;
Gill McEvoy; Afric McGlinchey; Jennifer A McGowan; Tom Moody;
Lani O’Hanlon; Jo Peters; Jenna Plewes; D.A. Prince; Frances Sackett;
Myra Schneider; K. V. Skene; Ewan Smith; Christopher Southgate;
Theresa Sowerby; Pam Stocker; Andrew Taylor; Lynne Taylor; Karla Van Vliet;
June Wentland; Robin Lindsay Wilson; Chris Woods; Stephen Yeo
Readers’ Award, Orbis 199
I particularly enjoyed My Favourite Cardigan by Helen Heery, the way she expresses in a direct and seemingly whimsical way the profound idea that certain elements of our attire are metaphors for the soul and its many attachments (Daniel Boland)
Loss by Claire Watson: discouraging picture but with a bright sharpness.
Translation of Hanny Michaelis by Judith Wilkinson: accept the unknown for ever after and what can’t be explained, preferring the restlessness it conveys, even if it is self-deception. Great sincerity.
Choosing a bed by Julian Dobson: maybe there is the old, famous, metaphysical poetry technique here, macrocosm in the microcosm. The bottomlessness of one’s own body in bed, sinking into one’s own sea.
Advice by C.M.Buckland: an irony so lyrical and at the same time a-matter-of-fact. We can easily get lost in Nature while trying to beome part of it; powerful few lines
Kevin Higgins’ Bequests!!!!: I have never been particularly attracted by comic verse but this poem..I have rarely laughed like now for any clever and funny piece like this!!
The ending in particular… (Davide Trame)
The four poems I most enjoyed are, in no special order,
Ghost Language by Jean O’Brien for its directness of voice and phraseology giving it a sense of the inevitable:
My Favourite Cardigan by Helen Heery, simply because it resonates with similar circumstances of loss and so economically expresses that sense of abandonment:
In which the editor confesses to a typo by Julian Dobson with its echoes of Nietschen philosophy and not least, for its sense of the ridiculous;
Secret Garden by Jan Fitzgerald. Again this is a poem that strikes a chord of familiarity without becoming banal. Especially like the (familiar) end line with its implicit warning not to over-indulge the investment.
I find it very difficult to choose one of these above the others but if pressed, I’d go for the existentialism of Julian Dobson’s poem.
You are keeping up the high standard for which Orbis is justly renowned. After 199 editions I’m looking forward to something special for #200. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed (John Priestley)
Commended: Mary Maher – Special. I enjoyed those ‘sudden, faithful paws’.
Martin Parker – Neighbours. I loved the humour of those snooty bins !
I was also touched by Lindy Newns – Testimonial 11. Sad turns of Fate that tangling guilt with sorrow.
Joint Fourth: Gareth Culshaw – The night an old gamekeeper visited. The fur of the badger, the sideburns of a stoat’s tail…and those splinters.
Verity Oswin – The Taxidermist. The longing for perfection.
Joint Third: Jean O’Brien – Ghost Language. Even though our past is blighted – we can carry our ancestors’ hopes.
Caroline Smith – Noah. The slow yet sudden losses of time
Ciaran Buckley – Hammer Notes. I really enjoyed the frustrated sonnet-maker
Joint Second:: Martin Kerry – Jean-Martin. The deep dive to catch the freedom of the imagination.
Julian Dobson – Choosing a bed.The layers of life drawing you down deeper to find the shore.
Joint First:: Sheila Spence – Triple Spiral. Those of the mind, set against those of our finger-prints…
and… Jim Conwell – In Yemen. Utterly sad (Clare Bevan)
Testimonial: Lindy Newns. A rather different take on the elder sibling’s resentment at the time taken up by the sick brother. I enjoyed both versions but the prose one was able to put more flesh on the bones.
Neighbours: Martin Parker. Excellently maintained rhythm and humour.
As if by Magic: Rob Walton. Another common story line, much beloved by comedians, and done with originality and subtlety. Sad, but enjoyably
humorous.
Misfit: Pam Gormally. Plleasantly reminded, in fact, of past embarrassments: Yorkshire lad in Devonshire University. Well written (Vince Smith)
1st: Special by Mary Maher
2nd: In Yemen by Jim Conwell
3rd: Almost meeting Keats on the doorstep by Bob Cooper
4th: Noah by Caroline Smith (Frances Sackett)
Jim Connelly, In Yemen
Ciaran Buckley, Thursday.
Helen Scadding, Gone granny (Mary Earnshaw)
1) Ciaran Buckley – Thursday
2) Judith Wilkinson – Translation of Hanny Michaelis
3) Mary Maher – Don’t Worry
4) Charlie Baylis – laurel canyon (K.V. Skene)
Bob Cooper – Almost meeting Keats…
Julian Dobson – In which the Editor confesses…
Caroline Smith – Noah
Martin Parker – Neighbours
Lindy Newns – Testimonials I & II (Mantz Yorke)
Verity Oswin The Taxidermist
R.A. Allen Realty
Helen Scadding Black swan (David Thomspon)
Mary Maher – Special: A deep and moving poem, superbly crafted, and special indeed.
Caroline Smith – Noah: Another moving poem. Many of us have been there, more will go. And one day we too may become the subject of the poem. Well made.
Martin Parker – Neighbours: Yes, of course it made me smile. But its well crafted too.
Lindy Newns – Testemonial I and II: Great feeling, surprising, and innovative (Philip Dunkerley)
1. Martin Parker: Neighbours
2. Derek Healy: Miscalculation
3. Claire Watson: Loss
4. Helen Heery: My favourite cardigan (Meg Barton)
Gareth Culshaw – The night an old gamekeeper visited
Helen Scadding – Black swan
Noel King – Everybody Has A Swan Poem So Why Can’t I?
Bob Cooper – both poems (:Terence Brick)
Verity Owen, The Taxidermist. Mesmerising
Ciaran Buckley, Hammer Notes. Hilarious
Julian Dobson, In which the editor… Clever
Caroline Smith, Noah. Wistful (Martin Kerry)
1.He builds a stone wall in the rain by George Culshaw. I love the harmony of man, landscape and action and image and the wow phrases of ‘fruit-buying stare’ and the ‘ski-jump’ of the air. A real evocation of the wordless in words.
2. In Yemen by Jim Conwell. Made me face up to the images so easily switched off and forgotten.
3.Noah by Caroline Smith. Tender last stanza
4.His support worker framed his poemand gave it to him on his 30th birthday. I loved the rule breaking long title, often tutted at in many workshops (Christine Curtis)
Helen Heery for My Favourite Cardigan – I loved the repetition
Caroline Smith for Noah – the closing metaphor felt just right. It really resonated with me.
Ciaran Buckley for Thursday – gently unsettling.
Lindy Newns for the emotional impact of Testimonials I and II.
I was pleased to have the chance to read them both (Ralph Mold)
1.Ed Blundell Twilight of the Moods Each line stirs emotions through clever phrases – ‘dropping like broken promises’. He made every word and line count.
2. Martin Parker Neighbours A lovely bit of fun with the hint of a message.
3. Sheila Spence Skating Can see and hear and feel the build up to the dramatic final lines and shock ending.
3. Helen Ashley Circles of light Creates a wonderful calm, night-time atmosphere, even as the fish, inevitably, are caught – ‘doomed’ (Tricia Robinson)
1 Mary Maher Special
2 Ciaran Buckley Homer Evben
3 mary Hasilow Common Trees
4 Charlie Baylis Laurel Canyon (Robin Ford)
I especially enjoyed the well-crafted and intriguing piece of prose entitled As if by magic by Rob Walton.
2. Martin Parker Neighbours
3. Caroline Smith Noah
4. Peter Ebsworth The Fishcotheque (Charles Osborne)
1) Ciaran Buckley – Thursday
2) Judith Wilkinson – Translation of Hanny Michaelis
3) Mary Maher – Don’t Worry
Charlie Baylis – laurel canyon (K.V. Skene)
My reader’s vote goes to Our Betters by David Dumouriez ( Judith Wilkinson)
Four explorations of later life.
1. The night an old gamekeeper by Gareth Culshaw visited is a piece of figurative genius.
Noah by Caroline Smith. Here, domesticity is reaching the tipping point of frailty
In Gone granny, Helen Scadding contrasts playfully the evolutions of a generation. 4. Elaine Alarcontotten’s Minnesota childhood is recreated powerfully in A Fairy Tale (Will Daunt)
Lindy Newns: Testimonial I
Tim Dwyer: Birds in the air by Luke Nilan
Helen Ashley: Circles of Light
Jim Conwell: In Yemen (Helen Heery)
Helen Heery for My Favourite Cardigan – I loved the repetition
Caroline Smith for Noah – the closing metaphor felt just right. It really resonated with me.
Ciaran Buckley for Thursday – gently unsettling.
Lindy Newns for the emotional impact of Testimonials I and II. I was pleased to have the chance to read them both (Ralph Mold)
1. He builds a stone wall in the rain by Gareth Culshaw for the striking imagery throughout.
2. Special by Mary Maher for the skilful withholding of such poignancy until the end.
3. Neighbours by Martin Parker for its wit and clever, never obtrusive, rhyme scheme.
4. Noah by Caroline Smith for the tender and realistic anxieties of having ageing parents.
Special commendation to Lindy Newns whose Testimonial I and Testimonial II are very moving companion pieces (Pat Murgatroyd)
My vote is for Hammer Notes by Ciaran Buckley. But all the poems are amazing and I raced through them (Verity Oswin)
1st I loved A Fairy Tale by Elaine Alarcontotten – terrific.
2nd Gone granny by Helen Scadding was a lot of fun and full of colourful images.
3rd Birds in the air by Luke Nilan by Tim Dwyer – the stoical flatness of the last two lines.
4th In which the editor confesses to a typo by Julian Dobson. Funny, clever – I just liked it (Tina MacNaughton)
Lindy Newns for Testimonial I & II. The mixture of raw grief and heart breaking detail.
Nick Conrad for Lost. The final couplet does it for me.
Julian Dobson for In which the editor confesses to a typo. Enjoyed the mental agility of this poem (Denise McSheehy)
1. Jean OBrien: Ghost Language – helps us to find our way from a blighted past
2. Ed Blundell: Twilight of the Moods. Sunset always feels hopeful to me, enriching the sky.
3. Gareth Culshaw: The night an old gamekeeper visited. Dream or reality, it doesnt matter.
4. Mary Maher: Special. Any mother would share the sort of hopes and dreams for her child (Helen Ashley)
1 — Questions Remaining by Patricia Leighton.
2 — Expedition by Ayelet McKenzie.
3 — Hypochondria by Helen Heery.
4 — In Yemen by Jim Conwell (Martin Parker)
Gareth Culshaw –
He builds a stone wall in the rain. Something of the mighty R.S.Thomas here.
Sheila Spence – Skating. I love the suspense created by the last line.
Pam Gormally – Misfit. The feeling of sensing you are out of place was very recognisable.
Ed Blundell – Flower Power. Nature reestablishing itself (Claire Buckland)
1. He builds a stone wall in the rain by Gareth Culshaw. Rich language and some great phrases, such as fruit-buying stare
2. Loss by Claire Watson. Well-crafted sonnet with good lines, especially the last;
3. Miscalculation by Derek Healy. Subject fits the form; well-judged (Clifford Liles)
Mary Maher – Don’t Worry, clearly and concisely sets out the argument for a sad conclusion with which I have agree – that the world would be much, much better off without us.
Helen Heery – My Favourite Cardigan, I love the way it is put together like a love story
Martin Parker – Neighbours is also great fun, well structured and totally believable.
Lindy Newns Testimonial 1. It’s hard to separate out the two pieces, but for me the poem had the edge. Beautifully constructed, this is immensely moving (Anne Banks)
1. Mary Maher Special
2. Helen Heery My Favourite Cardigan
3. Verity Oswin The Taxidermist
4. Jan FitzGerald Secret garden (Ayelet McKenzie)
2.
1. Black Swan appealed because of personal experience of loss, and the way the swan becomes the grief, dragging green weed/pressing towards me/spitting, unasked for/ with hawthorns in your eyes. Wow.
2. So did another description of loss, this time by Claire Wilson, who uses great rhythm and half rhymes and assonance to conjure grief.
3. My Favourite Cardigan by Helen Heery with its lovely double meaning – are we to take the cardigan to be a stand in for a lost lover? The beating repetition of you and personification of the cardie as wearing her perfume and, of course, the final line – not a sentence but a clause, feels even more like somebody shouting, There! Look at me! I miss you!
I like the weight of the simple statement, She is holding a child: Jim Conwell’s In Yemen.
Hammer Notes by Ciaran Buckley is a more adventurous poem
I really love He Builds a Stone Wall in the Rain by Gareth Culshaw – my only caveat is that there may be too many inventive metaphors – ‘jackdaws lattice the sky’
Bob Coope’rs use of simple sentences to end his poem, polish the meaning of the whole (Lindy Newns)
1.Ed Blundell Twilight of the Moods Each line stirs emotions through clever phrases – ‘dropping like broken promises’. He made every word and line count.
2. Martin Parker Neighbours A lovely bit of fun with the hint of a message.
3. Sheila Spence Skating Can see and hear and feel the build up to the dramatic final lines and shock ending.
Helen Ashley Circles of light Creates a wonderful calm, night-time atmosphere, even as the fish, inevitably, are caught – ‘doomed’ (Tricia Robinson)
4. My top three poems:
Patricia Leighton – Questions remaining
Ayelet Mackenzie – New bra
Ciaran Buckley – Hammer notes (Charlie Baylis)
1. Choosing a Bed by Julian Dobson
2. The night an old gamekeeper visited by Gareth Culshaw
3. Ghost language by Jean O Brien
4. In Yemen by Jim Conwell
I also enjoyed work by Helen Heery, Bill Richardson, Mary Maher, Sheila Spence, Caroline Smith, Helen Scadding, Derek Healey and Helen Scadding.
The inclusion of Rilke’s sonnet was a joy too. A fine translation (David Mark Williams)
1) Special by Mary Maher
2) Black Swan by Helen Scadding
3) Loss by Claire Watson
4) The night an old gamekeeper visited by Gareth Culshaw
The first three speak about loss in different ways; the last has a lovely air of mystery (Sheila Spence)
1. Ciaran Buckley’s surreal and sinister A Joke
Mary Maher’s Special for simplicity that packs a real punch.
3. R.A. Allen’s File Footage, especially for the line ‘Likes gams and moustachery’ – which was no less resonant after I’d resorted to a dictionary… (Mark Paffard)
Lost by Nick Conrad found and held me rigid with shock in the first two lines. So stark and frighteningly powerful. Great poem.
Ed Blundell’s Flower Power and Twilight of the Moods are lovely,.both rising by their own weight.
Yes, yes to Caroline Smith’s Noah. So eloquently close to home, The number of rings on the phone before it is answered is a perfect metaphor. I am so jealous!
Bill Richardson brilliantly brings his dead slippers back to life in Will to Live: I could see them becoming felted as their tread evoked the pressure of the pandemic (Mary Maher)
1. Martin Parker: Neighbours
2. Derek Healy: Miscalculation
3. Claire Watson: Loss
4. Helen Heery: My favourite cardigan (Meg Barton)
Lightness and laughter came from (1) Martin Parker’s champagne of a poem Neighbours, rhyming street and Lafite, ending with cachet and Cru Montrachet. But, communicated by rhyme while facing deaths on a windswept beach in S.Australia: (2): Claire Watson’s Loss. Then, darker stimulus came from 3) and 4): Jean O’Brien’s Ghost Language, full of creative regret, buried somewhere deep, and Ed Blundell’s Twilight of the Moods (Stephen Yeo)
Bob Cooper – Almost meeting Keats…
Julian Dobson – In which the Editor confesses…
Caroline Smith – Noah
Martin Parker – Neighbours
Lindy Newns – Testimonials I & II (Mantz Yorke)
1 Mary Maher for Don’t Worry. Perhaps, despite our indulgences, the Earth can look after itself, but by getting rid of us.
2 C. M. Buckland for Advice. A message to all of us who unthinkingly follow Authority’s advice, in this case ‘Stay Put’ – like the Grenfell disaster.
3 Jim Conwell for In Yemen. This also has focus on the child, with the warning not to focus on the face.
4 Martin Parker for Neighbours. Resonates with its humour – very Ogden Nash-ish (Cedric Pickin)
Helen Heery – My Favourite Cardigan. Really felt I went on a journey with it
Ayelet McKenzie – New Bra I love the comedy
Mary Maher – Special. Very sensitive, saying so much more than the words.
Helen Scalding Gone Granny. A wonderful ‘look back’ at ordinary, caring but strong women (Denise Bennett)
Verity Oswin The Taxidermist
R.A. Allen Realty
Helen Scadding Black swan (David Thomspon)
1 Loss, by Claire Watson. The simple two lines, ‘The beach is a place of healing? No, / its a garden where dead things grow’ won the number one spot
2 My favourite cardigan., Helen Heery:The play of the word YOU, the subtle rhyme, the simple subject of a sweater which I read as a stand-in for a lover.
3 Special, by Mary Maher shows even loss can be beautiful when it is in the course of life. This poem is like a sudden burst of sun on a cloudy day.
LoV, by Anne Banks -ambushed by such good writing and startling imagery
I want to mention Testimonial 1 and 11, by Lindy Newns: stirring emotion presented by a masterpiece of heartfelt writing.
So many other good poems: Gone Granny; In which the Editor confesses to a typo; Twilight of the moods (Don Ammons)
Loved Caroline Swift’s Noah; Bill Richardson’s Will to Live; Jean O’Briens Ghost Language; Claire Watson’s Loss – but 1st, Mary Maher’s Special made me cry and feel uplifted at the same time. 2nd, Helen Ashley’s Circles of Light with the haunting and unsettling play on light. 3rd wonderfully wry Helen Heerey’s My Favourite Cardigan (Pete Mullineaux)
1. Verity Oswin, The Taxidermist. Great the deceptively matter-of-fact style that tells such a remarkable tale.
2. Derek Healey, Miscalculation. Doesn’t put a foot wrong.
3. Helen Heery, Cardigan. Bounces along beautifully.
4. Mary Hastilow, Common Trees. Delicately done and eerie (Bill Dodd)
#1. The night an old gamekeeper visited by Gareth Culshaw. The descriptive way he brings the gamekeeper to life was extremely well done
#2. Everybody Has a Swan Poem, So Why Can’t I by Noel King. This read a bit like a scary mystery, interest is held especially to the imagining of a swan, not in the usual way as a description of something beautiful, but rather as lethal and an instrument of death. I love unique poetry.
#3. The Seven Sisters Bracelet by Carmel Summers. I especially like the line ‘each drop of molten silver/ a fragment from her life’ (Annie Klier Newcomer)
1. I especially enjoyed the well-crafted and intriguing piece of prose entitled As if by magic by Rob Walton. 2. Martin Parker Neighbours; 3. Caroline Smith Noah; and 4. Peter Ebsworth The Fishcotheque (Charles Osborne)
1) In Yemen, Jim Conwell: restrained, ironic, aptly bitter.
2) A Fairy Tale, Elaine Alarcontotten: sad, but expressing love for a well remembered place and time
3) Next Stop, Tim Dwyer has a similar atmosphere. A dream, a recollection, and the past years vanish allowing you to be present again in the past, which for a moment is now (Chris Hardy)
1. Helen Scadding for Black Swan.On the edge of grieving’s loss of self, the rush of life and hope is felt, an irrepressible desire for the future.
Joint 2nd. Ayelet McKenzie & Sheila Spence. Covering difficult moments, and the latter has not one unnecessary word. A hard-to-find exemplar of unrhymed free verse craft: not as easy as it looks.
Joint 3rd place: Bill Richardson, The Changing Fall & Clifford Liles, A Subtle Tell of Stones. The former opens and proceeds with gravitas; a message that will not be denied, while the latter is a fine elegy, a relevant story with select details. His well-chosen, robust word choices are grand.
4. Gareth Culshaw, He builds a stone wall in the rain. The enigmatic cow watching on, enthralled, took me someplace unexpected (Christine Despardes)
Gareth Culshaw – The night an old gamekeeper visited
Helen Scadding – Black swan
Noel King – Everybody Has A Swan Poem So Why Cant I?
Bob Cooper – both poems (:Terence Brick)
1.Ciaran Buckley, Thursday. I love the lightness of touch here, and intrigued by the suggestion that our lives turn on such moments as taking the wrong hand.
2 Helen Heery’s My Favourite Cardigan, a love song indeed, ‘the feel of you, the raised zigzag rib,/the navy blue of you’. And Hypochondriac, ending with that chilling image of running towards the egg-slicers wire. Brilliant.
3. Bob Cooper’s Almost meeting Keats and His support worker…
I also liked Culshaws gamekeeper, Kerrys Jean-Martin, Jim Conwells In Yemen (Brian Daldorph)
Special, by Mary Maher; the first two lines really hit home.
Thursday by Ciaran Buckley; beautifully phased.
Common Trees by Mary Hastilow, the first line had me reading with anticipation.
Day Done by Nick Conrad. An air of mystery: who are the tribe? (Pauline Hawkesworth)
1. Julian Dobson – In which the editor confesses to a typo. Very funny, and shows what an error can do
2. Anne Banks – LoV. Loved the title and the battle imagery mixed with seduction
3. Sheila Spence – Skating. Such crisp description and an unexpected ending
4. Patricia Leighton – Questions Remaining. I liked the use of couplets to balance directness and evasiveness (Wendy Slinger)
Julian Dobson: Choosing a Bed. Beautifully sustained metaphor – you can almost feel the mattress.
Ciaran Buckley: Thursday. The matter of fact tone contrasts superbly with the rather unsettling contents.
Patricia Leighton: Questions Remaining. Another rather unsettling poem, stark but powerful.
Caroline Smith: Noah paints a poignant, and universal, picture (Claudia Court)
1 Nuclear Winter by Jim Conwell
2 Dont Worry by Mary Maher
3 Miscalculation by Derek Healy
4 Noah by Caroline Smith (Phil Knight)
1) Gareth Cumshaw: He builds a stone wall in the rain. Strong imagery, and lovely ending, ‘allowing the wind to ski jump into the air’.
2) Charlie Baylis: laurel canyon: straight from the heart, and I enjoyed its spontaneity – no capital letters, minimal punctuation.
3) Bob Cooper: Almost meeting Keats on the doorstep. I always like poems about writers, especially those who had tragic lives; intrigued to see quotations from the Keats poem which inspired it.
4) Julian Dobson: In which the editor confessed to a typo. I enjoyed the word-play here between God exits and God exists (Michael Henry)
Joint First: Caroline Smith – Noah
& Julian Dobson – In which the editor confesses a typo
Joint Second: Helen Heery – My Favourite Cardigan
& Rob Walton – As if by magic
Joint Third: Mary Maher – Special
& Tim Dwyer – Birds in the air by Luke Nilan
Honourable Mention
Bill Richardson – Will to Live; Patricia Leighton – Black Shadow Knocking; Lindy Newns – Testimonial I (Gail Dendy)
1. Verity Oswin, The Taxidermist. Incredible – I shall read it again and again.
2. Helen Ashley, Circles of light. So atmospheric.
3. (Jointly) Anne Banks, Lo V and C. M. Buckland, Advice.
Loved both equally (Georgina Titmus)
I loved the careful crafting of Lindy Newns book-ended Testimonials and the way she allowed facts to speak eloquently about such a tragic situation, then to introduce the reflective, honestly personal voice of the speaker in the second piece.
Helen Heery’s My favourite Cardigan is a miniature tour de force with its second person address, superb concrete details
I loved the period detail and uplifting, almost magic realist ending of Gone Granny by Helen Scadding (Theresa Sowerby)
1. Verity Oswin, Taxidermist.Clever juxtaposition of images creates something sinister and fascinating – pink milkshakes won’t ever be the same
2. Lindy Newns, Testimonial 1 & 11. Can’t choose between them – I love how they respond to the language of officialdom to express anger, grief and loss
3. Gareth Culshaw The night an old gamekeeper visited. First verse had me hooked: ‘the weather came with weight’ – fantastic!
4. Helen Scadding, Black Swan. Poignant, evocative (Isabel Greeenslade)
4. 1. Hammer Notes by Ciaran Buckley. I read this as a withering satire on male poets and their ways: funny, and disturbingly accurate.
2. Testimonial I / Testimonial II by Lindy Newns, complement each other perfectly. Full of deeply moving honesty.
3. The Taxidermist by Verity Oswin. An interesting exploration of appearance, expectation and deception. ‘You could be an alien. I could make you perfect.’ Ooooh…
4. Our Betters by David Dumouriez, placed in quirky juxtaposition to Verity Oswin’s piece. Both, linked by an alien presence, enriched the other. Here, the idea of humans-as-living-curiosities was developed with confidence and humour (Ewan Smith)
Verity Owen, The Taxidermist. Mesmerising
Ciaran Buckley, Hammer Notes. Hilarious
Julian Dobson, In which the editor… Clever
Caroline Smith, Noah. Wistful (Martin Kerry)
1.He builds a stone wall in the rain by George Culshaw. I love the harmony of man, landscape and action and image and the wow phrases of ‘fruit-buying stare’ and the ‘ski-jump’ of the air. A real evocation of the wordless in words.
2. In Yemen by Jim Conwell. Made me face up to the images so easily switched off and forgotten.
3.Noah by Caroline Smith. Tender last stanza
4.His support worker framed his poemand gave it to him on his 30th birthday. I loved the rule breaking long title, often tutted at in many workshops (Christine Curtis)
Elaine Alarcontotten A Fairy Tale Clearly pictured scene of the child, her innocence echoed in the place. Well crafted.
Lindy Newns Testimonial – I and II An ingenious pairing, and verse then prose make an interesting contrast.
Helen Scadding Gone granny Amusing and telling details illuminate the generalised idea of grannies
Caroline Smìth Noah A moving account of a daughter perceiving her parents’ decline in old age (Jenny King)
1) Common Trees by Mary Hastilow, which, like the trees, I felt was a black net of a poem with a quiet shimmer
2) He builds a stone wall in the rain by Gareth Culshaw and Special by Mary Maher
3) The Taxidermist by Verity Oswin
4) Thursday by Ciaran Buckley
I also particularly liked My Favourite Cardigan by Helen Heery, New bra by Ayelet McKenzie (Whoa, you ponies! and the image involving goldfish) and Gone granny by Helen Scadding (June Wentland)
2)
1. Our featured poet, Ciaran Buckley, Thursday, Homer,even
2. Helen Ashley, Circles of Light, doomed, atmospheric story.
Joint 3. Jean O’ Brien, Ghost Language
& Helen Heery, My Favourite Cardigan, Clever reveal.
Joint 4. Gareth Culshaw, The night an old gamekeeper visited
& Rob Walton, As if by magic (Gaby Fulda)
Mary Hastilow’s Common trees. A tender, deceptively simple lyrical poem.
Martin Kerry’s Hanging on. Strange, elliptical, suggestive of a mind teetering on the edge of madness.
Mary Mayer’s Don’t’ worry struck me as an assured piece of writing: no overkill of an apocalyptic subject.
Julian Dobson’s In which the editor confesses to a typo. Wonderfully light-touch slant on a weighty philosophical topic
Honourable mentions:
Jean O’Brien’s Ghost language, with its change from downbeat to upbeat
Martin Parker’s blessedly rhythmical AND rhyming Neighbours. Really enjoyed this one (Jill Boucher)
1. Gareth Culshaw with both He builds a stone wall in the rain and The night an old gamekeeper visited. Strong poems. Excellent
2. Ciaran Buckley with Thursday I enjoyed all his work
3. Jim Conwell with both In Yemen and Nuclear Winter. Both well -written
4. Christine Curtis with Some of the passing faces of running. Well observed; made me smile
Other poets I thoroughly enjoyed reading : Martin Kerry, Jean-Martin, Helen Heerey, Julian Dobson, Caroline Smith (Eve Jackson)
1 Mary Maher Special
2 Ciaran Buckley Homer Evben
3 mary Hasilow Common Trees
4 Charlie Baylis Laurel Canyon (Robin Ford)
Caroline Smith: Noah. I chart my parents’ decline…. powerful and touching
Tim Dwyer: Birds in the air by Luke Nilan. Simple language, matter of fact, but profound.
Bill Richardson: Will to live. A lock-down tale of two slippers and their demise, with sinister undertones.
Helen Scadding: Black swan. ‘It didn’t turn out as I expected -..’
Special by Mary Maher also stayed with me. ‘Sometimes I can feel/his heels in my palms;/round as moons…’.
I also particularly enjoyed Neighbours by Martin Parker (Anne Osbourn)
1. Testimonial II by Lindy Newns. Outstanding: so honest and brave and raw,
as well as beautifully crafted. This sort of prose really excites me.
2. Black Shadow Knocking by Patricia Leighton. What a captivating, clever piece of writing. I returned to it again and again, wondering over this bird.
3. Hypochondriac by Helen Heery. Concise and superbly imagined
4. Neighbours by Martin Parker. Another extremely clever poem, with an angle on the everlasting class system, who’s the best, who fits in, who doesn’t.
I also admired In Yemen by Jim Conwell, good to see a poem about a war which has been largely ignored by the West. Triple Spiral by Sheila Spence, Ghost Language by Jean O’Brien, My Favourite Cardigan by Helen Heery, Will to Live by Bill Richardson and His support worker framed his poem and gave it to him on his 30th birthday by Bob Cooper (Julie-ann Rowell)
Equal favorites: Bill Richardson, The changing fall & Will to live. Glorious, glorious last lines of both poems
Compelling in a very different way with her short lines and question answer couplets: a dialogue with Odysseus by Patricia Leighton, Questions remaining
And a vote for Gone Granny by Helen Scadding. Again, wonderful metric lines, off rhymes and original images too (Patricia Brody)
1. Christine Curtis, Some of the passing faces of running
2. R.A. Allen, File footage
3. Caroline Smith, Noah
4. Julian Dobson, In which the editor confesses to a typo (Aidan Baker)
The haunting poems of Mary Maher, Special and Jean O’Brien, Ghost Language,.
John Andrew for the calligraphic economy of Silk,
Gareth Culshaw for the uncanny tale The Night an Old Gamekeeper Visited,
Helen Scadding, for her second chance poems, in particular, Gone Grannies -great title
The wit of Helen Heery’s poems especially My favourite Cardigan, starting with a plethora of ‘you’s’ for the new love and ending with that ‘you’ with someone new,
The shape-shifting poems of Cairan Buckley from dead poet to disappearing joker and especially Thursday, its ending opening up a new beginning,
Lindy Newns with her moving Testimonial II to a lost brother, a harrowing and moving account of the slow loss of a life and identity of her brother who endured a terrible illness, showing the impact it also has on those who survive (Peter Viggers)
Loved Caroline Swift’s Noah; Bill Richardson’s Will to Live; Jean O’Briens Ghost Language; Claire Watson’s Loss – but 1st, Mary Maher’s Special made me cry and feel uplifted at the same time. 2nd, Helen Ashley’s Circles of Light with the haunting and unsettling play on light. 3rd wonderfully wry Helen Heerey’s My Favourite Cardigan (Pete Mullineaux)
1. Verity Oswin, Taxidermist.Clever juxtaposition of images creates something sinister and fascinating – pink milkshakes won’t ever be the same
2. Lindy Newns, Testimonial 1 & 11. Can’t choose between them – I love how they respond to the language of officialdom to express anger, grief and loss
3. Gareth Culshaw The night an old gamekeeper visited. First verse had me hooked: ‘the weather came with weight’ – fantastic!
4. Helen Scadding, Black Swan. Poignant, evocative (Isabel Greeenslade)
2. 1. Hammer Notes by Ciaran Buckley. I read this as a withering satire on male poets and their ways: funny, and disturbingly accurate.
2. Testimonial I / Testimonial II by Lindy Newns, complement each other perfectly. Full of deeply moving honesty.
3. The Taxidermist by Verity Oswin. An interesting exploration of appearance, expectation and deception. ‘You could be an alien. I could make you perfect.’ Ooooh…
4. Our Betters by David Dumouriez, placed in quirky juxtaposition to Verity Oswin’s piece. Both, linked by an alien presence, enriched the other. Here, the idea of humans-as-living-curiosities was developed with confidence and humour (Ewan Smith)
Orbis 199, Spring 2022
Single issue: £5.50 (Overseas: £11.50/€14/$16); Subs: £19/4 pa (Overseas: £42/€50/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova Bennett
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance – not review copies
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley; David Harmer; Jenny Hockey; D.A. Prince; Pauline Rowe; Theresa Sowerby; Andrew Taylor; Lynne Taylor
Front cover artwork: ‘Speyside Blooms‘ by Jonathan Wheeler back cover, detail from image: www.jonathanwheelerart.co.uk
I’m sure you’ll agree with Mary Maher: there’s something Special
about this time of year. And although we may not, as C. M. Buckland does,
offer Advice, poetry is full of useful ideas, and interesting tales:
would you like to know who are Our Betters? Ask David Dumouriez. The Seven Sisters Bracelet? Carmel Summers can tell you, or why is Noel King telling us that Everybody Has A Swan Poem, So Why Can’t I? Maybe you could,
in the nicest possible way of course, get Lost with Nick Conrad, in which case,
the Next Stop, with Tim Dwyer, could be to check R. A. Allen’sFile Footage.
Yes, Spring Orbis is stuffed full of good things, for example, The Taxidermist
by Verity Oswin. After all, like Clifford Liles, all readers will appreciate A Subtle Tell of Stones –
and that’s in every issue
Featured Poet Ciaran Buckley: Hammer Notes; Thursday; Homer, even; A Joke
Poems from: John Andrew (Revival); Gareth Culshaw (The night an old gamekeeper visited); Julian Dobson (In which the editor confesses to a typo); Ayelet McKenzie (Expedition); Martin Parker (Neighbours); Bill Richardson (The Changing Fall); Helen Scadding (Gone granny)
Prose from: Patricia Leighton (Black Shadow Knocking); Lindy Newns (Testimonial: II); Rob Walton (As if by magic)
Translation: Judith Wilkinson: Hanny Michaelis
Past Master: Peter Viggers, on Rainer Maria Rilke
Orbis 199 Contributors also include
Elaine Alarcontotten; Helen Ashley; Anne Banks; Charlie Baylis; Ed Blundell; Jim Conwell; Bob Cooper; Christine Curtis; Peter Ebsworth; Jan FitzGerald; Pam Gormally; Mary Hastilow; Derek Healy; Helen Heery; Martin Kerry; Jean O’Brien; Caroline Smith; Sheila Spence; Claire Watson
Orbis 198, Winter 2021
Editor: Carole Baldock Associate Editor (Book Reviews) Maria Isakova Bennett
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Front cover artwork: ‘Time and Place‘ by Peter Raymond
(from an idea by Carole Baldock) back cover, detail from image: www.prphoto.co.uk
‘Tis the season to be…
keeping your fingers crossed yet again
in the hope of Yuletide celebrations going to plan.
But whether commiserations or congratulations, you can immerse
yourself in this festive feast, soaring high with Maureen Jivani at Two Minutes
to 13, never worrying about The Weight of Light (KB Ballentine)
or Richard Lister and his Riddle from the sands, while making the most of Beth Booth’s Swooping Season. As for Xxxx shopping, an apology from David Lukens: Why I can’t tell you the way to Tesco, but not a problem
because, At the end of the day (Kathryn MacDonald), you could easily
pick up something colourful in Cerulean, like Luke Morgan or
an absolute bargain at Helen Overell’s Point of sale in the Charity Shop,
and enjoy a tale about Gretel and the woodcutter from Simon Leonard.
In fact, there’s sure to be something in this issue for everybody to enjoy
Featured Poet
Pauline Hall: The Affair; Pleasures; Getting away; Collisions ; Panache
Poems from: Adrian Buckner (Adjective on the town); Miranda Day (The Rock and the Water); Max Roland Ekstrom (My Maternity) Matt Haw (Gloomers); Luke Morgan (Cerulean); Mary Mulholland (Playing with snakes); Pete Mullineaux (‘Don’t always expect fireworks…’);
Sara Truuvert (Will My Iguana Love Me?)
Prose from: James Brasfield (The Carpathian Connection); Philip Dunkerley (The Godsend);Jean Maskell(At the crossroads)
Translation: Niels hav (Sker det at nogen siger fra?)
Past Master: Susan Wismer on Tekahionwake: E. Pauline Johnson
Reviews by: David Harmer, D. A. Prince, Pauline Rowe,
Theresa Sowerby and Andrew Taylor
Orbis 198 contributors also include
Michael Bartholomew-Biggs; David Burridge; RC deWinter;
Massimo Fantuzzi; George Freek; Victoria Gatehouse; Doreen Hinchliffe;
Sue Kauth; Alicia Byrne Keane; Jennie Owen; Frances Sackett;
Penny Sharman; Matt Smith; Peter Sutton; Sarah Wimbush; Mantz Yorke
Orbis 197, Autumn 2021
Dedicated to our Books Editor, Noel Williams, who sadly passed away in August:
an inspirationj to so many, he will be greatly missed by everybody
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Front Cover Artwork ‘Goltrai’ by Shanina Conway;
back cover, details from image: https://shanina-conway.pixels.com/index.html?tab=images
Many are the fans of Autumn, the wonderful colours,The lost jewelsas Kate Scott
has it, sort of,which you will find in Simon Fletcher’sMist Walkers,
and the cosy nights, a time for Reflecting, along with Kevin Brown. Although,
a last chance, if still Fortuitus, Kelley Jean White tells you, to be able
to accompany Zara Raab and enjoy Sundays on the Coast,
or Marjory Woodfield, because In Vienna, we find Hieronymus Bosch.
And if you do prefer indoors, visiting galleries,
you’ll relish Neil Beardmore’s description of Eijo’s Women.
Of course, a Funfair is always… fun, any time of year – or is it? Maybe not,
in Myra Schneider’s view. But as nights grow darker, so do our tales,
whether you sample Antony Mair’sVisitation, or simply, a Dark Pub,
courtesy of David Callin. Well, we’ll drink a toast to that,
and the latest issue…
Featured Poet Callum James:The Old Man’s Watch; Mummy’s Sleeping;
Hanging Upside Down; Made Human; Asterism
Poems from Veronica Beedham (Scrivener will not plant marigolds in the mind); Daragh Bradish (Transmogrify); Simon French (Coastal Art Hand); Antony Mair (Visitation); Harry Owen (Plastic Grass); Myra Schneider (Funfair); Marjory Woodfield (In Vienna, we find Hieronymus Bosch)
Prose from Mary Earnshaw (Hell); Marie C Lecrivain (La Celestina, 1904); Charles Osborne (The Blackened House)
Translation: Fred Beake (Propertius Decides To Visit Athens)
Past Master: David Harmer on Noel Williams
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
Jenny Hockey, D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby and Lynn Taylor
Orbis 197 contributors also include
Jill Boucher; Kevin Brown; Owen Bullock; Claudia Court; Andrew Curtis; Jill Eulalie Dawson; Gail Dendy; Bill Dodd; Fiona Donaghey; Simon French;
Raymond Hall; Jenny Hamlett; Margaret Jeune; Pat Jourdan; Linda King;
Fokkina McDonnell; Ralph Mold; David Punter; Chris Raetschus; Anne Rees;
Paul Saville; Kate Scott; K. V. Skene; Davide Trame; Noel Williams
Orbis 196, Summer 2021
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Front cover artwork: ‘Redeemer over Rio 2016‘ by Christopher Langley; back cover, detail from image: www.christopherlangley.net
A colourful and serene outlook…at long last. So,Why (not) enjoy lounging
in a Hammock as D. R. James suggests, says Pat Murgatroyd… more or less.
And you’re sure to find The Cat On The Moon most entertaining,
as doesRoger Singer, and maybe a trip to Mongolia with L. B. Jørgensen,
although still intriguing, like Graham Mort’sDorp.
After all, it’s always useful to try A Different Language (Bethany Eves) –
especially when it comes to the Life of a Poemas described by Mark Pirie,
As always, Orbis makes quite a lively read….
Featured Poet Julie-ann Rowell: Peedie; Balance; Lambing Snow;
Swim at Skaill Bay;The Polar Bears Club
Poems from Bethany Eves (A Different Language); Graham Mort (Under Devil’s Peak): Pat Murgatroyd (So, why?): Joanna Pearson (Sudden has too many syllables); Mark Pirie (Life of a poem);Roger G. Singer (The Cat On The Moon)
Prose from Christine Despardes (This is Not for Bedtime Reading); Mark Reece (Stockpiling): Denise McSheehy (Gratitude)
Translation: Michael Swan: Die Mausefalle by Christian Morgenstern
Past Master: Steve Griffiths on Wilfred Owen
Article: Poetry and the Idea of a Common Culture by David Ball
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby, Lynn Taylor and Andrew Taylor
Orbis 196 contributors also include
Susi Clare; Robert Cooperman; Mary Earnshaw; Robin Ford; Ray Givans;
Wendy Goulstone; Chris Hardy; Timothy Harwood; Gill Horitz;
Claire Louise Hunt; Tina MacNaughton; Ray Malone ; Mat Riches;
Tricia Robinson; Susan Rouchard; John Scarborough; Michael Swan;
Katherine Swett; Robin Lindsay Wilson; Susan Wismer
Orbis 195, Spring 2021
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Front cover artwork: ‘Millennium Wheel’ by Tiffany Budd back cover, detail from image: www.tiffanybudd.co.uk
And at long last, after being stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
(Barry Smith), seems like there’ll be something to look forward to, whilst of course Living Within The Law as Richard George reminds us.
OK, still feels like the High Wire Waiting Hilary Mellon describes,
although we should not let ourselves be Overtaken as Gail Donahue
has found. But even an April wind, buffeting us and Chris H. Sakellaridis,
is welcome, as well as unusual activities like Kathy Miles‘ Mending the Night.
No, it’ll all be fine, just Beware The Beast, thanks to Alice Harrison.
Besides, start reading this issue and you’ll soon be Hooked,
you and Christopher M James both…
Featured Poet
David Mark Williams: Louis Bleriot Takes Off At Sunrise;
Sunday Morning with Mint Sauce; A Hedgehog’s Tapestry of Dreams;
Cake Library Aria
Poems from: Ruth Aylett (Costa Rican come-downs); Mark Czanik (Fantasy Economics); Zoe Karathanasi (Self-portrait as a Scythian Warrior Woman);
Dave Medd (Have A Poem For Your Birthday); Sophie Sparham (Sunrise Over ALDI); Jay Wickersham (Night-blooming Cereus)
Prose from: Tim Love (Metamorphosis); Sarah Samuels (The Gate Posts); Alec Taylor (The Book Of Joe)
Translation: Caroline Massola. From Planetaria Translated by Laura Chalar
Past Master: Dr. Benjamin Keatinge on James Clarence Mangan
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
Jenny Hockey, D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby and Andrew Taylor
Orbis 195 contributors also include
Malcolm Carson; Kathryn Daszkiewicz; Peter Datyner;
Lori Drummond-Mundal; Marc Janssen; Robert Kennedy;
Jenny King; Alison McCrossan; Maeve McKenna; Pat Marum;
Gabrielle O’Donovan; Charles Rammelkamp; Jenny Robb;
Michael Sharp; Sue Spiers; Grahaeme Barrasford Young
Orbis 194, Winter 2020
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Oh yes it is, Winter Orbis – out in December, for the very first time.
And yes indeed, full of seasonal cheer because, by gum, we are in need of it…
Well, sort of; lot of shenanigans on Eamonn Shanahan’sChristmas Day,
then you’ve got Glumgit’s New Year blog as related by Theresa Sowerby. In-between time(Anne Donnellan), hardly surprising if you want to go back
12 months when you could join Sue Norton at Christmas 2019.
For a bit more excitement, however, try travelling on the Night Train
with C. P. Nield though Benjamin Macnair has A Warning for you,
if rather different from Kha to His Wife Meryt (Jennifer McGowan).
They do say never judge a book by its cover but virtually no office parties anyway,
and more brass monkeys outside than wise one anywhere –
so come on in and enjoy this issue
Featured Poet
Eve Jackson: Days In The Life Of Coat; Silence Is Not Always Golden;
Restless Night; How He Never Noticed The Moon; We Wait; Her Response
Poems fromAmy Barone (Heavenly Park); John Grey (Psychiatrists at a party); Brooke Herter James (Found Poetry); Clint Wastling (Receiver of Wreck)
Prose from Brian Daldorph (Wasps); Nigel Jarrett (Travels in Lakeland); Fiona Vigo Marshall (What kind of story?)
Translation: Bill Jackson (Last Thoughts/Last Things, after Wanne mine eyen misten)
Reviews includeGeorge Szirtes on Mock Orange by Anne Osbourn
Past Master:Merryn Williams on Charlotte Smith
Reader’s Response, Jill Boucher: Some Thoughts on Poetry Writing Workshops
Reviews by Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey,
D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby, George Szirtes and Lynne Taylor
Orbis 194 contributors also include
Rosie Adamson-Clark; Elaine Alarcon-Totten; Denise Bennett; A. C. Clarke;
Robin Daglish; Frank De Canio; Carol Featherstone; Oz Hardwick;
Alex Howard; Jenny Johnson; John-Christopher Johnson; Kasimma;
Miles Larmour; Chris Luck; Gill McEvoy; Mary Muir; Marilyn Ricci;
Barnaby Smith; Christopher Southgate; Judith Wilkinson; Nicky Winder
Orbis 193, Autumn 2020
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‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, or perhaps melancholy, for some.
Although for many, cosiness is a warm puppy as they say… So what have we here
to help keep you cheerful? Well, appropriately, you can visit Miyajima, with Sally,
and Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana, or advise Antony Johae how to avoid
a Lebanese Lapse whilst heeding Kevin Higgins: The Shipping Forecast.
And did you start thinking ‘Simon’? when Daniel Boland tells you Saturn Says?
Or were you wondering about Barbara Crooker’s Poem lightly threaded with clouds, not to mention Jounce,
from Pamela Gormally? Ah well, with Annie Klier Newcomer
and Jamie Lynn Heller speculating about Corona,
maybe no getting away from it all –
except for a little while, engrossed in this issue of Orbis
Poetry Sequence Stephen Yeo: Nine Months Before Tiananmen From a China diary, September-October 1988
Poems fromJosh Brunetti (Bird Of Ill Repute); Laura Chalar
(A Return Across The Bridges); Frank Dullaghan (This is not Intended to be a Narrative); Kevin Higgins (The Shipping Forecast); Karla Van Vliet (Lexicon of Truth)
Prose from Don Ammons (Lucifer in England); Karen Petersen (The Umbrella Man); Joy Wassell Timms (Revolution)
Translation: Bibhu Padhi, from Oriya:Ipsita Sarangi, The Unreachable Lord
Past Master: Jack Houston on Keith Castellain Douglas
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
Jenny Hockey, D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby and Lynne Taylor
Orbis 193 contributors also include Anne Banks; Sarah Barr; Sheena Bradley; Terence Brick; Anne-Marie Brumm; Vuyelwa Carlin; Caroline Carver; Laura Ciraolo; Richard Halperin;
Tariq Hassan; Michael Henry; Graham High; David Holliday; Kuli Kohli; Dorrie Johnson; John McOwat; Tom Moody; Michael Spinks; Georgina Titmus
Orbis 192, Summer 2020
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Let your troubles just float away; here’s a wondrous world
in which to immerse yourself. After all, it’s Summertime, so are you ready
to smell the roses, or Jimmy Rodda’s Purple Lilac?
Although you need to be careful, when Marie-Pascale Hardy tells you
that The floor is lava, and if perplexed just how Dead fish can’t be bored, l
et Maureen Jivani explain, while Keith Moul can reveal all about
the Drama Hidden in Clouds. And yes, as Andrew Oram reminds us, The day is short
but for those of you putting your enforced leisure to good use,
you probably already know about Sidhe Gaoithe. along with Attracta Fahy.
But, Almost Blue, like Patricia Carragon? No need when there’s plenty
to keep you occupied, entertained and inspired, here,
in the latest issue of Orbis
Featured Poet,
David Thompson: Arachnophobia; Unruly sun; On the sofa;
One morning commute; Tethered estate
Poems from Terence Culleton, Fudge Shop; Ged Groves, Passe-partout; Marie-Pascale Hardy,The floor Is lava; Ava Patel, Stratocumulus; Cynthia A. Ventresca, The Solace of Curtains Closed
Prose from Meg Barton, Next door; Lydia Fulleylove, THE DOCK AND THE DESK
A PROSE SCULPTURE; Steve May, Flight of fancy
Translation Ranald Barnicot: Horace : Odes 1.37 Nunc est bibendum
Past Master Phil Knight on Vladimir Mayakovsky
Reviews by David Harmer, Jenny Hockey, Clairr O’Connor,
D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 192 contributors also include
Liz Birchall; Charlie Brice; Michael Casey; Jim Conwell; Kathy Cullen; Christine Curtis; Michael Farry; Simon Fletcher; Daniel Hinds;
Greg Huteson; juli Jana; Alex Josephy; Patricia Leighton; Clifford Liles; Pauline May; Karla Linn Merrifield; Cedric Pickin; Dorothy Pope;
Ewan Smith; Edwin Stockdale; John Whitehouse; Jay Whittaker; Martin Zarrop
Orbis 191, Spring 2020
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Front cover artwork: ‘Hawk’ by Jan FitzGerald back cover, detail from image: www.paintingpoets.co.nz
It’s a whole new world out there – unfortunately prophetic words
to introduce the last issue. So now it’s poetry in the time of you-know-what
(Hell on Earth); Dave Martin is not far wrong), something to cheer and inspire
and at least take our minds off it for a little while granting us Grace Evangelical (Tina Tocco), following A Simple Act; Complex Antecedents as Sam Smith points out.
Well, we could sympathise with Jack Debney’s The Cack-Hander’s Lament,
especially when, like Mike Barlow, The voice takes a break. And we can always
escape, visit Richard Hughes, to appreciate some Variations at a taverna,
then the City Of Tulum with Kathryn MacDonald (although you ask me, ignorance is bliss when it comes to the Maya),
or find out more about All those myths in the dark forest from Penny Sharman, or The numen (Jan FitzGerald) and what’s inside
the Powder Closet, Southside House… Ben Bransfield knows. Meanwhile, Finola Scott can tell you all about Spoils and Divisions, although you need to read David Greenslade to work out Calf. Overall, could be you’ll agree with Beth Booth: Splendid is a good description of Orbis
Featured Poet,
Gaynor Clements: Bole Hill; Bole Hill II; Badger;
You’re Never More Than Six Feet From An Elvis Impersonator; Pater Unfamilias
Poems from Patrick Deeley, Bluebell Horse; Anuja Ghimire, landlady mua; Sean Howard, poetic extracts: study #14; Marjorie Maddox, Ode to Son as Encyclopedia; Anne Rath, Witness; Christopher Pieterszoon Routheut, Toward the Suns
Prose from Neil Beardmore, Key Notes; Neelim Dundas, The House Of The Big Brown Eyes; Lorna Sherry, The Dangers Of Spring
Past Master Michael Spinks on The book of Job
Article Pauline Hawkesworth on A. S. J. Tessimond – The ‘Lesser’ Poet
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Jenny Hockey, David Harmer,
Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince, Theresa Sowerby and Lynne Taylor
Orbis 191 contributors also include
Aidan Baker;Maggie Butt; Claudia Court;Natalie Crick; Bill Dodd;
Isabel Greenslade; Derek Healy; Doreen Hinchliffe; George Hopewell;
Jack Houston; Richard Hughes; Gloria Keeley; Simon Leonard;
Rozanne McCoy; Simon Perchik; Peter Sutton; Anne Symon
Readers’ Award 191
A slightly different, shorter version appears in the magazine.
And if you’re curious about all the writing which has inspired these comments,
you only have to ask… and cough up for a copy of #191: £5
I enjoyed your editorial, and here are my nominations
1. Claudia Court for Lap of Honour –
I enjoyed the way the situation was revealed piece by piece.
2. Maggie Butt for Even Now – Musical, beautiful and urgent.
3. Jack Houston for No! – I liked the use of form
to mirror the growing, shifting, understanding of what is happening.
4. Derek Healy for Remission –
An interesting thought, cleverly unpacked (Ralph Mold)
I enjoyed the current issue of Orbis –
thank you again for including two of my poems.
The four I enjoyed the most:-
Claudia Court’s Lap of Honour and its final line
‘The engines roar, purring his dirge.’
Finola Scott’s Spoils and Division
for the picture of divorce utilising an historical demarcation.
Lorna Sherry’s The Nightjar,
and the phrase ‘the lithe length of you’
Doreen Hinchliffe’s The Return, particularly the clever choice
of the six line end words to make the sestina work (Dave Martin)
1. At Dinner, Nathalie Crick. Great use of what isn’t said.
2. Splendid, Beth Booth. Wonderfully violent.
3. Lap of Honour, Claudia Court. Cool use of tension (Jack Houston)
I especially enjoyed You’re Never More Than Six Feet from An Elvis Impersonator I love the treatment of the authentic and disguise, the combination of
‘brylcreem / and fakery’. The use of words like antimacassars transport
the reader to a particularly grimy past which contrasts the the supposed glamour
of LA and stardom with crisps, evoking a world where even the Pied Piper
isn’t the real thing, hinting at the danger of fakery being acceptable
(Simon Leonard)
A lot to delve into here and of the close runners-up, certainly also
worth applause: Beth Booth’s Splendid, Peter Sutton’s Metamorphosis
(I wish I’d come up with that last line) and Anne Symons’ Corsetiere
with an equally wonderful last line.
Then, David Greenslade, haltered As a Horse, Natalie Crick’s well-paced 30 Days,
Jack Houston’s elegant Elegy for Myself, Lorna Sherry’s beautiful Nightjar,
and Simon Perchik’s dense Asterisk. But my choices for the top three have to be shared between
Gaynor Clements (Bole Hill); Maggie Butt (Silence); with top note
to Penny Sharman for All those myths in the dark forest (Michael Spinks)
Lorna Sherry, ‘The dangers of spring’
David Greenslade, ‘Calf’
Bill Donald, ‘Small bird’
Richard Hughes, ‘Old song’
All of which had me scanning them closely for details,
like one of those ‘Where’s Wally?’ crowdscapes:
occurrences of the dog; the dotted synecdoches;t
he phoneme /t/; clues to which town was being remembered for its changes
(Aidan Baker)
Claudia Court, Lap of Honour, great pace and use of images of movement
Gaynor Clements, Bole Hill; last two lines are devastating –
a good thing in a poem
Natalie Crick, At Dinner; restrained, powerful, and a life in one moment
Bill Dodd, small bird; travels from the particular to the numinous
and back again – tt tt is following me as I type (Isabel Greenslade)
Orbis 191 is full of good writing but I’d like to vote for Even Now by Maggie Butt,
beautifully balanced, and enhanced by the lack of punctuation (Lorna Sherry)
Difficult to single out anything but my love is for short poems which takes me
straight into someone’s emotional state, cancelling out everything else
for the moment of reading. Therefore my choices are:
1. Jointly: Witness by Anne Rath and The Nightjar by Lorna Sherry.
I love the sensuality contrasting so vividly with the sense of loss and time passing.
3.Lap of Honour by Claudia Court. The visual strength brilliantly understates
yet highlights the emotion.
4.Mock Sonnet 1X by Sam Smith.
I love that question: who are the insane amongst us (Christine Curtis)
I really enjoyed 191, and not easy, making my final choice:
Sam Smith (Mock Sonnet IX)
Gaynor Clements (Bole Hill II)
Claudia Court (Lap of Honour)
David Healy (Remission) (Wendy Everett )
What a difficult job selecting a handful of poems from all the good stuff
in an issue of Orbis, but worth doing because it makes you think more
about what you are reading, especially the ones to which you keep.
Often, the real qualities hit me only at the 3rd or 4th reading.
Maggie Butt – Silence
Lovely use of sound. It takes us on a journey into the silence,
from ordinary life into the place and finally into the body itself.
Jack Houston – Elegy for Myself
A little poem that says a lot very elegantly about ourselves and nature.
Claudia Court – Lap of Honour
I loved the image of the dad ‘swerving full throttle on the wind’.
A difficult situation to write about without it
becoming inadvertently comic
but this is very handled very beautifully (David Lukens)
Thank you for another great issue of Orbis.
My nominations for the Readers’ Award for issue 191,
in order of appearance:
Bole Hill by Gaynor Clements
Passenger by Beth Booth
All those myths in the dark forest by Penny Sharman
Mr Starling by Isabel Greenslade (Ann Gibson)
Thank you for keeping Orbis going in print form in difficult times
I found it extremely difficult to choose because there were so many
excellent poems taking unusual and illuminating viewpoints, ranking them
seemed invidious. I really enjoyed this issue. I thought all Featured Poet
Gaynor Clements’ poems were excellent but will nominate as my first choice
Pater Unfamilias with its spare but wonderfully suggestive use of imagery
and the emotional tension running through to the very last, powerfully emotive line
Second choice is Beth Booth’s Passenger which struck a chord with me,
a fearful traveller in any car. I liked the way its structure mimicked
the headlong speed and lurches, its effortless fluency and conversational tone,
and the occasional brilliant turn of phrase – ‘funerary recklessness’;
cynicism ‘that grows like mould’.
Third choice is Mike Barlow’s The Voice Takes a Break, a clever riff
on the common experience of losing one’s voice, with a charged last line –
and perfectly structured .
Fourth choice Finola Scott’s Spoils and Division, with its unexpected
and brilliantly original use of the surveyors, whose Mason-Dixon line
settled territorial disputes in the US, to point up a similar situation
in a failing marriage, succinctly evoked (A C Clarke)
Great issue and I really enjoyed Gaynor’s poems, especially Badger.
Beth Booth, for the wonderfully rich Splendid and Passenger.
They both read as though they had spilled out, but
beautifully controlled and perfectly pitched all the way through.
Jack Houston, for his stunningly effective pantoum No!
Maggie Butt, for a haunting description of Silence (Cat Campbell)
As always, it’s impossible really, to rank the many engaging poems
that tugged at me but here are four, and one extra:
1. Mike Barlow, The voice takes a break. Some of the images here seem
particularly resonant now: the lost voice and ‘dear old world of endearments’;
the cancelled trains. This travels such a long way, with subtle modulations.
Then it rises into a meditation on that ‘perfect space/between the notes’
and a sense of something just beyond understanding. A fine piece.
2. Claudia Court’s ‘Lap of Honour.’ I love the way she springs her surprise,
right at the centre, and the beautifully consistent motor racing imagery.
Original and moving, in an unassuming way, as the best poetry always is.
3. Maggie Butt’s ’Silence’; so full of all the sounds of such a ‘silence’,
and with the rhythmic sense of the lake underlying the whole thing.
4. Doreen Hinchcliffe’s ’The Return’. A subject well suited to sestina:
the circling thoughts and memories evoked by a significant place.
There are returns within returns here, and I like the way the poet s
skilfully inserts closely observed details into the hypnotic cycle of repetitions,
then leaves the place as ‘mysterious’ as ever.
5. I want to mention too the lovely, light, birdlike footsteps
taken in Bill Dodd’s ’small bird.’ (Alex Josephy)
1. Anne Symons. Corsetière.
I so admired this. Each verse, though describing some insignificant particular,
opens a window to a much greater reality. The reader’s imagination
immediately sits up, engaged and put to work. Marvellous.
2. Lorna Sherry. The Dangers Of Spring. I was taken by the clarity of the writing.
It describes so precisely the two people involved and their situation.
And the wonderful final two sentences; turning the key which sets everything into motion.
3. Sam Smith. Mock Sonnet IX. The argument tugged at me,
this is so desperately a time ‘that truth will have to be spoken’.
4. Neelim Dundas. The House Of the Big Brown Eyes.
This one is mesmerizising and draws you right in. The narrator is that irresistible character;
the pompous man of position who has no conception of how he reveals
his essential weakness with every word (Ewan Smith)
1 landlady mua by Anuja Ghimire; very moving in its few short lines.
2 Bole Hill 11 by Gaynor Clements. Loved the knowledge
of plants and the natural world in all her poems. Found them very mysterious too.
3 Key Notes by Neil Beardmore (Hilarious and real) and small bird by Bill Dodd.
4 Silence by Maggie Butt (Frances Sackett)
Unusual for me to choose 4 joint winners but such good writing.
Joint 1st Claudia Court Lap of Honour. So visual. I like ‘swarming circuit’.
It makes you think of movement and sound. ‘Scatter his years’
is a good description, easy to relate to this account of scattering the ashes.
The furtive nature is told well, with a particularly good last stanza
Joint 1st Gloria Keeley The Ninth Life. Brilliant first 2 lines!
I like the comparison of lemmings and the elephants in the line
about a circus. The connections are really interesting,
and I kept going back to read this one. Pure poetry!
Joint 2nd Maggie Butt Silence. I like the listing of the permitted sounds
in a convent. ‘The lapping of your life’ is a fantastic ending. I also enjoyed ‘Even Now.
Joint 2nd Neil Beardmore Key Notes The dialogue is so effective.
As I was/am a daydreamer, I related to this, and I loved the realistic snapshot
of school life. The boy’s musing on his grandmother and music touching.
Joint 3rd Finola Scott Spoils and Divisions. An interesting take on a marital split.
I like the allusion to Mason and Dixon. It was deft to gently refer to
the important parenting acts that are often not valued.
Joint 3rd Anne Symons Corsetiere
A vivid picture of a woman’s job. It cleverly highlighted
her sales technique and her customers.
Joint 4th Isabel Greenslade Mr. Starling
Fantastic three lines opened this poem. Sad, reflective poem.
Vivid details. I like the way children’s behaviour is portrayed.
Joint 4th Mike Barlow The voice takes a break
Very unusual subject. I love the simile in the 1st stanza.
I like ‘shy squeeze of air’ (Gene Groves)
I enjoyed Sam Smith’s two pieces, Mock Sonnet IX
and A Simple Act, for their directness and clarity.
A touch of humour saved them from excessive didacticism.
I admired very much the poise, restraint and originality of
Mick Barlow’s The voice takes a break. There’s a poet with an ear
for rhythm, who listens to what he writes!
I enjoyed too the lively, playful poems by Penny Sharman
(Zip) and Peter Sutton (Mr Bounce).
I’ll mention finally Neelim Dundass’ short story,
The House Of The Big Brown Eyes, for its slice of life from another world (David Ball)
Here are my favourite poems from your excellent 191 edition.
First – Silence by Maggie Butt. I love this poem, so evocative
of a place I know well. I have always wondered about these
cloistered nuns, isolated in paradise. This is a poem I wish I had written.
Second – Bluebell Horse by Patrick Deeley. Yes I can imagine this horse.
Such a lovely name Bluebell Hill. You don’t expect a dead paddock
smelling of diesel exhaust. Poor horse.
Third – Elegy for Myself by Jack Houston. A short poem
about a tree, or not. How simple but strong. How we only notice things
when they are broken/cut or perhaps just that they are unusual or out of place.
I love the honey-gold circumference of its centre (Virginia Griem)
From a wealth of wonderful poems:
1. Claudia Court’s Lap of Honour -brilliantly understated, concise and vivid.
2. Finola Scott- Spoils and Divisions
3. Anne Rath – Witness
4. Abuja Ghimire- landlady mua (Lynn Kramer)
Orbis 191 – Reader’s Choice
Joint First: Beth Booth: Splendid, and Passenger; David Greenslade:
Calf; Derek Healy: Remission
Joint Second: Gaynor Clements: Bole Hill;
Patrick Deeley: Bluebell Horse
Joint Third: Mike Barlow: The voice takes a break;
Jack Houston: Elegy for Myself
Honorable Mention: Lorna Sherry: The Dangers Of Spring ( Gail Dendy)
1. Jack Houston’s ‘No!’ is a remarkably powerful example
of how restrictive form can harness emotion, the shock of loss
and the devastation of grief. These fugue and accrue with each verse.
2. In ‘Pater Unfamilias’ Gaynor Clements generates a disconcerting
and finely-balanced ambiguity in describing the small details and large damage
of a thirty-year-old relationship. Skilfully, the poem reveals
how pivotal memories torment and affect us variously, over time.
3. There is a particular serenity about Simon Perchik’s ‘*’,
as its imagery pours down the page, like the fluid being observed
in a loved one’s cup. The apparently real links seamlessly with the figurative.
4. The measured tone of ‘Mock Sonnet IX’ belies a condensed
and lucid reflection on perceptions of madness. At the same time,
Sam Smith gives a reasoned voice to that older mindset, where doubt,
rather than apparent wisdom, accumulates over time (Will Daunt)
Thank you for another delightful choice of poems, difficult to pick just four.
(1) Maggie Butt Silence. Wonderful imagery of cloistered living.
(2) Patrick Deeley Wedding Gift Vivid insight to a clock’s life,
so like our own, with skipped beats and pauses.
(3) Gaynor Clements Pater Unfamilias A great poem
of love and forgiving.
(4) Anne Rath Witness Great description, a garden
of beauty etched with sadness (Katherine Noone)
Enjoyed #191, and for once I’m not too late to make a choice.
First: Lorna Sherry: The Nightjar. A very moving poem,
in which form and content work beautifully together.
Second: Doreen Hinchcliffe: The Return. Another moving poem;
the account of the writer’s experience and memories flows naturally,
without the sestina form becoming obtrusive. Not an easy feat.
Third: Claudia Court: Lap of Honour.
A powerful metaphor and a brilliant ending.
Fourth: Tina Tocco: Marriage. A really accomplished haiku:
a demonstration of how to say something important
in seventeen syllables (Michael Swan)
Orbis #191 was a great issue with several standout poems.
I admired Jack Houston’s ‘No!’ and Penny Sharman’s ‘Zip’.
But my votes go to:
1. Lorna Sherry, ‘The Nightjar’ for its mysterious beauty
2. Anna Rath, ‘Witness’ which is a brittle
and poignant tribute to W.S. Merwin
3. Doreen Hinchliffe, ‘The Return’, a deftly-worked sestina
that responds brilliantly to Edward Hopper’s canvas ‘House by the Railroad’.
Tina Tocco, ‘Marriage’, a haiku that really succeeds (Ben Keatinge)
Here are my votes for the Readers’ Award, #191
1: Mock Sonnet IX by Sam Smith
2: Yellow Earth by Isabel Greenslade
3: Badger by Gaynor Clements
4: Silence by Maggie Butt (Phil Knight)
Reader’s awards – My first preference is Mike Barlow’s
The voice takes a break, second Maggie Butt’s Even now,
third Jack Houston’s Elegy for myself (John-Christopher Johnson)
1. Isabel Greenslade, Yellow Earth.
Striking personification with some great lines
2. Derek Healy, Remission.
Form well-matched to the idea. Good sonnet with slant rhymes.
3. Richard Hughes, Variations at a Taverna.
Nice use of sounds to capture a moment.
Any poem that includes Bach gets my vote.
4. Doreen Hinchliffe, The Return.
Apt use of form again. I know how hard sestinas are.
Otherwise, a bit too much cliché (Clifford Liles)
Many thanks for Issue 191, and a very fine one it is too
which made choosing my top four difficult although as chance
would have it the first poem my eyes fell upon when I opened my copy
was the one I have chosen as my winner. Spooky.
1.The Ninth Life by Gloria Keeley: an astonishing piece,
a tight rope poem no less! It has astonishing propulsion and scope.
2. The Cack-Hander’s Lament by Jack Debney: an inventive delight
that is amusing and confidently realised throughout.
3. The Dangers of Spring by Lorna Sherry: so well-written,
a note perfect short story. I also enjoyed her poem The Nightjar.
4. Badger by Gaynor Clements: an unflinching anti-pastoral poem
that is decidedly not beige.
Doreen Hinchliffe came close to being in my top 4 with her excellent sestina,
The Return, which is all the more remarkable because I have an aversion to sestinas!
Honourable mentions also to Anne Rath, David Greenslade, Mike Barlow,
Maggie Butt, Finola Scott and Jack Houston (David Mark Williams)
Hard to choose for the vote as it’s such a subjective response
amongst such a high standard.
But here goes: Joint first for Patrick Dooley’s Wedding Gift
and Bluebell Horse. I loved the detail and the feeling in both –
showed such empathy for that horse and as a retired
primary school teacher I was interested to hear the children’s reaction –
don’t find many poems about the classroom?
3. Splendid by Beth Booth – intrigued by the first line and loved the clicks.
4. The voice takes a break by Mike Barlow – liked the form
and the intriguing last couplet (Pam Gormally)
Here are my nominations for Orbis 191.
Lots of excellent poems and stories, so selection was difficult.
The piece I enjoyed most was a story:
Neelim Dundas The House of The Big Brown Eyes.
The writing was really good and drew me in immediately,
keeping my interest right to the end. It introduces us to the
horrors of the poor end of an Indian town, close to where
the priest’s sister and family live. We are introduced to the family
and how understanding and accepting of the state of things everyone is,
even the children. The 9-year old, like her mother, resents the priest’s
trying to give them a helping hand in the form of something lifted
from the collecting box. It is they who seem able to give the priest
a little lesson in morality, and he in turn is irked by it. Lovely tale.
Finola Scott. Spoils and Division. The sadness, almost tragedy
of a broken marriage with the protagonists arguing over how to divide
up the possessions. It’s something that happens all the time but here it is drawn attention to with feeling, but also with humour. I smiled at the Mason/Dixon analogy. Anne Symons. Corsetière. It’s beautifully written and entertainingly informative,
with humorous touches such as subtly pulling the husbands in,
‘ Shantung silk, sir… Shall we try that on?’ Richard Hughes. Old song. Again, my attention was initially captured by nostalgia. I’ve done this a few times myself. And the bitter sweet ending, where declarations were made/in words from an old song,
rang very true for me (Vince Smith)
I really enjoyed reading this issue and it was very difficult
to pick my favourites out, but here they are :
1. Even Now – Maggie Butt.
2. Corestiere – Anne Symons.
3. Small Bird – Bill Dodd.
4. He – George Hopewell (Linda Ford)
After long deliberation, I arrived at my final votes.
1. Maggie Butt with Silence drew me in. Fantastic rhythm,
subject beautifully handled.
2. Kathryn MacDonald City of Tulum. Just as she described it…
I was there and one could imagine the sinister practices.
The last two lines leave you stunned with it’s imagery.
3.Peter Sutton Metamorphosis.
Nice buildup to what’s going to happen till last stanza surprises us.
at play, when their work might rip up the forests of the world.
2nd Mike Barlow – The voice takes a break – I enjoy poems about silence and the unsaid
3rd Natalie Crick – At Dinner – a step into the macabre,
but a recognised moment of not really all right.
4th Anne Symons – Corsetière – Delicious (Sue Spiers)
#191 is terrifc, best Orbis I’ve read
with the incredibly high standard of your selection of poems:
1st: Gaynor Clements for Pater Unfamilias. I enjoyed all five
and could have chosen two or three of the others, but this was the best.
2nd: Patrick Deeley for Wedding Gift. Fresh and original with a great last verse
Joint 3rd: Doreen Hinchcliffe for The Return. Excellent and moving combination
of mystery and emotion though even better if Hopper reference was omitted;
could be used as preamble at readings?
Jack Houston for Elegy for Myself. Clever, complex and denser, the more I read it (Peter Ebsworth)
In some issues of Orbis, the task of selection for Reader’s Award is almost impossible.
This is one of those. I will write it quickly before I change my mind again.
1. Lap of Honour by Claudia Court and Pater Unfamilias by Gaynor Clements
2. Silence by Maggie Butt ( enjoyed both of her poems)
3. small bird by Bill Dodd – loved those last few stanzas
4. The Voice takes a Break by Mike Barlow and Mr Bounce by Peter Sutton (loved the musicality in this)
Also really liked: Bluebell Horse by Patrick Deeley, Corsetiere by Anne Symons
and so many more of the witty well-written and interesting poems. But that’s not helpful is it? (Eve Jackson)
s
Orbis 190, Winter 2019/2020
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Front cover artwork: ‘Gaia’, Luke Jerarm, photograped by Peter Raymond back cover, detail from image: www.prphoto.co.uk
It’s a whole new world out there – and in here, and like Bianca Pellet,
that must give you Hope, especially when the … pearl-coloured morning
(Dawn Gorman) is slowly giving way to brighter skies, if not quite as early as Mike Bedford, at 2 am. And we cover some BIG themes, like Jami Macarty andLeviathan… Moving swiftly on, since David Heidenstam is discussing Improbabilities, you may want to know more about Clown’s crossing by Caroline Price, how cute is Foxy (Christina Buckton), and why Ralph Mold
is writing about the life in Brian. Not only that, if you are intrigued,
like Alessio Zanelli, about The Missing Words,
well, maybe James B. Nicola knows how to find the answer: One Reason Why I Use a Big Old Dictionary.
Or look up something just as fascinating in this issue:
Featured Poet, Ian McDonough: (The Windows; Family Tree; Man in a Puddle; Fishertown; Montana
Poems from Ciaran Buckley, These Witchmen; Dawn Gorman,This pearl-coloured morning; Jo Peters, I know you don’t read poetry but…; Estill Pollock, Cat; Sabyasachi Nag, How to Interpret a Dream?; Lois Roma-Deeley, Night Driving with Narcissus and Echo
Prose from
Cat Campbell, What moves the river; Gaby Fulda, The Master; Carsten Smith-Hall, Never give up
Past Master
Merryn Williams on Arthur Symons
Article
James B. Nicola on Snow in the Suburbs by Thomas Hardy
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, David Harmer, Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince,
Theresa Sowerby, Lynne Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 190 contributors also include
Veronica Beedham; Glenn Bradford; Arthur Broomfield; Peter Burrows; Terese Coe; Gail Dendy; Andy Eycott; Robin Gilbert; Paul Green; Pauline Hawkesworth; Andrew Heath; Lance Lee; MaryEllen Letarte;
Sheila Martin; Mark Paffard; Jo Peters; Tanya Prudente; Donna Pucciani ; Gwen Sayers; Pam Stocker; Robin Lindsay Wilson; Dorothy Yamamoto
Orbis189 (Autumn)
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Front cover artwork: ‘The Silent room’ by Van Renselar back cover, detail from image: http://www.van-renselar.com/
Do not despair…
We may be going less than gently into the darkest part of the year,
taking too much of a Forward Step along with Elizabeth McSkeane,
but like Harry Gallagher, best keep Clutching At Dreams because it’ll soon be
you-know-what, and that could mean Pass the parcel with Alison Chisholm,
raising a Toast with Liz Byrne – and a few Presents from Michael Swan.
But some of you may perhaps follow Rob Walton’s lead, making Assignations,
while others, as Linda King suggests, could make themselves useful mending; no,
not those kind of Seams, from Tracey Hope but what Laura Potts is telling us about The Body Broken. Or finding out about Samuel Prince’sOlympus Camera Rupture and Martin Bennett’sStaffordshire Macwhirr.
Yes, it may be cold outside but you can always escape into the warmth of Orbis.
Featured Poet Gerður Kristný: Anne Frank; Triumph; Ægisíða; God; North
Poems from:
Jan Ball, Not sharing at Yoshu; Alexander Hand, White sesame seeds, about two pounds; Heikki Huotari, Confirmed;Beth McDonough,Yet another riddle of strange states; Ann van Wijgerden, Elephantine
Prosefrom
Sari Pauloma;The Train Arrived; David McVey, Offending the Senses; Mark Reece, Boy
Translation, Judith Wilkinson: Toon Tellegen, Wat Ik van een gedicht verwacht and Woorden die hij niet kan schrijven
Past Master: Peter Viggers onCesar Vallejo
Article: ‘The Spring And Fall In A Writer’s Step’ by Will Daunt
Reviews: Maria Isakova Bennett,Ross Cogan, Philip Dunkerley,David Harmer, Clairr O’Connor,D. A. Prince,Theresa Sowerby and Andrew Taylor
Orbis 189 Contributorsalso include
Alex Barr; Jill Boucher; Brian Docherty; Peter Ebsworth; Joel Robert Ferguson; Anas Hassan; Alistair Heys; Nigel Jarrett; Carl Nelson; Mhairi Owens; Khadija Rouf; Frances Sackett; Hermione Sandall; John Short
Orbis 188 (Summer)
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We like to do what it says on the can, or rather, the cover,
so contents always range far and wide, in time as well as space,
and of course, from contributors all over the world. OK, maybe
it’s just a Meeting in an Upstairs Room, with Vivienne Hanna-Artt,
but Will Daunt welcomes you to dear old England, and times gone by,
with Adlestrop, and you can go back to Thira with Wendy Goulstone,
or aim for The Starry Outer Paradise with Yuan Hongri (Translated by Manu Mangattu). Eamonn Lynskey takes you Walking
on the Via Vittoria Colonna, Rome, but you’d be surprised where Andrew Curtis is headed in Bang to time; maybe even more so
when Sheila Aldous reveals The Secret of Breathing. Indeed, lean in to
Kevin Griffin, because he’s talking Sotto Voce, revealing perhaps that Royston Tester is Still in love with the bass player,
the truth about Odin and the Caterpillar, from Warren Mortimer and what Stuart Pickford’s up to in Big Nose and Fat Man.
So, like Cat Campbell, do you know what you Want?
In the end, let Taylor Strickland show you: @RestAndBeThankful,
there’s plenty to enjoy in Orbis…
Featured Poet Gareth Roberts (Tidelands; Weeping from the King’s Wood…; When the words are leaving)
Poems from:Lynn Foote (Veulettes-sur-Mer); Maggie Reed (Wonderful Clowns); K. V. Skene (Moonsplaining the man);Anthony Watts (Ozymandias in the Wood)
Prosefrom: Desiree Kendrick (Don’t Hate Me); Lani O’Hanlon (So bright and tender); Charles Osborne (Line 13)
Translation: Pablo Dubois (Espiga: The Ear Of Wheat); Yvonne Reddick (Firesetter;
into German, by Jutta Kaussen; into Hungarian, by Júlia Lázár)
Past Master: Benjamin Keatinge on Konstantin Miladinov
Reviews:Maria Isakova Bennett, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey, Afric McGlinchey,
Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 188 Contributorsalso include
Sheila Aldous; Cat Campbell; Andrew Curtis; Will Daunt;
Maggie Davison; Miranda Day; Linda Ford; Wendy Goulstone;
Kevin Griffin; Vivienne Hanna-Artt; Alice Harrison; Paul Jeffcutt;
L. B. Jørgensen; Lavinia Kumar; S. W. Layzell; Chris Luck; Eamonn Lynskey; Nancy Anne Miller; Warren Mortimer;
Robert Nisbet; Katherine Noone; Gabrielle O’Donovan;
Stuart Pickford; Theresa Sowerby; Taylor Strickland;
Royston Tester; Robin Thomas; Hongri Yuan
Orbis 187 (Spring)£5 (Overseas: £11/€14/$16); Subs: £18/4 pa (Overseas: £40/€50/$60)
Front cover artwork: ‘World’s Away’ by Megan Duncanson
back cover, detail from image: http://www.madartdesigns.com
First, Ted Hughes, then Sylvia Plath (although some of you may want to argue
about that), in an article by Paul Stephenson. But Spring is here, somewhere,
although still chilly enough to snuggle up with Neil Beardmore, In Bed, Writing Poetry About Hokusai, as long as you don’t end up having nightmares
about Annie Newcomer’sUkraine. Much better to have A Dream To Dare,
like Morgan Kenney, or to imagine being The God of Little Things (Faye Boland).
And does Louise Wilford, When He Marched Back, have anything to do with Rodney Wood’s ABC of the Royal Navy? Or, Tim Cunningham’s description of Nostalgia Day In Paradise – even Alisa Velaj: Aniara, Aniara… Or My Transcendence of Night? Back down to earth, sort of, let Claire Booker
tell you all about being Eyeless in Riyadh. Last, but by no means least, pay a visit to Tim Dowley’s Life class. And if you fancy being transported to a classy life,
you know where to look. Right here:
Featured PoetDenise McSheehy: Seamless & Complete; Night Walk; Somewhere
Poems from: Marie Lecrivain, My Amygdala Didn’t Get the Memo; David Lukens, Beware The Smart Toaster; Marcus Pavard, What We Worshippers Do Afterhours; Sue Spiers, In Silence; Richard Toovey, There ought to be a word for it; Susan Wicks, Night Breathing
Translation: Laura Chalar, Paisaje by Federico García Lorca
Past Master: Jonathan Cooper on Charlotte Mew
Reader’s Response: Philip Dunkerley
‘In Defence Of Humour:
Comedic effect in the poetry of Sylvia Plath’: Paul Stephenson
Reviews: Maria Isakova Bennett, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey,
D. A. Prince, Lynne Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 187 Contributors also include
Fred Beake; Patricia Brody; Lucinda Carey; Victoria Gatehouse;
Jenny Hockey; Glenn Hubbard; Eve Jackson; Fred Johnstone;
Robert Keeler; Martin Kerry; Jenny King; Craig Kurtz; Hilary Mellon;
Tom Paine; Katherine Barrett Swett; Jules Whiting
Orbis186, Winter
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A Raven and a Crow walked into a bar? No joke ,
but a tale you’re sure to want to sample, about Ted Hughes, and John Smelcer.
And indeed, such a good start to the year with an issue ranging far and wide,
literally from the Sublime to the Ridiculous, if via the rather Grim: Self Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle, anyone? Thanks to Kevin Densley. So perhaps I should ask myself, like Christine Curtis, Am I doing this right?
And move swiftly on to the practical, to watch Lorraine Carey, Patching up Loulou,
or fathom out the perplexing, in Keith Moul’s description of Avid Disinterest:
the Yogi, the Mentor, the Model. Or we could join Camino Victoria Garcia By the Aspetuck River, well, rather than following Eurydice’s Husband,
in Úna Ní Cheallaigh’s version. whileDavid Mark Williams can bring us
back to Reality in Light Programme Avenue. Then we’ll finish off
with Love from Dinah Livingstone – and from Orbis, wishing you all the best for 2019.
Featured Poet
Christopher Rice: In Transit; Skylark on Stackpole Head; Decoys; Paranoia
Poems from: Miles Larmour, The Corncrake, Alive and Cupped; Dinah Livingstone, Love; Geraldine Mills, Above their station; Lani O’Hanlon, My dream out; John Smelcer, Exodus Raven; Alec Taylor, The Archaeopteryx and the Smilodon
Prosefrom: Michael G. Casey, Letter to Meryl; Shirley Jones,The Museum; Marcie McCauley, Spectators
Translation: Dan Veach: Conde Arnoldos
Past Master: Sue Tyson on Edward FitzGerald
Reviews by Angelina d’Roza, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey, D. A. Prince, Lynn Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 186 Contributorsalso include
David Ball, Clare Bevan, J. E. G. Blanchard, Sheena Bradley,
Jennifer Compton, Robin Ford, Richard George, Caroline Gill, Chris Hardy,
Derek Healy, Ashleigh John, Tim Love, Elspeth McLean, John McOwat,
Keith Moul, Natalie Scott, Roger Singer, Sue Tyson and Robert Penn,
Olivia Walwyn, Helen Whitten, Richard Williams
Orbis185, Autumn
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Front cover artwork: ‘The Travellers‘ by Jane Indigo Moore
Fancy a taste of The Full English Brexit, offered up by Michael Henry?
Or fed up already, perhaps that’s why Frederick has gone to ground; Anne Osbourn has a puzzle to solve, And if you’d also like to escape
the gloomy weather,along with Maxima Kahn, in this Gathering Fall,
lose yourself in Art, and enjoy Kevin Cahill’s description
of How They Met Themselves. Well, better than giving cause for concern: Stratford A. Kirby’sSheep Worrier –
even more so with the Cow Trespassing, from Bill Dodd;
could end up thinking, may as well Make me a wilderness, like Matthew Smith…
or even a Red Brick Wall (John Bartlett). But one thing’s for sure,
reading Orbis helps build up inspiration.
Featured Poet
Fokkina McDonnell: Animate and inanimate objects relating to J Abraham;
Just another week; Partial view of a loch
Poems from: Chrissy Banks, An Agnostic’s Christmas;Kevin Cahill, How They Met Themselves; Chris Raetschus, Limerence; Frank Wood, Pericles, His Diary
Prose from: María Castro Dominguez, Blind Insight; Phil Knight, Campanula Capratica; Fokkina McDonnell,This is a portrait if I say so; Vincent Smith, Love that will not let me go
Translation: Ranald Barnicot, From the Italian of Gabriele D’annunzio
Past Master: Jocelyne Thébault on Arthur Rimbaud
Article: ‘His Chosen Islands: Richard Murphy’ by Benjamin Keatinge
Reviews by Angelina d’Roza, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer, Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 185 Contributorsalso include
Nick Burbridge; David Burridge; Malcolm Carson; Eileen Casey; Ian Caws; Doreen Duffy; Attracta Fahy; Carol Featherstone; Lorna Grinter;
Claire Louise Hunt; Simon Lewis; Ray Malone; Probal Mazumdar;
Dave Medd; Stuart Pickford; Marilyn Ricci; Sheila Spence;
Jill Townsend; Davide Trame; Frank Wood
Orbis184, Summer
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Front cover artwork: ‘Dragon with Hiroshige‘ by Jeff Gettis
What are we to make of this fabulous Summer? Yes, enjoy the Heatwave, along with Julie Mellor; it’s a veritable River of Light (Ali Pardoe),
as Peter SuttonEcho oooo (s). But let’s start by finding out about Mark Paffard’sMountaineers of Leningrad, or trust Margarita Serafimova,
and venture to The Water’s Edge. However, if we find ourselves wondering about Colin Pink‘s Beautiful Lies, it may lead to Lara Frankena and The Plagiarist’s Lament, or perhaps all turn out to be Magic,
as Hiram Larew says. So why not stop to smell the (Pressed) Flowers,
from Marybeth Rua-Larsen, although sadly, they’re not to be found
in Denise Bennett’s account of Blossom Alley, or with Calamity’s Child,
as Daragh Bradish explains. And before it’s all what Tim Dwyer calls an Imagined Memory, snap up a bargain, for example, In This Style, 10/6
(Georgina Titmus). And here’s another one to make the most of –
make this issue of Orbis top of your reading list.
Featured Poet Ian McEwen: The riches of embarrassment; A spell of wind; Homily on practice
Poems from:Michael Atkinson, Kafka’s Garden; Holly Day, The Sacred Texts; Briege Duffaud, La Vie Simple à la Campagne; Mary O’Donnell, A Report to the Home Galaxy on ‘Speck’; John Zedolik, Concluding Comfort
Prosefrom: Peter Eagan, Mr Tortilla; Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois, Turbine Syndrome and The Baroness; Fiona Vigo Marshall, The Library of Dreams
Translation: Luba Ostashevsky, Two poems by Anna Akhmatova
Past Master: Hannah Stone on Andrew Marvell
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Angelina d’Roza, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey,
D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor, Lynne Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 184 Contributorsalso include
Anne Banks, Jill Boucher, Peter French, Mary Melvin Geoghegan, Ann Gibson, Alice Kinsella, Pete Langley, Gill McEvoy, Robert Ronnow, Paul Saville, Pam Thompson, Carl Tomlinson, Ray Whitaker
Orbis183, Spring
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Front cover artwork: ‘Dragonflies First Flight’ by Amanda Dagg back cover, detail from image: www.dagg.co.uk
Who wouldn’t love to know More About the Marmoset? Fortunately, Max Gutmann can explain. And why is Alex Josephy writing On Not Going into the Garden? It’s a Gift, says Sarah Lindon, like creating poems such as Julie Maclean’sLight Wave
and Particles of Icarus, and John Timothy Robinson: A Keepsake
in Handfuls of Memory Earth.Or even when you know things like This is how it feels before the rain, as Ben Macnair tells us. Meanwhile, Yvonne Adami can be discovered Walking the Merri,
whilst Katherine Swett is a Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. Mark Carson however reveals the grim details of being an Apprentice;
like John-Christopher Johnson, think Frankenstein. On that rather dark note,
let us reassure you there’s plenty here to make you Smile, thank you, Lorna Sherry; you’re sure to enjoy this issue,
along with Grahaeme Barrasford Young – Because I say so.
And finally, or rather, with Tony Hendry,
simply And…
Featured Poet,Judith Shaw: Greek Juggernaut; genuine middle eastern sculpture; it helps somehow; There are more fences now
Poems from Lucía Orellana-Damacela, Rain Noir: Zebulon Huset, Of Chivalry and Chance; Ed Jones, When Jesus Spoke to the Elephants; Mary Makofske, Creation/Apocalypse; Hannah Stone, ‘How unpleasant to meet Mr Eliot’; Martin Zarrop, Sleepers
Prose from Jim Meirose, The Burning Bush; Luba Ostashevsky, People are crazy; Lorna Sherry,Smile
Past Master:Eamonn Lynskey on Eugene Lee Hamilton
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
Afric McGlinchey, D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor, Lynne Taylor and Noel Williams
Orbis 183 Contributorsalso include
John Arnold; Anne Ballard ; Stephen Clarke; Jim Conwell;
Nigel Ford; Paul Francis; Pauline Hawkesworth; Richard Hughes;
Paula Jennings; Lindy Newns; John Perrault; Anne Rees;
Peter Viggers; F. J. Williams; Nicky Winder
Orbis182, Winter
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Front cover artwork: ‘Venice Costume Drama‘ by John Penney
back cover, detail from image: www.artistjohn.co.uk/
Have those long, dark nights had you observing, along with Jo Peters, It’s not that I don’t believe in ghosts? Well, as we head into the light, finally,
we can echo Laura Ciraolo and Go lightly through life, especially if January
involved a bit of a Dry Patch (Mat Riches) – or were you as determined as
Jenny Johnson, declaring I Am Swift Purpose? Although, as Brian Daldorph
explains, there is an art in knowing when it’s Time to go, while Oz Hardwick
will tell you the Rudiments of Practical Philosophy, something about which
the Ancients knew a thing or two. But rather than making Bronze Offerings
In The Water, along with Tim Miller, maybe we should pour A Libation,
thanks to Ginny Sullivan. And to everybody who enjoys poetry – Orbis is filled with some excellent samples.
Featured Poet, Ben Bransfield: Surfaces; Penance;Cellar; The Weight; The Chord
Poems from Andrew Button (Johnny Marr’s Fingers); Wendy Everett; (The silence of); Jean O’Brien; (Paper-Chain-Dolls): Harry Owen (Unhinged at Chintsa); Theresa Sowerby (A Charm of Gates); Anne Tannam (The Poet Transformed Into Anger)
Prose fromAlexa Recio de Fitch (Fabrication); Grahame Lloyd (Seeing the Light): Sam Smith (Ideas not derived from experiencebut with observable outcomes)
Translation From the Early Irish: Terence Brick (Líadain)
Past Master: Becca Menon on Isolde Kurz
Reviews by Angelina d’Roza, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer, Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince, Lynne Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 182 Contributors also include
Sheila Aldous; Jean Atkin; Veronica Beedham; Martin Bennett; C M Buckland; Ann Flynn; A. P. Fraser; Adrian Green; Jenny Hamlett; Simon Leonard; Kathleen McPhilemy; Frances Nagle; Carsten Smith-Hall; Laura Solomon; Jonathan Totman; Richard Williams; Jim C. Wilson
Orbis181, Autumn
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The Long and the Short and the Tall? Well, long poems this time, certainly,
and a lot that rhyme (which perhaps this should do in honour of the occasion),
except – Helen Harrison’sThe Rhythm of Wood. Plus a couple under 10 lines,
and maybe you’ll agree with Gregory Arena, that We’re all Dr Who?
Yes, quite a few Tales of the Unexpected: ever come across The Patagonian Su? Let Colin Sutherill explain. Or you could visit Mt. Hiei
in the company of Pauline Flynn, perhaps pay a Cold Call, with Martin Malone.
Meanwhile, Lay by Gale Acuff is entirely open to interpretation,
and better pay heed to Marie Dolores’s suggestion: Beware the Meek.
What exactly does Cathy Whittaker have in mind, saying, I will buy a trunk? No prizes however for guessing whom Grahame Lloyd’s Trumpery Trumpety Trump is about. And forgive us
if we seem to be blowing our own trumpet, Because reading the magazine –
you’ll soon see why…
Featured Poet
Lyn Moir: Life Drawing; Playing Deck Shuffleboard with Somerset Maugham, 1948;
At the Movies, Ohio 1942
Poems from Matt Barnard, A Portrait of the Artist as a Sasquatch; Judith Drazin, A Blue Time; Jonathan Edwards, Best Man;
Eve Jackson, The Dutch Circus Came To Town and They Missed It; Grahame Lloyd,Trumpery Trumpety Trump
Past Master: David Troman on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Article: Carol Sausman: On Rhyme and Reason
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Ross Cogan, Angelina d’Roza,
David Harmer, Lindy Newns, Lynne Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis Contributors also include
Kevin Barrett; Jane Blanchard; A. C. Clarke; Michael Coy;
David Crann; Fiona Donaghey; Kieran Egan; Scott Elder;
Aidan Fadden; Leo Holloway; Patricia Leighton; Tim Love; Julie Lumsden;
Patricia McCaw; D. A. Prince; Tanya Prudente; Alexandra Sashe; A. K. S. Shaw; Anne Symons; Philip Williams; Alessio Zanelli
bis180, Summer
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Here’s one for all those with a child genius, and a vague yearning to learn
(just try googling it…): be intrigued by Laura Seymour
and The fate of the peanut specialist. Not to mention Frances Sackett’s
description of the Moon in Flood –andwhy is Mum’s Laughing (Anne Stewart)?
And just how do you go about Outwitting Baba Yaga? Pat Farrington explains,
while John Andrew spins a yarn about hisLine of Ancestry. Join in with Elizabeth Barton’sSong of a Suburb, keeping a watch, though,
for Sue Davies and The Strawberry Thieves, as well as The Burner (Tom Moody). Then relax with some Cocktails in the company
of James Conor Patterson, raising a glass to Neil Beardmore’sAmanuensis. But heed the Teachings of the Shaman from Louis Nthenda,
and Sarah Barnsley’s instructions: We have made a number of key appointments –
be sure to keep yours with this issue of Orbis…
Featured Poet Kevin Casey:A New Confectionery; Promises; Darning the Sky
Poems from: Arthur Broomfield, Seeing Limerick Station through quantum physics; Craig Kurtz, Huswife’s Velleity; Edward O’Dwyer, The End of Ice-Cream; Fiona Pitt-Kethley, Figs and Amethysts;Gwen Sayers, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
Prose from Charles Osborne, The Girl in the Sand; Jennifer Ouellette, The Heroes; Pavle Radonic, LOVES HIGH AND LOW Wives and Devotions
Translation:Brent Southgate, Poems from Martial
Past Master: Helen Ashley on Edward Thomas
Reviews by
Clairr O’Connor, Angelina d’Roza, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
D. A. Prince, Andrew Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 180 contributors also include
Mike Alderson; Aidan Baker; Linda Benninghoff;
Toby Campion; Andrew Curtis; Nathan Fidler; Angela Howarth;
Ian McLachlan; Antony Mair; Katherine Noone; Val Pargeter;
Karen Petersen; Laura Potts; Paul Protheroe; Natalie Scott;
K. V. Skene; David Troman; Chris Woods
Orbis179, Spring
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It’s easy to get confused: do you need to be a Mystic,
like Marilyn Donovan, to be able to understand what lies Beyond,
as Nick Conrad says, or even fathom out the Rubber Hand Trick with the help of Sue Norton. Coming From Here with Nick Carding,
you can find out why the Half-Light at Scarboroughis important to Sue Spiers, before learning from Helen Harvey, who is Coming Home to Roost?
On a more serious note, Lavinia Kumar tells us about A Slave Catching God’s Eye, and there’s a warning from Jill Boucher:Droit du seigneur. But you can still enjoy Michael Swan’s Ballade
and relish Audrey Molloy explaining whyEnvy is a Daylily,
then let Antony Johae tell you all about anAfrican Epiphany. So remember,
ifMarlon Brando makes his Debut on a Shopping Channel (Peter Ebsworth),
you’re all welcome to make yours here in Orbis…
Featured Poet: Maggie Butt: Oare Creek; Beachcombing;November 1918
Poems from: Daragh Bradish, Extract from the Villa Journal. Cheeses; Fiona Colligan-Yano, The Sea Rabbit; Barbara Cumbers, The Quaggy and the Kid; Jane McLaughlin, Dita’s Scarf; Martin Reed,The Man Who Died in his Own Porch; David Mark Williams. School of Little Birds
Prose from: Michael G. Casey, Letter to Meryl – The Sequel; Charlotte Gringras, Jay Bee and crew; Sari Pauloma, Never Give All The Heart
Translation: Philip Dunkerley: Emilia Pardo Bazán, Almas Gemelas
Past Master: Pat Galvin on William Butler Yeats2
Article: Lyn Cooper: Poet from 19 to 91 by Marti Cooper
Reviews by Maria Isakova Bennett, Clairr O’Connor,
Angelina d’Roza, David Harmer, D. A. Prince, Lynne Taylor,
David Troman andNoel Williams
Orbis 179 contributors also include:
Marti Cooper; Clive Donovan; Michael Farry; Doreen Hinchliffe; Charlie Jones;
Marie Lecrivain John McOwat; Lee Nash; Tanya Nightingale; Charles Osborne;
Felix Purat; Zara Raab; Lynne Taylor; Li C. Tien; John Whitehouse
Orbis178, Winter
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Not long now, surely…Saving the Light (Tom McFadden) tells us
Spring is on the way.and we’ll all be outside, tucking into Haagen Dazs
alongside Geroge Saito,somewhere, oh I don’t know, perhaps overlooking
a Harbour Scene, sharing the view with Jack Little.
We could be looking for Charlie Baylis and his Mermaids, or even The Witch, Her Book in Martha Street’s tale.However, given the English weather,
more likely we’ll be thinking Sarah Sibley’s got it right: The wind is a curse,
if not quite as bad as what Vuyelwa Carlin says concerning
a Rat in the Frosty Garden. But let’s get serious and discover
what Dorothy Yamamoto knows about A brief history of footwear.
Or should that be Surreal? Courtesy of Michael Henry, Je suis un mouchoir –
because you can enjoy all sorts, even the unexpected, in Orbis.
Featured Poet
Pat Galvin: The Moon Fell Among the Trees; Unseen; It was a Different Life,
Poems from: Derek Coyle, Carlow Poem #59; Robin Daglish, Nowhen; Helen Kay, Dyslexia and the Live Art Hit; Elizabeth McSkeane, Arguing with Arithmetic; K. V. Twain, At Night I Covet the State of the Sculpture; Martin Worster, The Night Guard
Prose from: Linda Griffin, Soldiers in the garden; Mark Reece, A Meeting of Strangers; Sarah Samuels, The Parcel from Kabul
Translation: Fred Beake, Four poems from Theognis (Book 2)
Past Master: Philip Dunkerley on Cora Coralina
Reviews by
Ross Cogan,Clairr O’Connor, David Harmer, Afric McGlinchey, D. A. Prince, Lynne Taylor,David TromanandNoel Williams
Orbis 177 contributors also include:
Mark Behan; Denise Bennett; Gail Dendy; Richard George;
Ann Gibson; Alan Hester; Dorrie Johnson; Fred Johnston; Robert Kennedy;
Mary Lee; Michael McCarthy; Dave Medd; Nancy Anne Miller;
Simon Perchik; Jenna Plewes; Joan Sheridan Smith; Ginny Sullivan;
Peter Sutton Merryn Williams; Martin Worster
Orbis177, Autumn
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Singing in the Rain, and Walking the Dog; as you may guess
from the cover, plenty here to be making a song and dance about,
rather than having to think about Xxxx…present buying,
unless a copy of the magazine of course, could be Contained, Alison Chisholm claims, while Jenny Hockey makes the case more strongly: Why not end your days without because you and Bobbie Sparrow both,
could be awaiting The quiet intercession of Eros,
or savouring the sound of Noctilucence with Noel Williams.
Isn’t that The key (John Brooke)? Craig Dobson tells us all about Water’s Way,
but the way we do things at Orbis is to ensure
that you continue enjoying the magazine.
Featured Poet
Anna Wigley:The Mysterious and Devastating Library Disease;
Papilloma; The Last Soirée
Poems from:Geoffrey Godbert: The Deaths of Little Things; Alice Merry:Like one of my skeletons; Stuart Nunn: Fugitive dishes of the world #7; Juliet Wilson: The Animals Decide to Become Invisible
Prose from: Cristina Haraba: Blindness; David Olsen: Frau Bieber’s Confession; Rosa Thomas: Dancing Girl
Translation: Pablo Vieytes: Words; Manu Mangattu:Yuan Hongri:The Song of the Universe – Thy Song;
Neither Day nor Nightin the Kingdom of Heaven
Past Master: Stuart Nunn on Alexander Pope
Reviews: Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
D. A. Prince, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 177 contributors also include:
Christopher Allan; James Aitchison; Anne Banks; Stephen Bett;
Jo Burns; Mark Czanik; Adele Fraser; David Harmer; Richard Hughes;
David Lloyd; Michael Loveday; Eamonn Lynskey; James McKee;
Olha Matso; Kathy Miles; Anita Ouellette; Ali Pardoe; Sari Pauloma;
Fred Pollack; Neil Reeder; Marilyn Ricci; Marg Roberts; Davide Trame;
Jay Whittaker; Helen Whitten; Nicky Winder
Orbis176, Summer
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Still waiting for the sunshine? Maybe this issue will brighten things up
with Helen Ashley and some Borrowed Light, whether you join Grahaeme Barrasford Young, Playing, Lorna Sherry up in Edinburgh, Nicki Griffin, In CarnadoeWaters, or go with Juli Jana on aBus Ride Further still: Alec Taylor’s Space Ilimad. And humming along to Lara’s Theme (John Arnold), you could enjoyMiraculous Kashgar,
a Story told by Li Suo andLiang Yujing, and Watching The Invisible Man withPatrick Deeley. But fine weather or not, unlike Hilaire, (I make no)Apology,
because to experience anything fully,as Bibhu Padhi tells us,
what’s needed is: Touch, Taste, and Time – all of which you can have with Orbis
Featured Poet
Peter De Ville: Amoxy and Metro face the Dragon; The Blue Scarf; Protest and Intervention
Poems from: Daniel Roy Connelly: Austerity drives; Katherine Crocker:Nakwetikyawa’s Well; Alex Josephy: Misericordia: Mary O’Donnell: On Reading My Mother’s Sorrow Diary; Terry Trowbridge: The Raven Puppet; Patricia Walsh: Bruscar
Prose from: Phil Dunkerley: As Red as Rubies; Oz Hardwick: The Drifter’s Song; Val Williamson: Escapement
Past Master: Sean Howard on Charles Sorley
Reviews: Maria Isakova Bennett, Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer,
D. A. Prince, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 176 contributors also include:
Gary Beck; Jane Blanchard; C M Buckland; Lucinda Carey;
Jim Conwell; Stella Davis; Judith Dimond; Frances Galleymore;
Chris Hardy; Ashleigh John; Gloria Keeley; Richard Livermore;
Tim Love; Terry Quinn; Chelsea Ruxer; Caroline Smith; Jean Taylor; F. J. Williams
Orbis175, Spring
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Front cover artwork: ‘White lacy April in Sussex’ by Gill Bustamante back cover, detail from image: www.gillbustamante.com
Can we tempt you, since Di de Woolfson is providing a Lure, to accompany us, and Sheri Vandermolen, onHoli Days, or perhaps observe St. Kevin and the Otter with Mark D. Hart.
Or how about a visit, indeed, a visitation, from David J. Costello’sAngel,
although that may lead to States of emergency, Michael Bartholomew-Biggs,
warns us, in which case, like Anne Rees, you’ll be thinking: May the Force be with you. But you could take refuge with Luke Palmer, In the house of lying-in, where Kevin Griffiths is getting Next to the Skin,
because, as Neil McCarthy says, it’s Something of a sign –
you do not want to be missing out on this issue.
And then find out from Sean Heslin, maybe, the result of A Courtroom Drama…
Featured Poet: Jane Spiro: Painting eggs; Half, Whole
Poems from: Terence Brick: Ballade des Dames de Temps Jadis; Susi Clare:CIRCUS ELEPHANT GOES AWOL; George Moore: Natural Order n the Hands of Thomas Aquinas; Andrew Pidoux:The Grammar of the Garden;J. Twm:Fire of The Gods; Kelley Jean White: Women Who Refuse to Wear High Heels
Prose from: Kimmy Beach: Nuala: a Fable; Jane Spiro: Special Delivery
Translation: (Latin): Martin Lyon: To Wallace Batchelor, Librarian, on his Retirement
Past Master: Peter De Ville on Sidney Royse Lysaght
Reviews by: Maria Isakova Bennett, Ross Cogan, Angelina d’Roza,
David Harmer, Jennifer A. McGowan, Clairr O’Connor,
D.A. Prince, Andrew Taylor and Lynne Taylor
Orbis 175 contributors also include:
Ruth Arnison; Prue.Chamberlayne; Kathryn Daszkiewicz; Richard Halperin;
Jenny Hill; V. B. Irons; Tom Kelly; Jenny King; Simon Leonard;
Caroline Maldonado; Lindy Newns; William Oxley; Cedric Picken; Anne Rees; Roger G. Singer; Sue Spiers; Rosamund Taylor; Peter Viggers; Lyn White; Howard Wright
Orbis174, Winter
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Front cover artwork: ‘Contemplation’ byChristopher Langley; back cover, detail from image: www.christopherlangley.net
The light is brightening, finally, dawning you could say, with much to contemplate. For example, Richard Toovey and Thirty-Six-Immortal-Poets-Japanese-Asian-Culture-/360314130089 pt=Art
_Prints&hash=item53e4. But keep a very close watch on Colin Sutherill’sSnake Eyes when accompanyingAndy Hickmott andZoology 101. Instead, you could head for the coast
to watch Carolyn Oulton watching the Ebb-Tide, or join Beth Somerford
at Ditchling Beacon, steering clear ofThe Hound of the Baskervilles (Will Kemp) and David Greenslade’sWicker Basket Tank if it comes at you, maybe After a minor medical hiatus
(Elizabeth Birchall)… So, back where we started, and Antony Mair is Thinking of Shelley in the Winter Gales,
John Vickers pondering The white shadow, while Paul Connolly considers the Night and Stars
Indisputable Truth (Bogusia Wardein), that’s what you are mostly going to find in this issue –
though maybe best take it easy with Jenny Hamlett and The Enchanted Cakes at Capenhurst
Featured Poet
Michael Coy: Ambrose Clues-Up Augustine; Hitler’s Watercolours
Poems from: Roger Caldwell:John Steed in retirement remembers Mrs Peel; Jane Houston: Piddocks; Eve Jackson: It isn’t easy being sea; Jules Whiting:Tucked Between the Pages of a Wordless Glance; Jeremy Young:Metamorphosis
Prose from: Michael Coy: McBurney’s Urn; Jilly Funnell; Dinner Date; Laura Solomon (with Kya Solomon, Zoe Solomon and Nadia Smith): Castle
Translation: David Ball: François Migeot: Faces
Past Master: Jean O’Brien on Dora Sigerson Shorter
Reviews by David Harmer, Jennifer A. McGowan, Clairr O’Connor, D. A. Prince,
Lynne Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 174 contributors also include:
Arthur Broomfield, Shane Doheny, Julie Lumsden, Achilleas Katsaros,
Rupert M Loydell, Katherine Noone, Ann Osbourn, Rob Packer,
Donna Pucciani, Adam Rooke, Alexandra Sashe,
K.V. Skene, Sheila Spence, Jean Stevens, Marc Swan, Frank Wood
Orbis 173, Autumn 2015
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And so is Linda Benninghof,
with Gas, food, lodging, Patricia Griffin,
despite having to battle
The Wind from the West,and Pat Farrington, back From the Underworld. There, she may well have encountered That Man (Breda Spaight), Pete Langley’s Airside Bagatelle Lady or The Cern Archivist (Julian Turner).
No wonder Sharon Black enquires Are My God So Different From Yours?
And thank goodness Maurice Devitt provides a Beginner’s Guide to Escapology.
But if you do go Astray with Clifton Redmond,
or end up feeling a bit Lost, like Patrick Moran,
at least you’ll find something good to read in here, all 96 pages of it.
Although of course, as they always say,
and Lavinia Kumar points out, It’s Not the Size…
Featured Poet: Belinda Rule: Lust; Siren; Letters home
Poems from Chaun Ballard: Phrase Not Found in Search Engine; Simon Fletcher:Yüan; Samuel Prince: Drowned Doll by the Herons; Catherine Rockwood: Landtschip: Belmont; Jane Seabourne: Now I Can Make Scones; Charles Wilkinson:The Comedian’s Seabed
Prose from Jennifer McGowan: How Blackthorn Came to Be; Anna Geraldine Paret: If Wishes Were Fishes;Paul Saville: Rajasthan
Article: Venice byFrances Sackett
Past Master: Peter Butler on Robert Bloomfield
Reviews by Ross Cogan, Angelina D’Roza, David Harmer,
D. A. Prince, Lynne Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 173 contributors also include:
William Alderson; Tara Ballard; Denise Bennett; David Burridge; Keith Chandler; Scott Elder; Jonathan Greenhause; Pauline Hawkesworth; Claire Louise Hunt; Patricia Leighton; James B. Nicola; Ilse Pedler; Tanya.Prudente; Jimmy Rodda
Orbis 172, Summer 2015
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Front cover artwork:
‘Heart Angel’ by Garry White; back cover, detail from image:
www.garrywhitesculptures.com
Summertime –
that usually means something like The Zoo in the rain (Brian Daldorph),
and sadly, it does appear to be raining cats and dogs
in Letters and After They Have Gone by Richard Dinges Jr,
so you may prefer Tariq Latif’s view of Dawn by Victoria Parade.
Wondering what a Souvenir of Lowestoft means to Peter Wallis,
orZen Romance: Reflections, to Michelle R. Disler? And what would happen if Sheila Wild’s Cassowary at the Court of Louis XIV got a Foothold (Susan Rouchard)? Well, you can learn about Naming from Maggie Butt andTooth Wisdom from Andrew Pollard,
and look forward to many a happy, fairytale ending.
Or maybe not, because according to Yuko Minamikawa Adams – Mickey Has Chopped off Dumbo’s Left Ear
Featured Poet: Owain Lewis, Note to an unknown person; Passing Place; The Lost Connection
Poems from Allen Ashley, Jesus is on the Internet; John Casson, I feed on insects;Dawn Gorman,The Looker; Jodie Hollander,Tomodachi
Prose
from Brenda Bea Hutchings, For All The Princesses; Antony Johae, Writing on the Wall; Chris Raetschus,Revenge; J.S.Watts,Target Setting
Translation
Laura Chalar: Fernando Pessoa, A Sonnet Already Old
Peter Boyle and Raymond Farina, NOTES FOR A GHOST: A fanciful portrait
Past Master: Chris Raetschus on Constantine P. Cavafy
Article: Simon Fletcher interviewed by Neil Leadbeater
Reviews Maria Isakova Bennett, Angelina D’Roza, David Harmer,
Jennifer A. McGowan, Clairr O’Connor, D.A. Prince,
Andrew Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 172 contributors also include:
Veronica Beedham; John Casson; David Crann; John Dixon; Lee Nash;
Jocelyn Page; John Perrault; Peter Phillips; Zara Raab;
Gerard Smyth; Angela Topping; Phil Walsh
Orbis171, Spring 2015
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If there’s one thing we’ve got plenty of, it’s Stories (Bibhu Padhi), sometimes artful, like The Yellow Cowby Jennie Osborne,
sometimes dark and mysterious, with David Banks Exorcising Gehenna, or Geraldine Clarkson’s After-woods, and often both,
when you join Robin Thomas and Edward In The Garden. You’re off onA Strange Journey, as Kathy Miles will tell you.
Spend a Moment with Roxy Dunn, enjoy Michael Henry’s Nocturne in Biarritz, playRock, Paper, Scissorswith Richard Williams, or discoverKimmeridge, courtesy ofKhadija Rouf.
Yes, follow E. Kristin Anderson’s instructions: “A Nearby Fence, Pull” – then all will be revealed…
Featured Poet: Bethany Pope Hanging, Among the Oranges; My Mother, Masking; A Taint in the Blood
Poems from: Jean Atkin: Itsuarpok;
Alex Dreppec, [INSERT TITLE OF THE POEM HERE];
Cathy Whittaker,Waiting; Alan Zhukovski, The End of Oblivion
Prose from: Julie Maclean, Animal Rites; Don Mulcahy, Back There; Bethany Pope, Teamwork; John Short, Nobody Talks Anymore
Translation: Judith Wilkinson: Menno Wigman, Herostratos; Stramien (with support from the Dutch Foundation for Literature)
Past Master: Helen Ashley on Matthew Arnold
Article: Orbis: Genesis and Exodus by founder Robin Gregory
Reviews: Angelina Ayers, Maria Isakova Bennett, Ross Cogan,
David Harmer, Jennifer A. McGowan, D.A.Prince,
Andrew Taylor, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 171 contributors also include:
E. Kristin Anderson; Anne Banks; David Banks; Fred Beake;
Of course you want to know what happened
on the road to Ploubalay with Chrissy Banks,
though admittedly risking a peek over John Paul Davies’s shoulder into Jack The Ripper’s Bedroom will makes you Perfectly Blue, Faye Boland warns.
Nobody, including Aidan Baker would classify it asThe Finest-Hour Syndrome. –
best stick to the Facts, provided by Fokkina McDonnell because you never know just what will squeeze out of the Genie’s Bottle (Li C. Tien). Or do you have an answer for Susan Lindsay: Shall We Get Swept Away By Lunch-time? Why not find out? Will you be attracted to the shining lights in this issue of Orbis,
along with a surprising number of moths…
Featured Poet
Mark Carson:Grogan’s Castle;
Incognito, Cumbria; Holy Week, Ronda
Agoraphobics, Cambridge; Night flight, Karachi
Poems from: Sue Burge: Seven Easy Steps to Working with Angels;
Luba Ostashevsky; The Fish; Jonathan Lewis:Walking to The Nutcracker; Benedict Newbery: Film Review by Vlad
Prose from: Ágnes Cserháti: Standing on the Corner; Charlotte Gringras: The Thief of Time; Mark Reece: Forced Exercise
Translation: Anita Marsh; Anthony Costello; Anthony Howell: Alain-Fournier,LaRonde
Past Master: Merryn Williams on W.H. Davies
Article: Reading Poetry Aloud by William Alderson
Reviews: Angelina Ayers, Maria Isakova Bennett, Clairr O’Connor, David Harmer,
Afric McGlinchey, Jennifer A. McGowan, D. A. Prince, David Troman and Noel Williams
Orbis 170 contributors also include:
John Ashley; Nick Burbridge; Jennie Christian; Annemarie Cooper; Barbara Cumbers; Fiona Donaghy;
Richard George; Alice Harrison; Liz Horrocks; Mary Lee; Jim Lindop; Richard Martin; Jean O’Brien;
Anita Ouellette; Edward Ragg; Rachel Spence; John Whitehouse; Alessio Zanelli
Featured Poet Maureen Hill: Bering; Anna Christina; Glass; Bertha – Mrs Rochester
Poems from:Yvonne Baker:The taste of black moss; Simon Fletcher:Landscape; John Hart: Elation; Kate North: Hematocyte;Paul Stephenson:The Swell Speed of Mrs Jackson’s Knees
Prose from: Gail Dendy: Breath’s Journey; Ayelet McKenzie: Broken Surfaces; Luke Murphy: The Glass Cage
Translation: Michael Swan: Petrarcha Canzoniere 272
Past Master: Dave Troman on Edgar Allan Poe
Article: Enda Coyle-Greene: One Woman’s Voice – the poems of Sheila Wingfield
Reviews by:Angelina Ayers,Maria Isakova Bennett, Suzannah Evans,
David Harmer, Afric McGlinchey, Jennifer McGowan,
Clairr O’Connor, Lynne Taylor, D.A. Prince
Orbis 169 contributors also include: Niamh Boyce; Séamas Carraher; Ross Cogan; Ian Colville; Stella Davis;
Siobhan Daffy; Eliza Dear; Marianne Dissard; Martin A. Egan; Margaret Gleave;
Cora Greenhill; Oz Hardwick; Chris Hardy; Gloria Keeley; Noel King;
Simon Leonard; Luke Palmer; Ali Pardoe; Kathleen M Quinlan;
Marilyn Ricci; Marg Roberts; Catherine Rockwood; Phil Ruthen; Martha Street; Alec Taylor; Linda White
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