Reviews reviews reviews

Writers are egotistical beasts, always on about me me me. Well I'm the worst of them all. Just look at this blog, it's entirely posts ranting on about moi. Disgusting.

So, here are some reviews (which I wrote, yes me, Russell Jones) of OTHER PEOPLE'S POETRY. You can even check out the poets' blogs or sales pages (in most cases), if you're that kind of person. Follow the links, comment, fornicate -


Click the poet's name to see their blog.
Click the book title to see my review.

“Opening the Ambulance Box: Andrew Phillips' The Ambulance Box” (2012)

“A Home Run? Willis Barnstone’s Stickball on 88^th Street“ , The Istanbul Review, Issue 1(2012)

“Separating the Pieces: The Cento, A Collection of Collage Poems edited by Theresa Malphrus Welford”, The Istanbul Review, Issue 1 (2012)

“Evenlode: Charles Bennett”, Elsewhere, (September 2013)

“This is Yarrow: Tara Bergin”, Elsewhere (October 2013)

“Muscovy: Matthew Francis”, Elsewhere (December 2013)

“LeafGraffiti: Lucy Burnett”, Elsewhere (March 2014)

“Locustand Marlin: JL Williams” (March 2014) 

“ProfessorHeger's Daughter: Chrissie Gittins”, Elsewhere (April 2014)

Russell Jones

"Our Terraced Hum"

Much good news on the poetry front lately (now to sort out the rest of my meager existence!). Prole Books have decided to publish my sonnet sequence, "Our Terraced Hum".

It's part of an anthology called "Caboodle", which includes work from 5 other superstars of poetry:
Karina Vidler, Kate Garrett, Angela Croft, Gill McEvoy and Rafael Miguel Montes.

Due out in December, no doubt I'll update you again so your life can be filled with the joys of the publication process. I know you love it, you filthy thing you.


Russell Jones

Best Scottish Poems 2013

If, like me, you are suspicious of good fortune, then you may wish to throw a black cat under a ladder. My poem "The Ant Swap" from my sci-fi poetry pamphlet, "Spaces of Their Own" (Stewed Rhubarb Press) has been chosen as one of the twenty Best Scottish Poems of 2013!

The list was chosen by David Robinson, the books editor for The Scotsman, who had this to say about my poem:

"I love the mind-bending imagination of this poem, which zooms down to an ant-level view of the world before racing up into ‘the heat of stars, the prized melting flesh of my cosmos’, all somehow seen through a transfer of consciousness between the ant and the poet. I love, too, the image of ‘a tongue’s first flirt with noise’ employed as part of that wished-for transfer, and the signs that it has somehow been achieved, as the poet feels, instead of thought, a sense of the ‘heat of sugar’ that has lured the ant towards the ‘prized melting flesh of roadkill’, and the ant is able to imagine some sort of blissful human nirvana. And all in ten lines, too!"

Read the poem (or listen to my mad face reading it) on the Scottish Poetry Library Website.


Also included is work from:
Patricia Ace, Jean Atkin, John Burnside, Niall Campbell, Angela Cleland, Anna Crowe, Andrew Greig, Diane Hendry, Bill Herbert, Kathleen Jamie, Rob MacKenzie, Kona Macphee, Jim Mainland, J.O. Morgan, Thereza Munoz, Donald S. Murray, Robin Robertson, Ian Stephens and Jennifer Lynn Williams

READ THEM ALL HERE! 

Russell Jones

Auld Reekie Readers

Far from stinking, Auld Reekie Readers is a group of readers and writers who meet up to share their work and listen to authors read.

As such I'll be talking about Edwin Morgan, sci-fi poetry, writing and editing, on Monday 14th April.

It's at the City Cafe in Edinburgh (EH1 1QR) and starts at 18:30.

Be there or be...somewhere else!

https://www.facebook.com/events/284725768357737/



Russell Jones