The Magenta Café by JANE FRAZER ESSON

ISBN 1-870653-25-4 4.95.

43pp, Soft back Cover.

Published by HUB EDITIONS

Available from

Longholm, East Bank, Wingland, Sutton Bridge,

SPALDING, L1NCOLNSHIRE. PE12-9YS.

They say that a good editor (and Carole Baldock amongst many other attributes is!.) Will forward a book for review to an equally understanding poet with some affinity in his/her writing style, reading favorites, content, approach, and ethos.

If this was her aim or not, this book is for me, its content is me, so, in many way’s is the writing and layout style.

We write about topical observations, travel, nature, imagination/make believe.

Many of the places, resorts covered are were I haven’t been, but she tells it as I would like to eventually find it.

Observation poems or as Jo Shapcott puts it’, ‘naughty, noisy poems’, are full of descriptive pun, fun and naked honesty.

The poems (four of them) are were we’ve both visited, both written about, and YES..

You have guessed it... in her poem there is either something I missed or something that,

As I read, saying, I wish I’d written that word, line or stanza.

This short, but quality booklet focuses on four key issues, first and foremost, her love Of travel and artform, backed up by concerns of/for the environment and politics.

Born in New Zealand she arrived and lives in North London via Australia.

The book concludes with one of the most descriptive and poignant elegies I have ever had the good fortune to read, to her father WILLIAM.

The credits and quotes to ‘back-up’ her work are of the highest quality

Roland John, Gerda Mayer just to mention two.

Seven of the collection also receives publishing credits from the prestigious

INTERPRETERS HOUSE and MANIFOLD.

When ill and unable to travel I write from ‘post-card’ images, so, traveling with Jane to Serbia, Gibraltar, Prague, Kenya was a poetic experience.

Not pretty pictures are painted of Turkey and Oslo.

Ebdon Bridge, courtesy of a ‘workshop’ is a gutsy effort.

My personnel perfect poem is an evocative poem about that wonderful French Wine bastion, St Emilion.

Mr. Munch is different, On Malaga, is clever, tongue in cheek parody.

This is a consummate collection from an accomplished poet.

So as they say in the ‘Trading Pit’.

SCHIZOPHRENIA

A MOTHERS STORY

BY

Georgina Wakefield

Published by APS, ISBN: 1-9038770-3-2. Laminated soft-back. lO4pp.

Available from direct order, all good bookshops or from the author ( address via SURVIVORS EXPRESS)

A TYPICAL REVIEW, NOT A CHANCE, TO DO JUSTICE TO THIS BRAVE, UNIQUE, HEART WRENCHING

I OR ANYONE WOULD NEED 2500 WORDS NOT A MERE INADEQUATE 250.

I AM PRIVILEGED TO READ IT... AND IN MY 5 YEARS AS A ‘BOOK REVIEWER’ ACROSS MANY GENRE

IT TOPS MY ‘BUY IT’ LIST ESPECIALLY FOR US... THAT IS READERS AND SUFFERERS AFFILIATED TO

SURVIVORS POETRY EXPRESS.

ROY HOLLAND WAS RIGHT TO INCLUDE IT FOR REVIEW, PERFECT TIMING, HOT OFF THE PRESS.

TO REGULAR READERS OF P/EXPRESS THE NAME GEORGINA WAKEFIELD WILL RING BELLS,

MANY OF THEM LOUDLY, SHE FEATURED IN ISSUE 11, (RE-READ OR GET A COPY ) AND IN THE LAST

ISSUE

SHE ANNOUNCED IN THE ‘LETTERS PAGE’. HER SHOCK AT RECEIVING A COVETED ‘PUBLISHING

CONTRACT.

AGAIN RE-READ AS IT INCLUDES THE BOOKS PREFACE STATEMENT BY JULIA BILECKYJ OF THE

CLOZARIL DRUG TREATMENT PATIENT MONITORING SERVICE.

AS THE SIMPLE BUT HARROWING TITLE SUGGESTS GEORGINA HERSELF A DEPRESSIVE LOGS AND

CHARTS HER WAY THROUGH A 10 YEAR MINE-FIELD OF A JOURNEY WITH HER SON CHRISTIAN

IT’S ‘WARTS N ALL’ EFFECT ON THE REST OF THE FAMILY, HIGHS, MANY, MANY LOWS AND DEEP

SEATED

IGNORANCE AND INTOLERANCE BY ALL SOCIETY. RANGING FROM PEERS TO OUR ‘SO CALLED’

PROFESSIONALS.

ITS A STORY, ITS A DIARY, ITS A REFERENCE/SELF-HELP BOOK.. AND ABOVE ALL ITS PURE POETRY.

THE POETRY. AS TO AND FOR MANY OF US IS THE RELIEVER, THE CREATIVE, SOOTHING, MOVING

OUTLET

OF COMFORT VIA HONESTY.

FOR THOSE SHE THANKS, BERATES, A POEM FOLLOWS

AFTER A SEQUENCE OF INCIDENCES, PIVOTAL DECISIONS OR EVENTS, (GOOD OR BAD. ) A POEM

FOLLOWS

A WORTHY ‘WORD-SMITH’, SHE USES HER POETRY TO SUMMARISE, TRYING AND SUCCEEDING TO

BRING INTO CONTEXT THIS OR THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE AND WERE APPROPRIATE ‘BRING

CLOSURE’.

I, AS SOME OF YOU HAVE READ AND REPLIED WILL SOON BE LAUNCHING A POETRY MAGAZINE

‘SOLO SURVIVORS’ AIMED AT THOSE AMONG US WHO GEOGRAPHICALLY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,

PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY CANT ATTEND ONE OF OUR MANY NATIONWIDE GROUPS. I HAVE BEEN

REALLY ENCOURAGED BY THE RESPONSE AND QUALITY OF THE SUBMISSIONS, AMONG THEM ARE

WORK FROM 3 SCHIZOPHRENIC’S.

THIS BOOK AS WELL AS HUMBLING ME HOPEFULLY WILL AID ME UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BETTER

AND COMMUNICATE WITH THE ABOVE.

HERE IS NOT THE PLACE FOR QUOTES OR STATEMENTS OR RANDOM OUT OF CONTEXT ‘SNIP-IT’S’

FROM GEORGINA

BECAUSE IT IS A MARATHON ‘WALK IN THE DARK’, EACH TRIP OR FALL IS DEALT WITH, DUSTED

DOWN SHE GETS UP, COMMITS THE INCIDENT TO PROSE AND VERSE... THEN MOVES ON.

I WILL BUY THIS BOOK FOR MANY, MANY REASONS, IT WILL BE ‘WELL THUMBED’ AND BE AT HAND

AS A REFERENCE, A POINTER. ITS NOT BEEN AN EASY READ, THERE IS BLATANT DISCRIMINATION,

IGNORANCE, AND INJUSTICE MADE ALL THE MORE PAINFUL FOR ME AS A CHRONIC DEPRESSIVE LINKED WITH MY DEGENERATING PHYSICAL AILMENTS.

A BIG THANKS FROM US ALL... WELL DONE GEORGINA, CHRISTIAN, BROTHER STEPHEN AND

HUSBAND PAUL.

JOHN HIRST

1-3-02

AUTHOR -- KENNETH STEVEN

ISBN NUMBER -- 0-7152-0798-9

PUBLISHER -- ST. ANDREW PRESS, EDINBURGH

Kenneth Steven is a man at one with nature. He paints technicolour moments with his words. In your mind you have travelled to the hillside, garden or river and are watching nature firsthand beside him. whatever the subject, he selects a surprising word, or utilises an unusual turn of phrase which gives life to each line. in "cathedral’s" first line we hear "when light lemons the water," whilst in "River" he speaks of "the lion colours of September drained."

when reading any poetry book I place great store by the merit of the opening piece, for surely this sets the standard for the whole book. I was not disappointed. The author writes of a homecoming in "Island" where he literally submerges himself in nature, namely the ocean. "A wave curled and silked the shore in a single seamless breath, I went naked into the water, ran deep into a green, through which I was translucent."

I have to admit to a great affinity with the sea, it being the subject of many of my own poems. water makes an appearance in several other poems such as the aforementioned "River" and "The window." In the former we share his own experience with that of his ancestors who came upon this same spot many aeons before him. Amongst the boundless description and lyricism "Voices" was a welcome diversion. In this amusing poem he assigns a nationality to different species of birds so we learn that "little twigs of sparrows chatter in Italian" whilst "woodpigeons make soft French love words." I thought this both simple and charming.

Animal poems abound from deer to newborn foals and a Highland bull. I felt saddened by the demise of the bat when he was "slipped into a grave no larger than a snowdrop," and was amazed by "the sapphire thrill of kingfisher" in the poem of the same name.

Each poem was well crafted and flowed with considerable ease. John Busby’s sparing sketches compliment the poems perfectly. The words speak for themselves and need no detailed illustration to assist them.

I read this collection from cover to cover in one sitting: that’s how much I appreciated it. Thank you Kenneth for a glimpse into your world.