Thanks are due to Helena Nelson for pointing me (via Twitter and Facebook) in the direction of Will Harris' poetry blog. I was already an admirer of the examples of Harris' verse that I'd spotted in magazines - it demonstrates an excellent eye for a turn of phrase and a striking cadence - but I hadn't picked up on his blog.
It turns out that Harris writes great prose too, an ease of reading combined with a layered depth. What's more, he's capable of denouncing racism in one post and drawing out the riches of Larkin's poetry in another. From my perspective, that's impressive and coherent. This is a blog to follow!
Bob Hicok has always had a serious side, with some of his poems dealing
with topics such as racism, sexual abuse and puberty, but I don’t think I
am alone ...
Dear Matthew
ReplyDeletePhilip Larkin was indeed a racist but that didn't prevent him from being a great poet. Equally, Dickens and Dostoyevsky were both brilliant writers and also anti-Semites.
Best wishes from Simon R Gladdish