Here’s a visual taster of Whatever You Do, Just Don’t, a video from the packed London launch in which I read a poem titled The Ghost of Tim Walker (with thanks to Flo, Mat Riches’ daughter, for shooting it). Enjoy…!
I'll be the Guest Poet for Fire River Poets on 7th March, reading from Whatever You Do, Just Don't. This is a Zoom event (open to all but requiring prior registration). More info on the Fire River Poets website via this link.
Variety Turns (Broken Sleep Books, 2023) is Christopher Arksey’s first pamphlet and is unusual in many ways. To
start with, it’s thematic in nature rather than following the time-trusted
route of providing an initial wide-ranging sample of the poet’s attributes.
This decision alone indicates the poet’s confidence in his own writing, which
also extends to a trust in his readers throughout these poems, never
forcing arguments or conclusions, instead allowing layered details to speak for
themselves.
The pamphlet revolves around the loss
of a mother, tracking the process of her dying and then her family’s grief.
Such highly personal subject matter means it’s far too easy to conflate the
poet and the first-person protagonist, as is demonstrated by several of the
otherwise insightful blurbs that accompany the book. However, Arksey himself
refuses to fall into such a trap. One excellent example of his method is ‘Grief’, which I’ll now quote in full (with thanks to the
poet himself for granting me permission to do so):
Indescribable,
though I’ve tried.
Failing in my usual
way of stumped silence
or inarticulate babble.
The best I can offer:
a permanent resident,
neither seen nor heard,
though their presence
is felt everywhere.
The poem combines self-deprecating humour with a clear-eyed, never maudlin attitude towards hefty
themes, all alongside an implicit reminder that poetry is art and artifice
rather than mere anecdote, as is reflected by Arksey’s explicit invocation of
metaphor. Moreover, he engages with the suggestion that elegies are renowned
for allowing the poet to overreach to express something that cannot be
expressed. Arksey’s afore-mentioned self-deprecation undercuts such an
approach, providing us with an implicit statement of poetic intent for the
pamphlet as a whole, standing against received wisdom.
Both in approach and in execution, Variety
Turns introduces us to a fully formed voice. A quick glance at the endorsements
might suggest it’s a hard read, but Christopher Arksey’s light touch enables
him to dodge any accusation of sentimentality or self-indulgence. This is a
pamphlet that shows how pain can be turned into poetry without abandoning the
reader, and that’s a considerable achievement in the current poetic climate.
Copy by copy, every hard-earned sale of a poetry collection is an act of trust, a contract between the poet and the reader that reaches far beyond money. This is why I refuse to shy away from reminding you about Whatever You Do, Just Don't. You can purchase it here.
Poetry’s a long game, full of tough waits and disappointments, but all of them pale into insignificance on a humbling day when someone whose critical opinions you value, who never chucks compliments around like confetti, writes incredibly generous stuff about your book. This is one of those special days.
Thanks are due to Matthew Paul for writing an exceptional review of Whatever You Do, Just Don't for Wild Court, and thanks to Robert Selby for publishing it. Here's a quick quote as a taster, but you can read it in full via this link.
Without fanfare and with measured economy, Stewart impeccably, and unbeatably, encapsulates the impact of time and culture on the minutiae of everyday life as it both was and now is.
Neil Elder has written a perceptive and generous review of Whatever You Do, Just Don't for The High Window. Thanks to the editor, David Cooke, for commissioning and publishing it. You can read the article in full via this link (clicking on my name will take you straight to it), but here's the first paragraph as a taster...
Stephen's Payne's not only an excellent poet but also an excellent critic. And by extension, his new poetry blog promises to be excellent too.
Given his scientific background, a lazy reader might be tempted to describe Payne's approach as forensic and thorough, but that would ignore his honed sensitivity. For instance, the first post on his blog is packed with both emotional and technical insight into Billy Collin's poetry. You can read it by following this link.
