Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Neil Astley (ed.)
Bloodaxe, 2008

Bloodaxe books celebrates 30 years of publishing contemporary poetry in this remarkable anthology. Founded in 1978 by Neil Astley in Newcastle upon Tyne, Bloodaxe has published the work of over 300 poets. The press has long been known for publishing those who are often labelled as experimental like C.D. Wright or Avant-garde as with the subversive work of John Agard. Bloodaxe also has a reputation for its international range of writers like George Szirtes who hails from Hungary, Taha Muhammad Ali from Palestine and Joan Margarit from Spain. The press does well to represent a regionally diverse range of poets from around Britain like Menna Elfyn, Jackie Kay, Peter Reading and Adrian Mitchell to name but a few.

In Person showcases poetry from 30 poets, including those already mentioned, along with a commissioned DVD on which each poet in the anthology reads from a selection of their work. This may not appear terribly groundbreaking as a concept but in reality it is. As Astley notes in the introduction “No one else has originated and produced short films of major contemporary poets and made these available on DVDs with an anthology including all the texts”.

After only an initial inspection of the book and DVD I felt that this was a necessary and even seminal project. Astley quotes Josephine Hart when defining the oral tradition of reading poetry aloud as “a voluptuous joy” and many of the recordings really do demonstrate this.

Many of the poets are filmed in their own homes and environments which lends a quiet intimacy to the footage. This unfussy approach has its benefits. In Michael O’Siadhail’s Dublin recording he reads from ‘Cosmos’ and the viewer is able to experience the bluesy rhythm of his delivery allowing meaning to be lifted from the page and experienced aurally as particularly suits lines like

     Sax and rhythm. The brightness of a reed,
     winding tube and crook are working on
     another hue of the tune that moves

This, in conjunction with the thoughtful and informative introductions to each poet and their work in the book, offers the reader an opportunity to contextualise each writer and their writing. After watching the poets read I found myself able to garner something extra when encountering their writing on the page.

As much as I am a fan of this project I did feel there were a few weaknesses. Firstly, not all poets seem comfortable reading from their work. Selima Hill appears standing in a corridor looking as if she has been stopped on the way to a more pressing engagement. From time to time the intimate approach crumbles into the impromptu and appears a little scrappy. The lack of attention to detail in relation to some of the more basic elements of film-making was also slightly frustrating. The footage is often shaky due to the absence of a tripod and the sound quality varies considerably – something that could have been avoided with the use of a clip on microphone instead of relying on the built-in camera mic. The editing is also of a variable standard with sections starting and stopping abruptly.

This said, there is little else published that can currently rival 30 Poets in terms of the range of poetry presented, both written and performed. It provides the reader access to contemporary poetry in a manner that feels both alive and relevant. At only £12 I also happen to think that it is extremely good value. On the page it is an achievement alone. Not only does it offer 200 pages of poetry but we are also treated to an extremely engaging meditation on the poetry published by Bloodaxe, from Astley. This, in turn, provides a personal and delicious record of the poetry world over the past few decades. Astley mentions this is only the first foray into publishing DVD-anthology combos for Bloodaxe and I’m looking forward to the next already. However, I’ve also got my fingers crossed that they will have invested in a tripod.