A Poet's Notebook: With New Poems, Obviously

by Stewart Henderson

Publisher:

Lion Books

, 2018

Overview

A Poet’s notebook... with new poems...obviously... includes not just recent favourites, television and radio commissioned poems, some freshly minted verse written especially for this book but also notes and gives the background on how, why, and where the poems were written. Such documentary reportage and wider contemporary reflection gives a fascinating insight into the genesis, development and presentation of the 30 poems chosen. In effect, the book is part journal, part commentary on the wider implications of ’how did we all end up here’? It addresses the light and shade of our days, the celebrations and catastrophes, and acutely observes the collective state and soul of ’this one life’. Complete with the poet’s trademark humour encouraging the reader to practice, once again, child-like glee. These are poems you can whistle, sing, chant... and be silent with.

Contents

CONTENTS
Foreword 9
Acknowledgments 13
About This Book 14
1 Eyes Down 17
2 “Tragedy, ecstasy, doom” 24
3 Breakages 31
4 Anfield, Winter – 1960 39
5 Under the Clock 46
6 Blind Date 55
7 This is How it is 63
8 How Clatter is the World 70
9 Even When Wounded… 80
10 Somewhere in the Library 88
11 The Mind’s Not What it Was 97
12 Lesson Plan 104
13 … Be the… 114
14 The Avenue 123
15 Occupy 131
16 Any Seconds…? 139
17 Everything in Heaven Comes Apart 147
18 Thunder and Rainbows 157
19 Consideration / I Wish You… 164
20 The Cats of Jerusalem 173
21 I Have Grown an Old Man’s Skin 182
Bibliography and References 187

Praise for A Poet's Notebook

"Winnie-the-Pooh never explains what he means by ’the noise-you-make-before-beginning-a-piece-of-poetry’. But in this glorious gallimaufry Stewart Henderson allows us an insight into ’the noise-the-poet-makes-before-writing-one’. A Poet’s Notebook gives us a glimpse inside the mind and the muse of the poet, the rhapsodic rattlebag from which each individual poem coalesces out of chaos." - Paul Vallely, former executive editor of The Independent on Sunday and author of bestselling biography, Pope Francis: Untying The Knots

"What Michael Morpurgo has done for children’s fiction, Henderson has done for poetry"- Melanie Carroll, The Church Times

"Stewart has the capacity to engage naturally and touch deeply- He makes it look effortless"- Christine Morgan, Head of Radio, BBC Religion and Ethics

"He understands the packed power of words; the importance of their use and measure"- Gillian Reynolds, radio critic, The Sunday Times

"Essential reading" - The Sunday Times

Product Details

• Title : Poet's Notebook
• Author: Henderson, Stewart
• Publisher: Lion Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• ISBN: 9780745980331