Magma 34 Audio Edition on the Poetry Library Website
I’m delighted to say the Poetry Library has recorded an audio edition of Magma 34, which I edited. This means that their online magazine archive includes recordings of many of the poets featured in the magazine, as well as the text of most of the edition.
Audio recordings are a new initiative for the Poetry Library and I’m thrilled that Magma is one of the first magazines to take part. For me personally it was a special treat to sit in on the recordings and hear so many excellent poets read in person. Poets you can hear include Mimi Khalvati, David Harsent, Lorraine Mariner and Alison Brackenbury, as well as Quentin S. Crisp reading the first UK translations of Machi Tawara, who is a huge star in Japan.
An added bonus of the recording was the opportunity to meet Chris McCabe and Dean Farrow of the Poetry Library, both excellent company as well as doing sterling work behind the scenes at the Library. For me the Poetry Library is the jewel in the crown of UK libraries. If you love poetry and you haven’t paid it a visit then you’re in for a treat - an entire library devoted to modern poetry, including every book you can imagine plus audio, video, magazines and the rarefied atmosphere produced by fellow poets at study! It reopens (after the Festival Hall refurbishment) on 4th July.
Poem - ‘Babel’ (Magma 32)
My poem Babel appeared in Magma 32.
The inspiration was Bruce Nauman’s ‘Raw Materials’ exhibition at the Tate Modern. Nauman lined the walls of the Turbine Hall with loudspeakers playing a motley collection of voices - you can hear a virtual version of the exhibition here.
Review - Roddy Lumsden, Tim Cumming (Magma 31)
Here’s my review of Roddy Lumsden’s Mischief Night and Tim Cumming’s The Rumour, which appeared in Magma 31.
Review - Longley, Clanchy, Kleinzahler and others (Magma 29)
Here’s my review for Magma 29, covering the Poetry Book Society’s quarterly selection of poetry books. The PBS Choice was Michael Longley’s Snow Water. The PBS Recommendations were Matthew Hollis’ Ground Water, Kate Clanchy’s Newborn, August Kleinzahler’s The Strange Hours Travellers Keep, James Sheard’s Hotel Mastbosch and George Szirtes’ translation of the Hungarian poet Agnes Nemes-Nagy - The Night of Akhenaton, Selected Poems.