Hazel Press newsletter: Winter 2024
Winter gifts - three free samples to download. Plus the latest from the Hazel Press blog
As the new year begins to take form and we contemplate the days ahead, we would like to offer you three small gifts. These are the first three poems from our two latest collections, an o an x by Maria Isakova Bennett and On Earth, as it is, by Jane Lovell, plus a shapeshifting tribute to the tradition of oral storytelling from s t a g c u l t by Martin Shaw.
an o an x
Closely observed kettles of light, honest shadows, ash memories and a sensual universe of colour fill the art studio world of Maria Isakova Bennett’s poetry collection an o an x.
Download a PDF of the first three poems, ‘Cup and Peaches’, ‘Orange Peel and Roses’ and ‘Blue Sail’.
On Earth, as it is
A tender exploration of our planet’s environmental catastrophe by prize-winning poet Jane Lovell, focusing on our relationship with the planet and its wildlife, taking a view informed by historical research and animated by solastalgia.
Download a PDF of the first three poems ‘Ghosts’, ‘Hatchling’ and ‘Vitulus’.
s t a g c u l t
You’re not out of the woods yet - Christmas traditionally lasted until Twelfth Night, 5th January, which is of course this Friday. Those who could afford it spent the days in feasting and revelry and it was a time for telling stories, especially those from the great Arthurian cycle known as the Matter of Britain. Arthur appears in this extract, but the focus is on the Welsh myth of Taliesin the shapeshifting bard who sang perfect metre.
Download a PDF here.
Hazel Press blog - exploring the permeability of being
… and Martin’s bog cauldron of transformation brings us nicely to Julie Leoni’s new poems on the January blog, which conjure a “flying-woman-beast”. Julie is working on a collection of poems exploring her family and the farm which connected them. Largely set on the border between Wales and Shropshire, Farmotherlands responds to the impact of intensive agriculture on our food systems, environment, people and the communities who have managed the land for generations.
We hope you enjoy reading the links. In the spirit of new beginnings, we wish you a lucky blue-eyed white pony of a year.
Daphne and Sara
