poetry | Marie Marshall

November 21, 2013

And so the Phoenix has risen at last!

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes is – if you didn’t know already – an ‘Anthology of Sonnets of the Early Third Millennium’. by that I mean it contains examples of this long-established form of poetry written by contemporary poets. More than two hundred and fifty poets have been included in this book, and it is the first anthology of specifically 21c sonnets to be published. Editor-in-Chief is Richard Vallance, former Editor before his retirement and the magazines’ closure of Sonnetto Poesia and Canadian Zen Haiku. This anthology is his swan song as an editor. I’m proud to have worked alongside him not only as part of the editorial team of SP and CZH, but also as Deputy Editor of The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes.

At present the book is available at Friesen Press in hardback and paperback, and from eBookPie for your electronic reader, but will shortly also be available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, etc.

I really can’t recommend it too much. I know the work that went into it, I know the personal exertion that Richard went through to produce it, I know how the editorial team toiled. Most of all I know the quality of the poetry in the book – it is outstanding. There isn’t a poet in there who doesn’t warrant more reading. The sonnet is far from dead, and those people who choose to take the form as a vehicle for their poetic expression don’t do so out of nostalgia, but because it works. This anthology is a work of quality.

3 Comments

November 17, 2013

Poor Susie Dean

37190485

Child Ballad 65: I love playing with themes of traditional ballads. This is an imagined Appalachian or Bluegrass version of a song we know in Dundee as ‘Bonnie Susie Cleland’. It has hints of miscegenation and infanticide in it (in the Scottish version the eponymous Susie falls for an Englishman).

Susie Dean and Billy Blue they ran away, ran away,
Susie Dean and Billy Blue they ran away.
Susie Dean she ran away,
But they catch’d her yesterday.

Now they’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean.

What’s that pretty little bundle by your side, by your side,
What’s that pretty little bundle by your side?
That’s no bundle by my side,
but my little dog that died.

Now they’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean.

Won’t someone find a fearless little boy, little boy,
Won’t someone find a fearless little boy?
Well here comes a little boy’ll
take a message to your joy

That they’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean.

Her father paid one dollar to a man, to a man,
Her father paid one dollar to a man.
Her father paid a man,
And through the town he ran,

Sayin’ “They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean.”

Her brother built the gallows strong and high, strong and high,
Her brother built the gallows strong and high.
He built the gallows high,
Sayin’ “Susie, you must die!”

Now they’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They’re gonna hang poor Susie Dean.

They hanged poor Susie Dean at noon today, noon today,
They hanged poor Susie Dean at noon today.
She was hanged at noon today,
And now all the people say,

That they went and hanged poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They went and hanged poor Susie Dean.

It weren’t for Billy Blue that Susie died, Susie died,
It weren’t for Billy Blue that Susie died.
It weren’t for him she died,
But the bundle at her side

That they went and hanged poor Susie Dean, Susie Dean,
They went and hanged poor Susie Dean.

4 Comments

October 19, 2013

Angels, Mothers, Vampires, and Others.

Michael

This morning I finished my final read-through of The Everywhen Angels, my forthcoming novel, and gave a small list of unresolved typographical issues to my publisher. I think that’s the job done. I’m still awaiting the cover artwork, but that’s for the ‘house’ artist.

Having done that, I turned my attention to The Milk of Female Kindness, an anthology of prose, artwork, and poetry on the subject of motherhood. Contributors are drawn from as far afield as Australia, North America, and Britain. The Australian editor is Kasia James, and I am privileged to be doing a little editorial consultancy for her. The contents are marvelous – poetry ranges from Alison Bartlett’s ‘Reasons to Breastfeed’ to my own ‘The Maclaren’, about someone who can’t breastfeed – and I would especially recommend Maureen Bowden’s short story ‘Hiding the Knives’. I don’t have any information as to when the book will appear, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

I have also heard that the international anthology of modern sonnets The Phoenix Rising from its Ashes, for which I am Deputy Editor, is now ready to go to print. Publication is a little behind schedule, but it has a bit of a struggle to get this far. Being a deputy means you don’t get final say. I have often thought that it would have looked a lot different had I been at the helm, but it wasn’t my baby, and so all the recognizable facial features will be those of its very loving father, Editor-in-Chief Richard Vallance. Richard has sunk considerable energy and personal resources into this collection, and deserves to see it thrive. Again, more news as I get it.

Having work edited – the most chastening part of publication for an author – is damn good schooling for doing editorial work oneself. It sharpens up one’s initial presentation, for a start. Shortly, I hope, I shall be in a position to hand over the first draft of my teen-vampire novel. I’m winging it. I didn’t want to write a romance, where another Bella falls for another Edward*, so I launched straight into an action scene without even pausing to dream up a plot. I figured that my protagonist would suggest to me how the story would go and so she did! Imagine a tomboyish, even ‘boi-ish’, version of Buffy in a New York setting, a generation into the future, when energy resources are running thin and vampires are finding their way into positions of influence in the world. Imagine her reading a book about a nineteenth-century vampire hunter and finding connections. Imagine that despite her heroism she makes fatal mistakes. Imagine vampires with whom any person-to-person understanding is next-to-impossible (hence no cheesy romance). Imagine, most of all, the feeling that as a teenager one is marginalized and kept in the dark. That’s the way the novel is shaping up at present. The question of teenage alienation and lack of understanding is not a new theme for me. I deal with it a lot in The Everywhen Angels, for example. In my teen-vampire novel it is going to be dealt with a little more simply and superficially, amongst the episodic, crash-bang plot. I have to say it feels a little as though I’m writing a pot-boiler, but we’ll see how it comes out…

It’s a while until the next Showcase at the zen space is due out. Nevertheless I’m currently thinking about it. My aim this time will be to feature, strictly, writers whose work has not yet been seen in a Showcase. This means I will have to start sending out invitations and calling for contributions soon. I’m taking a little rest from writing poetry myself, but will be back at it shortly, I’m sure.

Finally, have you picked up your free ebook copy of my novel Lupa? If not, go here to do so – and also think about writing a review for me.

__________
*That’s a Twilight reference, for those of you who don’t instantly get it.

1 Comment

September 6, 2013

We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files…

bestchicklit

Nikki Mason at BestChickLit.com followed up her review of Lupa by conducting an interview with me. Read it here.

August 29, 2013

Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine

The corner of Bourbon and Dumaine in New Orleans is where you’ll find the famous Clover Grill. I’ve never been there, but then I’ve never been to Baku, Uppsala, Rome, or Harlem, and that hasn’t stopped me writing about those places, either realistically or as fantasy versions of themselves. ‘Plain Jane $3.99’ is one of my handful of New Orleans poems. It appeared in my first book of poetry, Naked in the Sea, which you can still buy. Just a couple of days ago a friend and fan, resident of New Orleans (and, I have to say, the person most responsible for making me write about her city) decided it would be cool to record herself and others reading my poetry aloud, and in particular the New Orleans poems. The first step was a recording of ‘Plain Jane 3.99’, which you can hear by clicking on either the street sign above, or the book cover to the left, or by following this link. There’s a smattering of adult language – you’ll have heard far worse – but if you like this recording, pass on the link, particularly if you’re in N’awlins or know someone who is. If and when any other poems become available I’ll let you know.

Meanwhile, I know you’re all wanting to know how the teen-vamp novel is coming. Patience. You’re also going to have to be patient about my second novel The Everywhen Angels, which is due out soon, and about The Phoenix rising from the Ashes (the anthology of sonnets for which I am Deputy Editor). I’ll let you know as soon as something happens. Meanwhile, how would you like the chance to get a free e-book copy of my first novel Lupa? The first step would be to enter the P’kaboo Facebook Share Contest and hopefully, having followed the instructions, to ‘Like’ my novel on Facebook. Go for it.

2 Comments

August 17, 2013

‘My life as a coble’, and other things

poetry life & times2

Poetry Life & Times has published a poem of mine, ‘My life as a coble’. You can read it here. A coble, by the way, is a clinker-built boat common to the east coast of the UK, particularly Yorkshire; its construction is thought to come down directly from the techniques used to build Viking longships.

Meanwhile, P’kaboo Publishers have taken on my second novel, The Everywhen Angels. More news later, including some possible promotional events.

1 Comment

August 3, 2013

StAnza Poetry Festival: I’m on the ‘Digital Slam’ shortlist!

The podcast of my poem ‘O great maritime bears’ (actually written in imitation of Lisa Jarnot’s ‘Ye white antarctic birds’ and originally featured in qarrtsiluni e-zine) has made it through to the shortlist of the ‘Digital Slam’ competition at StAnza. StAnza is Scotland’s premier poetry festival, and is held in the ancient burgh of St Andrews. The winner is decided by votes cast by visitors to the StAnza blog. For me, it’s gratifying to get as far as the shortlist; of course I have to say that there’s some fine entries by other shortlisted poets, some of whom have submitted YouTube clips and so on, but if you would like cast a vote for me, that would be greatly appreciated.

1 Comment

July 31, 2013

Naboland and Pittenweem

Are you planning to go to Pittenweem Arts festival (3^rd to 11^th August)? If so, be sure to visit Venue 33, 7 Calman’s Wynd, where you will find the art of Reinhard Behrens, Margaret L Smyth, Kirstie Behrens, and David Behrens. This family group of artists grows in strength year by year, as the younger members hone their skills.

Reinhard Behrens is the creator of Naboland, where thrown-away objects find a new life, and a toy submarine voyages in and out of an almost-but-not-quite parallel world. One of Reinhard’s finds, the remains of a teddy bear, inspired me to write a prose poem – had the bear been dropped by a certain creation of Mary Shelley as he sped across the Arctic ice in search of his monstrous creation? I dared think so…

1 Comment

July 31, 2013

Aval-Ballan Poetry Competition and other news

Just letting you all know that the results of the Aval-Ballan Poetry Competition are now published. You can see them here.

I don’t know if any of you out there has been involved in judging a poetry competition. It’s not as easy as it sounds, even for a poetry editor like myself. Differentiating between the poems in a long list of about one hundred with a view to making them into a shortlist of thirty is hard enough. Whittling that shortlist to twelve winners is damn tough, particularly as it involves negotiating with other judges. Picking a winner from that short-shortlist is almost impossible, particularly when, as I said when asked, “I can’t get a ciggie paper between the first five or so”.

Having made a decision I then sat back and began to feel like a poet. I have had a lot of poetry published, and even more poetry rejected by publishers – that’s the way it goes. Nothing is going to stop the unsuccessful entrants from being disappointed. Nevertheless I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world.

__________

Atlantean Publishing were kind enough to carry a notice in the July issue of their newsletter, The Supplement, advertising my 2013 collection I am not a fish. The notice also included one of the shorter poems in the collection…

Mr Coelacanth’s nightmare

Mr Coelacanth’s recurring nightmare
is that he is before a committee of hungry cats
who ask him the question, Are you now,
or have you ever been, a fish?

Never, he replies,
trying not to speak in bubbles,
trying hard not to let words
like gill and dorsal enter his mind

simon-williams-150x150 Some of my other poetry from this book was featured at the ‘Oversteps Day‘, Saturday 13th July, at Dartington Ways With Words Festival, read by Simon Williams, as part of the ‘A toast to absent friends’ event. Thanks, Simon, for ‘charming’ the audience on my behalf – much appreciated.

July 15, 2013

Lady Clare

clare

In 2006 I was experimenting with the sonnet and wrote many that deviated from iambic pentameter (yes, I know that I’m by no means the first poet to do that, and believe me when I say I won’t be the last!). One of these was inspired by J W Waterhouse’s sketch for ‘Lady Clare’, and featured lines of nine syllables in length, with an unstressed syllable at the end of each. Having had so many poems published that I have totally lost track, it was a great pleasure to receive the 10th Anniversary Issue of Rubies in the Darkness, the magazine of traditional, romantic, lyrical, and spiritually-inspired poetry, and find that my ‘Study for the Lady Clare’ is featured in it. The magazine may be obtained from Precious Pearl Press, 115 Green Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6HG. Subscriptions cost £10 per annum.

3 Comments

Tag: poetry