Two new books published
In my role as editor of Coverstory books...
Scattered with Grace
I am delighted to announce the publication of Scattered with Grace by Richard Lister
Lister delights in the joy of language, weaving together a selection of poems that resonate across different cultures, relish in the beauty of creation, move one with unexpected turns and captivating stories and at times challenge our perspective of the world. Mark Boor, Poet and Coach
His language is, by turns, muscular, reflective, fearless, pastoral, sometimes almost whimsical in tone, and the poems do not shrink from confronting life’s less palatable challenges. Jeremy Page, Poet and Editor of The Frogmore Press
This poetry hovers at the meeting points of seemingly disparate lives, times and places… Here we glimpse the difference grace can bring, as we discover it in human form. Heather Shakespeare, Poet and Writing for Wellbeing Facilitator
Lister displays self-awareness, flashes of cutting insight, and a playful imagination in this fine collection. Tony Earnshaw, Poet, Novelist and Playwright
Each exploration leads us to images of unexpected grace, words resonant with redemption. These are poems to return to many times. Helen Overell, Poet
At the Fraying Edge of History
In a small pub just outside Derby, mid-December 2018, four poets met in order to see if they could rekindle the Poetry Society’s Derby Stanza. The group had been defunct for a little while, and the notion to try and breathe new life into it came from one of the four, newly moved into the area for work.
Nearly six years later – and Covid notwithstanding – the Stanza continues to flourish.
By summer the following year the group had grown to a membership of six – all of whom remain in 2024 (and are represented in this anthology). The move to Zoom as a result of the pandemic did little to dampen the group’s enthusiasm (or its gradual growth into double figures), and we have been thriving ever since.
If there are two striking aspects to the Derby Stanza, the first is the variety of voice and style in the collective’s poetry, and the second is in the quality of that work. Perhaps it has taken us too long to pull this anthology together – yet maybe it is all the stronger for those additional months of practice and honing our craft.
The poets in this collection are:
Phil Askham
Joseph Chaplain
Isabel Footring
Simon French
Jim Friedman
Ian Gouge
Emmaline O’Dowd
Dave Smith
Roy Woolley
There is something for everyone in At the Fraying Edge of History – we hope you enjoy it.