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Friday Poem – ‘And the Soul’ by Kim Moore

Silhouette of a wolf howling at the sky again a fiery sunset

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘And the Soul’ by Kim Moore from her first collection The Art of Falling. Kim will be joining us online on Thursday 1st February to read alongside Polly Atkin at First Thursday. Stock up for the event by treating yourself to 50% off any of her books between now and 31st January 2024 in our January Sale.

And the Soul And the soul, if she is to know herself, must look into the soul... – Plato And the soul, if she is to know herself must look into the soul and find what kind of beast is hiding. And if it be a horse, open up the gate and let it run. And if it be a rabbit give it sand dunes to disappear in. And if it be a swan, create a mirror image, give it water. And if it be a badger grow a sloping woodland in your heart. And if it be a tick, let the blood flow until it’s sated. And if it be a fish there must be a river and a mountain. And if it be a cat, find some people to ignore, but if it be a wolf, you’ll know from its restless way of moving, if it be a wolf, throw back your head and let it howl.
Friday 26th - Wednesday 31st January. January Sale. Use code JanSale24. www.serenbooks.com
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Seren January Sale Returns

Friday 26th - Wednesday 31st January. January Sale. Use code JanSale24. www.serenbooks.com

We’re excited to announce the return of our half-price January Sale! From Friday 26th – Wednesday 31st January 2024, use the code JanSale24 to claim 50% off orders on the Seren website (excluding pre-orders and subscriptions).

Now is the perfect time to bag a bargain and beat those January blues. With all the bad weather recently, there’s no better time to hunker down in the warm with a good book. Whether it’s poetry, fiction or non-fiction you’re looking for, we’ve got books to suit all tastes.

Fiction

This cover shows a close up image of a large sapphire necklace against a murky blue aged background. The text reads: Sabrina's Teardrop. An Inspector Chard Mystery. Leslie Scase.
This cover shows an image of an African tree silhouetted against the purple, mist shrouded dawn sky. The text reads: This Is Not Who We Are. Sophie Buchaillard.
This cover shows an illustration of a box television against a sandy background. The text reads: Four Dervishes. Hammad Rind.

Explore gripping crime drama unfolding on the streets of Victorian Pontypridd with the Inspector Chard Mysteries by Leslie Scase. Read Sophie Buchaillard’s Wales Book of the Year shortlisted debut novel This is Not Who We Are, or Hammad Rind’s Four Dervishes hailed “…the most remarkable work of fiction to come out of Wales in a thousand moons.” by Jon Gower. There are also plenty of commute-friendly short story collections such as Scar Tissue by Clare Morgan and A City Burning by Angela Graham.

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Non-Fiction

This cover shows a photograph of James Roberts. The text reads: The Longest Farewell, James, Dementia and Me by Nula Suchet
This cover has a bright pink background. A cut out image of a young Lucy Cannon wearing a white comunion gown with her hands raised in prayer and drawn devil horns is in the middle. The text reads: The Amazingly Astonishing Story by Lucy Gannon.
This cover shows a sculpture of a glass dress as if worn by an invisible figure. It is posed as if sat on its left hip with its legs stretched out to the side. The text reads: Are You Judging Me Yet? Poetry and Everyday Sexism. Kim Moore.

Stock up for International Women’s Day with inspiring non-fiction titles by Nula Suchet, Lucy Gannon, Julie Brominicks and Kim Moore. The best-selling Bar 44 Tapas y Copas cookbook (as featured on Saturday Kitchen) is only £12.50! And with spring on the way, now’s the perfect time to pick up both of Iolo Williams’ Wild Places books.

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Poetry

This cover shows an abstract painting by the artist Antony Goble. A woman with blue skin dominates the image in a vibrant orange dress. She is balancing an urn on her head and holds a red crow in her hand. The text reads: As If To Sing, Paul Henry.
This cover shows a photograph of a figure shrouded in a sheet standing in the middle of a deserted field. The text reads: Goliat. Rhiannon Hooson.
This cover shows a sepia-toned watercolour illustration by Galileo depicting the 6 phases of the moon. The text reads: In Orbit. Glyn Edwards.

If you haven’t already read Paul Henry’s Poetry Category, Wales Book of the Year winning collection As If To Sing, it’s one of a great selection of critically-acclaimed poetry books available in the sale. You can also stock up on poetry featured on The Seren Poetry Podcast to read whilst catching up with series 2, such as Goliat by Rhiannon Hooson and In Orbit by Glyn Edwards!

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We’ll be highlighting lots more great titles throughout the sale on our social media channels but for now, happy browsing and thank you for continuing to support Seren and our authors.

Use code JanSale24
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Friday Poem – ‘The Storyteller’ by Abeer Ameer

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘The Storyteller’ by Abeer Ameer from her debut collection Inhale/Exile. This poem is also featured in 100 Poems to Save the Earth.

The cover of Inhale/Exlile shows an expressive painting of someone cutting yellow reeds over a bowl.

Abeer Ameer writes of her forebears in her first collection, Inhale/Exile. Dedicated to the “holders of these stories”, the book begins with a poem about a storyteller on a rooftop in Najaf, Iraq, follows tales of courage and survival, and ends with a woman cooking food for neighbours on the anniversary of her son’s death.

 “…these poems remind us that even in the darkest times, there is light, and there is love.” – Katherine Stansfield

The Storyteller Aesop had nothing on her. The children gather on the rooftop level with the heads of Najaf ’s palm trees, sit cross-legged ready for stories before bed. An uneasy weight on her chest; she’d found her youngest trapping sparrows again. There was and how much there was… She tells the story of a beautiful bulbul. Shiny feathers, bright plumes, how its song filled the air until the king ordered it be caught and caged, kept for his eyes only. Soon its feathers greyed, the light in its eyes vanished, the song in its throat withered. Her eyes wander to that space, empty since his fourth birthday. She continues: The bulbul’s mournful mother searched everywhere for her child, unable to eat or sleep. Both died from sadness. The king, filled with remorse, promised to protect all his kingdom’s wildlife Then he became the kindest, wisest king on earth. And they lived a happy life. She looks to the stars, mutters When you cling to a thing you love it dies. Sometimes when you love you must let go…must let go. Her soft voice trails off. The children focus on the cigarette in her left hand which balances a tower of ash. In her right hand, amber prayer beads; her thumb strokes the top of each before moving it along. She recites Al-Fatiha, scans the sky for the crescent moon.

Inhale/Exile is currently half-price in our bank holiday summer sale. Buy before midnight on Monday 30th August and get your copy for just £4.99! Buy now.

Zoë Brigley and Kristian Evans, co-editors of 100 Poems to Save the Earth, are joining us at Virtual First Thursday on Thursday 2nd September. Tickets are £2.74 (inlc. admin fee) and available through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/168074853411. We’ll also hear some of the contributors read their poems.

This bank holiday weekend, get 50% off all books on our website* in our half-price summer sale. Ends midnight Monday 30th September.

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*marked titles only, subject to availability.

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Friday Poem – ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ by Grahame Davies

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ by Grahame Davies from his collection Lightning Beneath the Sea which is currently £4.49 in our half-price spring sale.

Earlier this week we launched Grahame’s new book Real Cambridge, the latest addition to the Seren ‘Real’ Series.

Lightning Beneath the Sea is the first collection of poems in English by Grahame Davies, featuring the work that he has honed over the years as he has read them at literary festivals, conferences and events world-wide.  Well-known for his prize-winning Welsh-language poetry and fiction, and for his scholarly non-fiction.  He brings a native warmth, an intimate, conversational tone, and a raised civic awareness to these poems.

Lightning Beneath the Sea is currently available for £4.49 in our half-price Spring Sale

Browse our website for more fantastic half-price deals. Sale ends Sunday 28 March.

Browse Poetry

Grahame’s newest book Real Cambridge is available for £9.99