poetry

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Friday Poem – ‘Meryl Streep is my therapist’ by Kathryn Gray

An Oscar award hidden behind clouds of coloured smoke

Ahead of the Oscars Award Ceremony this weekend, this week’s Friday Poem is ‘Meryl Streep is my therapist’ by Kathryn Gray from her collection Hollywood or Home.

Meryl Streep is my therapist I met a married man once, on a train. He was handsome. He had the kind of face that made me think of clean, smooth hands. I should add that in the end nothing really happened. I have done terrible things I will not own. The dingo took my baby! Bear with me. Men have left me. No Vietnam. They simply went. You must hear this sort of thing all the time. But. I have stood, hooded, on the jetty; the sea—the sea turned over my mind, roughly. I have been very ‘tired and emotional’. I cannot afford a rehab facility. There are not enough Key lime pies in this world for all the people who deserve them. In the face. Yes, this is heartburn. You might be onto something. O Michael! O Michael! O Michael! I worry that I’m all cliché. I like to fake accents with strangers. I suppose that tells you a lot. I suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Or maybe not. I had a farm—

Join us on Saturday 9th March from 1pm for our John Ormond Centenary event, taking place at the Glynn Vivian Gallery in Swansea. Kathryn Gray will be appearing alongside Rian Evans, Patrick McGuinness, Jess Mookherjee, Professor M. Wynn Thomas and Kieron Smith to discuss the life and work of Welsh poet and documentary maker John Ormond. Buy tickets in advance via Eventbrite.

John Ormond Centenary Celebration. Saturday 9th March 1-4pm. Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road, Swansea, SA1 5DZ. General admission £5.50, Concession £3.50.
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Friday Poem – ‘Animal Wall’ by Taz Rahman

Photo of the stone lioness from Cardiff's iconic Animal Wall

In honour of St David’s Day, this week’s Friday Poem is part 1 of the long poem ‘Animal Wall’ by Taz Rahman from his debut collection East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Animal Wall. A whimsical heron, sometimes a songbird, sometimes, in human form dips in and out of tales old and new, around Cardiff Castle; one spring, for the first time, the wandering soul feels a sense of belonging. I After the pews are cold after morning service after the loiterers are gone St. John sniffs the city stalls. Sprat and turbot at market’s gate figs and fennel in autumn mist waft of Cornwall Ten Feet Tall. Evening falls on red-cheeked Adam, Jamie, Annmarie who drink dry the skull of Glyndwr clutching their little red books. Old Owain under the cover in a mass brawl gawks at an oval eighty thousand growl. Here, I saw Gareth Edwards hands in pocket sniffing cinnamon walk pass the Christmas stall. ...

Join us on Thursday 14th March at g39 Gallery in Cardiff for the launch of East of the Sun, West of the Moon where Taz Rahman will be reading alongside Abigail Parry and Nasia Sarwar-Skuse. Doors will open 7pm for 7:30pm start. All welcome. Free to attend.

Book Launch. East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Taz Rahman. Thursday 14th March. Doors open 7pm for 7:30pm start. g39 Cardiff, CF24 3DT
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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.

Browse Fiction

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.

Browse Non-Fiction

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!

Browse Poetry

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 – ‘Heron/Snow’ by Polly Atkin

Photograph of a Heron flying above the snowy ground

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Heron/Snow’ by Polly Atkin from her first collection Basic Nest Architecture. Join us online on Thursday 1st February to hear Polly read alongside Kim Moore at Virtual First Thursday.

Heron/Snow You carry worlds in the cipher of your feathers; sky and water woven together by the black of a wood in winter; blue grey of the lake, half frozen over: a dull kind mirror to find yourself in or to knock on in search of another. Is that why you waited all morning so patiently, planted like a post in the field in the snow? There is nothing here by this road for you, surely, but ground to launch from, and me, to watch you drawing your perfect arc in the air, diving silently upwards into the tumbling white, as though into a weir. The whole vale is shaking itself into flakes and falling, or rising. It’s hard to tell. You in your grace alone remain still even in motion. I’ve heard a heron will attack a human if threatened. I imagine your beak a spear through my skull, and grasp at last the beauty of the kill.

We’re looking forward to welcoming Polly Atkin and Kim Moore to Zoom on the 1st February to read from their latest books Some of Us Just Fall and Are You Judging Me Yet?. Tickets are £2 plus Eventbrite admin fee. Find out more below.

Buy tickets
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Friday Poem – ‘Seen’ by Rachael Clyne

Close up photograph of a person's eye. The majority of their face is in darkness other than the iris which is illuminated by a vertical strip of light.

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Seen’ by Rachael Clyne from her collection You’ll Never Be Anyone Else.

Seen My winter face stares back, dares meto meet its decline. I survey my map of mishaps, try to recall when I was last held. I look at a photo of me aged twenty: her smoulder-eyed beauty, her blank-page face; waiting for its story. Mind riddled with gaps, and gob full of opinions, this body still stands, bends and carries despite subsidence. At my retina scan today, I saw the backs of my eyes like unlaid eggs, an eye-tree of scarlet tracery. The scan man said, You still have fabulous retinas.

If you missed it, catch up with Rachael’s episode of The Seren Poetry Podcast Series 2 where she discusses You’ll Never Be Anyone Else in detail with our Deputy Publisher Sarah Johnson. Search for The Seren Poetry Podcast on your favourite podcast app to listen now.