Not Quite Out by Louise Willingham

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When I ordered this book I thought it would be set in America, not sure why, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it was set somewhere even more exotic – Keele :-) and having lived on Campus at Keele I read it with a strong sense of place, which if I am honest I think came from my memories rather than the writing itself. I know the Z sheds, I have walked drunkenly back to Halls from the Union – just the amount of time they spend in the Students Union building, that is a very Keele thing and not typical of the other Universities I have been a part of.

I found William pretentiously irritating, and so self-absorbed, but in a way that felt completely authentic of a second year Uni student – I am not sure if that was intentional but if it isn’t it is an unwitting success. I think I found myself identifying with William and having a crush on Dan.

There are lots of things about the narrative that don’t really “work” - people get majorly upset about things that don’t matter, and then are water off ducks back about pretty big stuff – but then again real people can be like that – and somehow it all got under my skin so I found reading it a visceral experience.

Politically Homeless by Matt Forde

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This is account of Matt Forde’s journey from youthful activist to jaded comic and commentator. He begins in a place of naive optimism, perhaps it is the gift/curse of every generation to think that they will be the ones that actually change the world for the better. Coming of age as New Labour replaced the worn out remains of Thatcher's Tories played into that narrative for him.

He has now fallen out of love with the Labour party and the book is limited by the resulting narrow focus on bitter critique of Labour as led by Corbyn. I found too much of it to be sound bites played for laughs. It is a very specific group, the socially liberal centre left, among the politically homeless that he is interested in. He doesn’t really manage to address the wider malaise of our current political age – in particular to way in which social media has created a state of perpetual campaign and eaten any space for reasoned political dialogue. It is disappointing given the final chapter when he talks about his “The Political Party” podcast is a now rare example of a space for such dialogue – suggesting that Forde “gets it” despite the impression given by the preceding 12 chapters…

The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson

 Out of print, but buy it from abebooks.co.uk 

Vivian shares a vivid account of her childhood, giving a richness to the insight she offers us.

It is in many ways a hard childhood, they are hemmed in by societal constrains on the black working-class.

But it is hopefully, her Mother might have had to put away her own dreams but past on a spirit that taken Vivian forward to reach ambitions.

When Mill Creek is subject to “slum clearance” to make way for a highway – as was (and is) often the case officialdom fails to see the vitality of a community because of its apparent material lack.

This is heightened compared with the same process within the UK by the additional racial dynamic, and the very stark and rapid white flight as black families move to new neighbourhoods.

Crucifox by Geraldine Clarkson

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From this pamphlet a poem…

winding down

maybe a tree falls

or a bear keels

maybe all the creatures of song are brought low

and the grasshopper drags itself along

and the moon fails

clearly a light has left the earth

bleeding slowly

while the waters stopped clapping their hands

it’s the end of lilies

and liver-freckled butterflies

the last flew off this summer

the wind is tired now

has petit mal

is going home

shutting up shop

just a few scarlet leaves

spin in its sigh

as it boards up the door

The Forward Book of Poetry 2007

 Out of print, but buy it from abebooks.co.uk 

I put tabs on the following poems

Giuseppe by Roderick Ford

Monogamy by Kate Bingham, in particular the lines…

Time’s not the test. Who loves best won’t always love

longest…

Six-Billionth Bay by Penelope Shuttle, in particular the lines…

Maybe the afterlife

will be disappointing as a cloudy eclipse

or unjust as the death of the Cornish tongue...

The Forward Book of Poetry 2008

 Out of print, but buy it from abebooks.co.uk 

I put tabs on the following poems

Thursday by Lorraine Mariner

London by Elaine Feinstein

They Said by Cynthia Fuller

The Orphan Doll by Seni Seneviratne

Don’t Commit Adultery by Jackie Wills

On Priesthood by Stephen Cottrell

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I am sorry to say I didn’t connect with this book – given the existing abundance of books on vocation it is maybe difficult to find anything new to say, but the expectation was that Stephen Cottrell would nevertheless bring fresh insight. But I found the reflections dry, and often wrapped up some tightly in “churchy” language that they became platitudes.

It was also disappointing that the production of the book was poor – Hodder & Stoughton have clearly opted for a hard-back binding in that this would often be given as a keepsake gift to the newly ordained. The pages of the first copy I received fell out as so as I opened it, the replacement copy was little better – but maybe this is not actually an issue if few are inspired to return and re-read the reflections over the years of their ministry – it would at least look nice strategical placed on the study bookshelf in the background Zoom calls.