Words in Imagination by Jan Hedger

Book Review of:

Words in Imagination by Jan Hedger

Published by Rossendale Books £5.99

ISBN 978-1-906801-03-8

46pp (pbk)

This is a delightful little book to look at and dip into, with a nicely designed front cover and a lovely friendly typeface!

The author, Jan Hedger, is obviously adept at seeing life through the eyes of a child, and many of these poems are written for children, too. In fact, many of them reminded me strongly of a time long past, in the land of A.A. Milne and Jemima Puddleduck, with their innocent rural themes. "Wonderment" for example:

"Do you believe in fairies

with flowers in their hair

wings as soft as feathers

a song as light as air?"

But today's kids would find much that is familiar in their world, with poems like "A Red Kite" and "Drifting Off, Into My World". Jan has great fun with words and rhyme, and her enthusiasm and passion for writing this kind of poetry shines through. Sometimes I felt that this could be reined in and tightened up a bit; for example, I don't think the last verse of "Captured" is in any way necessary, as "It is the place that has captured you" seem a much stronger ending.

Mostly, though, the poems are a delight to read, and there are one or two that indicate a more thoughtful reflective vein.

Lynne Clayton

Book Review of:

Nature: an anthology of poems by Grass Roots Open Writers 2008

24pp (A5 booklet)

This is the first anthology from a very recently formed group, and should be the inspiration for all Fed-type writing groups! It has a beautifully designed front cover, and the simple formula of a poem per page with its own decorative border makes it an attractive book to handle and peruse.

The book opens with a clear explanation of what GROW is all about:

”Grass Roots Open Writers is a community writing and publishing group, that particularly welcomes people who need to develop confidence in expressing themselves.”

And Ashley Jordan’s poem, “Grass Roots”, explains in a lovely way the reason for their name:

“Grass Roots,

Reaching down

Into nourishment

Finding their place

Securing their space

Upon the earth”

The theme of the anthology, “Nature” is, of course, a very wide one, and there is a good range of responses, and the last poem is a two-writer collaboration! One of my personal favourites, though, was by Stephen Taylor, a wonderfully lyrical and assured poem, I thought:

“As I pass into autumn,

With its shades,

Like the moonlight

The coldness of the heart, like the winter

I long for another summer,

Like a lover waits for an embrace

To feel the warmth

Of its refreshing breath

I wait in hope, saying

I don’t want to be alone tonight”

The prevailing mood of this collection is celebratory and optimistic, Spring-like in its hope. GROW sounds like a very supportive and friendly group, and I wish it long-lasting success so I can look forward to reading many more anthologies!

By Lynne Clayton

Nov.’08