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Review and Interview by Helen West
Neon Highway’s series of poetry readings
concluded in the dignified surrounds of Liverpool
Central Library on Friday 19th November.
George Wallace and Sam Smith were welcomed as guest
speakers in the Library’s Hornby Room, with its
resonant acoustics and intimate atmosphere.
A selection of local poets began the evening,
each introduced by event organiser Alice Lenkiewicz.
The enthusiasm was obvious and infectious as the
poets were keen both to exhibit their own work and to
be inspired by critically successful poets Wallace
and Smith.
Sam Smith has 25 years of writing experience,
although his works have only recently begun to be
recognised and published, gaining him a Booker prize
nomination in 2000 and numerous other awards. Smith
read compassionate, insightful prose focussing on his
work in a mental institution. The frank discussions
of mental illness and society are unsettlingly
thought-provoking, as the tangible dilemmas that
Smith encounters are laid bare with effective and
efficient language. Smith was relaxed, open and
approachable, and received hearty applause for his
reading.
The themes of the night’s poetry were
Journeys Near and Far and Identity. Decorated New
Yorker George Wallace followed Smith with ‘I was
Sorry I was Late’, in reference to his own
slightly late arrival to the event. He jokingly
encouraged all poets to write a poem about being late
for such occasions. Wallace only loosely adhered to
the themes, regarding all dreams as journeys. He also
comments that for him, the importance of poetry is in
the process of writing, suggesting that each poem is
a voyage in itself, regardless of the content’s
subject.
Wallace showed an undeniably original style,
and his latest collection ‘Burn my Heart in Wet
Sand’ portrays the dreaming world in vibrant
imagery. His work lacks the refreshing clarity of
Smith’s, leaving the reader to frequently wonder
what is really meant by the poems – and whether
even Wallace himself knows. It is this inchoate
nature to the poems that demonstrates the dream-like
quality that Wallace is striving for. The exclusion
of punctuation in his writing might be seen to
reflect the stripping away of the trappings of
convention, but as Wallace reads, his talented use of
pace and pause confidently chivvy the listener
through incohesive passages. As Wallace mentions in
his foreword, when we dream there are no ‘self
regulatory mechanics’ to adhere to, and this is
emulated in the poetry.
Wallace’s poems are most effective when
the powerful imagination behind them is
unconstrained. The tenuously connected images and
ideas are effective and appropriate in ‘The
Classroom of Neuf Chatel’, a captivating
exploration of a child’s mental wanderings. By
contrast, the poem ‘Wednesday on the Farm’
contains references that seem somewhat arbitrary,
such as a character speaking to herself in Danish.
Between poems Wallace shares anecdotes with
the audience, establishing an easy rapport, and after
his reading nobody moves to leave. The library’s
staff casually grant extra time in the room and when
the small community do leave it’s in the
direction of the pub, where they continue their
evening amongst the congenial support of their peers.
Sam Smith has four books and four poetry
collections to his name. He edits ‘The
Journal’ and ‘Jacobyte Books’ and
publishes ‘Original Plus Publications’.
INTERVIEW
New Yorker George Wallace toured America,
Italy and Englandon a recent publicity tour for his
latest poetry collection ‘Burn my Heart in Wet
Sand’. The high mileage leaves Wallace unfazed.
“It’s a community of interest, not
geography,” he explains of poetry. Wallace says
that the Internet makes it possible for more poets to
influence each other than ever before and that this
is an exciting time for poetry.
‘Burn my Heart in Wet Sand’ is an
exploration of dreams. Wallace demonstrates an
undeniably original style, and his latest collection
portrays the dreaming world in vibrant imagery.
“It’s about transference;
resurrection,” Wallace asserts, and it is almost
a non-sequiter, following the logic of the
conversation only loosely. This tendency for subtley
connected ideas is widely exhibited in his poetry,
and the reader is left free to interpret as they
choose. He often leaves the reader to wonder what is
really meant by the poems – and whether even
Wallace himself knows. It is this inchoate nature to
the poems that demonstrates the dream-like quality
that Wallace is striving for.
Wallace’s poems are most effective when
the powerful imagination behind them is
unconstrained. The tenuously connected images and
ideas are effective and appropriate in ‘The
Classroom of Neuf Chatel’, a captivating
exploration of a child’s mental wanderings. By
contrast, the poem ‘Wednesday on the Farm’
contains references that seem rather arbitrary. When
asked about the title of the collection, Wallace
says, “In itself it doesn’t mean anything,
but in the context of the whole poem [it does]…
It’d be like looking at a Jackson Pollock,”
he suggests, explaining that the sections are
meaningless alone.
“The important thing to me is the process
of writing a poem,” Wallace says, suggesting
that each poem is a valuable journey in itself,
regardless of the content’s subject. He says he
does not work and re-work a poem, instead preferring
to follow a regimented schedule of writing a poem
every morning, in one sitting. He finds that his work
has more tension this way. With an assortment of
awards behind him, something is obviously working.
Four-time New York Press Association Writer of
the Year nominee, George Wallace is publisher of
Poetry Bay, and co-host of the radio show
PoetryBrook. He has read his work across the USA and
Europe, and his current tour included a visit to
Italy to promote a translation of his work. Last
year, he became the first Poet Laureate of Suffolk
County, New York |