Description
stack is a book-length poem, and the debut Carcanet title of one of the UK's rising poetry talents. Described by its author as a document of `minimalist interventions', the small descriptions that make up stack capture seemingly - and actually - everyday scenes, `found' images from walks, tabletops, cafes, bus stops, and the conveyor belt of still-lives that is the poet's imagination. Following in the footsteps of minimalists such as Aram Saroyan, Robert Grenier and Robert Lax, Davies has dedicated much of his life as a writer so far to finding innovative ways of saying less. Resisting the poetic trend of showing why ordinary things are magical, his writing shows why ordinary things are ordinary: a packet of beef, the roof of a shed, computer stuff in a computer bag. Yet there is a philosophical aspect to stack. The uncanny precision of its images, the tiny disruptions in grammar and syntax, feel like symptoms of language's attempt, and failure, to reflect the world. Each time words move in to capture it, reality slips: something is added, or something is lost. stack can be read as a list of discrete compositions, a series of connected images, or a set of modular combinations. What binds the poem is Davies's flair for slow, disinterested inspection. The result is a poem that invites its readers to linger, to dally - a welcome curative for our rapid-fire world.
*Following in the footsteps of the American and European minimalist poets, James finds new ways of making poetry *In Stack James writes a poem that is unexpected, very funny and unsettling, the minimal components seeming to expand and recombine of their own will *James will appeal to readers who enjoy the poetry of Matt Welton, Jane Yeh, Philip Terry, Jeremy Over *James, a school teacher, is coordinator of the experimental Other Room collective in Manchester
About the Author
James Davies is the author of a number of titles including Plants, A Dog, Snow, and Acronyms. He edits the poetry press if p then q and co-organises The Other Room reading series and resources website in Manchester. He is currently completing a PhD in Creative Practice at The University of Roehampton.
Book Information
ISBN 9781784104863
Author James Davies
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint Carcanet Press Ltd
Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 135mm * 10mm
*Following in the footsteps of the American and European minimalist poets, James finds new ways of making poetry *In Stack James writes a poem that is unexpected, very funny and unsettling, the minimal components seeming to expand and recombine of their own will *James will appeal to readers who enjoy the poetry of Matt Welton, Jane Yeh, Philip Terry, Jeremy Over *James, a school teacher, is coordinator of the experimental Other Room collective in Manchester
About the Author
James Davies is the author of a number of titles including Plants, A Dog, Snow, and Acronyms. He edits the poetry press if p then q and co-organises The Other Room reading series and resources website in Manchester. He is currently completing a PhD in Creative Practice at The University of Roehampton.
Book Information
ISBN 9781784104863
Author James Davies
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint Carcanet Press Ltd
Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 135mm * 10mm
