Ten: New Poets from Spread the Word

by Bernardine Evaristo (Author), Daljit Nagra (Editor)

New
Paperback
2010
$10.71

This groundbreaking anthology of ten new poets truly reflects the multicultural make-up of contemporary Britain. At a time when less than 1% of all poetry books published in the UK are by black or Asian poets, the work of these writers testifies to the quality and versatility of vital writing that should not be overlooked. These new voices draw on cultural influences and multiple heritages that can only enrich and broaden the scope of contemporary British poetry. This anthology is the culmination of a much needed initiative by literature development agency Spread the Word to support talented new Black and Asian poets. The poets' histories are to be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ireland and England. Their eclectic, wide-ranging poems will take you on a journey into war and exile, myth and magic, homeland and memory, fantasy, family and love. Whether travelling through the streets of London, the killing fields of Bangladesh, the cane fields of the Caribbean, or back in time to the life of a courtesan in 3rd century BC India, these poems will open up new landscapes for the reader. Ten's new poets are: Mir Mahfuz Ali, Rowyda Amin, Malika Booker, Roger Robinson, Karen McCarthy, Nick Makoha, Denise Saul, Seni Seneviratne, Shazea Quraishi and Janet Kofi Tsekpo.

Synopsis

This groundbreaking anthology of ten new poets truly reflects the multicultural make-up of contemporary Britain. At a time when less than 1% of all poetry books published in the UK are by black or Asian poets, the work of these writers testifies to the quality and versatility of vital writing that should not be overlooked. These new voices draw on cultural influences and multiple heritages that can only enrich and broaden the scope of contemporary British poetry. This anthology is the culmination of a much needed initiative by literature development agency Spread the Word to support talented new Black and Asian poets. The poets' histories are to be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ireland and England. Their eclectic, wide-ranging poems will take you on a journey into war and exile, myth and magic, homeland and memory, fantasy, family and love. Whether travelling through the streets of London, the killing fields of Bangladesh, the cane fields of the Caribbean, or back in time to the life of a courtesan in 3rd century BC India, these poems will open up new landscapes for the reader. Ten's new poets are: Mir Mahfuz Ali, Rowyda Amin, Malika Booker, Roger Robinson, Karen McCarthy, Nick Makoha, Denise Saul, Seni Seneviratne, Shazea Quraishi and Janet Kofi Tsekpo.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Published: 30 Sep 2010
ISBN 10: 1852248793
ISBN 13: 9781852248796

Media Reviews

[The editors] compile these writers to grant voice to minority poets in the United Kingdom, providing a very different view of the world. . . A fine volume of poetry. -- Midwest Book Review Midwest Book Review

Author Bio

Bernardine Evaristo was born and raised in London, where she still lives. She has published four cross-genre novels: Lara (new edition, Bloodaxe Books, 2009); Blonde Roots (Penguin, 2008), a prose novel in which Africans enslave Europeans; a novel-with-verse, Soul Tourists (Penguin 2005), which featured ghosts of luminaries including Pushkin, Shakespeare's Dark Lady of the Sonnets and Alessandro dei Medici; and The Emperor's Babe (Penguin, 2001), a verse novel about a black girl growing up in Roman London nearly 2000 years ago. She co-edited the Granta new writing anthology NW15 in 2007 with novelist Maggie Gee; has written short fiction and drama for BBC radio and literary criticism for the Guardian, Times and Independent; and is an Associate Editor of the international literature magazine Wasafiri. She has taken part in over 60 international tours as a writer. Daljit Nagra was born and brought up in West London and Sheffield. He lives in London, and works as a secondary school English teacher. In 2003, he won the Smith/Doorstop pamphlet competition with Oh my Rub!, a Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice which was chosen as one of the Guardian's Poetry Books of the Year. In 2004, his poem Look We Have Coming to Dover! won the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, and this became the title of his first collection, published by Faber & Faber in 2007. It went on to win the 2007 Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection and the 2008 Arts Council England Decibel Award. It relates to the experience of British-born Indians, and often employs 'Punglish' - English spoken by Indian Punjabi immigrants. Look We Have Coming to Dover! was shortlisted for several further awards, including the 2007 Costa Poetry Award, and the 2007 Jerwood Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.