Received my copy of Poetry Bus 2 this week and a very impressive magazine it is too. It is quite a feat to launch a new poetry magazine on to the market and to make it stand out in some way, but the bould O'Donoghue, like any good Wickler man, appears to have pulled it off.The poetry is the usual mixed bag of stuff I like and stuff I don't understand which is more a reflection of me and my unwillingness to spend time dissecting a poem and, in that, it is the same as other poetry magazines but the A4 format, the artwork and the very welcome bonus of the CD makes it quite the treasure trove.
Of course I have some reservations. Speaking as an old Poetry Bus rider, I was disappointed to see so many of the old passengers missing - Chris Alba, Pat Thistlethwaite, Nancy Uhrhammer, Niamh Bagnell, the Watercats, Dana Bug, Jeanne Lakatos, the Pixies, Heather Martin, Dominic Rivron etc - but I suppose that is life, we move on, find new audiences, new crowds, and that is probably the right thing to do. But I thought there was something special about that group which deserved to be anthologised and I suppose I mourn its passing. The new set seems to be concentrated around the Glor Sessions / Salmon Poetry crowd, which is probably more relevant to the poetry scene in Ireland at the moment.
I would have liked to have seen brief bios too, to know something about the poets involved, but we are merely directed to the website which, as yet, only has a handful of bios. Wouldn't be looking for the pages of bios that accompanied PB1 but a few brief lines in small font on each contributor.
Having said that, Peadar has gone and put his balls on the line, which I haven't done. The resulting magazine is a tribute to his hard work and dedication. Bravo, that man.Roll on PB3
PS Rachel Fox has a great review of the magazine here
I wish we could revive the bus weekly, I do miss it...
ReplyDeleteMy copy should be in the post by now - can't wait.
ReplyDeleteHe said mine WAS in the post! I loved the Bus.
ReplyDeleteI've felt the same way - miss the old crew. I wasn't surprised to not be included in PB2, BUT I was surprised that most of the names are people unfamiliar to me. Thought there'd be a few more bus riders in there. Ah well, I guess I'll just keep jamming for now. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, & my issue came in the mail today - woot! Except that it's so expertly taped up that I may never actually get it out of the packaging :)
I've written a post about the new mag and linked back to you too.
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I haven't written any poetry for a while - unless you count unearthing the work of Margery Clute...
ReplyDeletehttp://dominicrivron.blogspot.com/2011/09/poetry-of-margery-clute-1.html
I miss riding the bus so much! For some reason, I haven't been able to find the same feeling of belonging in the other groups I've tried. That is no fault of the other groups; I just think we had a unique mix on the original bus. Remember Titus' poem about all of us? Makes me sad to see it roll away.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, let me say that I am thrilled for that man formerly known as TFE! He has nearly killed himself in the making of this magazine, and he deserves all accolades! No eejit, he. Kudos to the bus driver extraordinaire!
The mag I found good, bar the CD could have had a sticker on it, or a balck CD could have had some sort of print on it, as opposed ot being blank, but thats a very small fault.
ReplyDeleteDesign wide, the A4 works a treat. The imagery is crisp and framable, and the poems were laid out well inside.
A job well done by all accounts. I know from producing the Cartys Poetry Journal how much work goes into it (and the September issue STILL has to be done!!!) and thats without printing - I done the first few issues at home, wasnt worth the hassle... - so kudos all round for Peadar.
Keeping the old crew would be a good idea, or do an anthology of the works of the old crew from the site might be a way to go?
I miss the original Bus... I haven't written a poem since it was decommissioned...
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