Sunday, April 09, 2006

Reviewing

I review Still, a 2005 chapbook collection by Liz Atkin (Flarestack Publishing, 8 Abbot's Way, Pilton, Somerset, BA4 4BN.).

So, on the basis of the review, would you consider buying it? Or would it make you think, “No chance!”

I wrote a review in the latest print edition of Sphinx as well, of U.S. writer Norbert Hirschhorn’s chapbook The Empress of Certain, available from Poet’s Corner Press (www.poetscornerpress.com).

On perusing the press’s website I found my review on their site, which was a surprise. Not that I mind, but it’s nice to at least know when someone reprints your work in its entirety. Perhaps they did ask HappenStance?

Anyway the chapbook is very good and my review is now handy for anyone to read.

2 comments:

Heather O'Neill said...

>So, on the basis of the review, would >you consider buying it? Or would it >make you think, “No chance!”

In terms of buying _Still_, I fall somewhere in between.

I find "a man fashions an effigy of himself and walks off, leaving his old self behind" pretty darn intriguing.

But, other times, I find her word choices not as crisp and fresh as I might like,and that other words could be used more effectively in their place. (stronger word choices)

The robots from "There Will Come a Time" remind me of lemmings in a video game my brother used to play.

I like the attentiveness she places on sound and imagery. Her poetry reads well aloud.

So, in conclusion, it is not "no chance!" in terms of buying Liz Atkin's book. I do wish I could read
a complete sample poem, though.

Glad you are feeling a bit better.

Rob said...

Thanks for the reaction, Heather. I felt Liz Atkin's strengths lay in her imagination and her ability to inject "strangeness" into narrative. The poems did engage and interest me. The linebreaks drove me demented throughout, but that's only because I'm picky about stuff like that - there seemed to be no reason for breaking her lines anywhere, other than to keep her lines roughly the same length.

I think she has a few poems online - if you google Liz Atkin Poet, you should find two or three.