Attila the Stockbroker gives his endorsement to CoronaVerses: poems from the pandemic. (Well, he does have a couple of poems in it!)
And now for a passionate entreaty to buy a fantastic book of poetry.
A few days into all this, activist poet Janine Booth started a facebook group CoronaVerses: poems from the pandemic calling for contributions. It exploded. Three weeks later the best of those contributions have become a book, with the group name as its title and all profits going to the We Shall Overcome initiative.
It is absolute dynamite. Full of humanity, love, anger, passion and of course politics. As with everything else in our recent history, the politics of this pandemic have become those of Tory media manipulation and lies. Janine Booth‘s ‘Wherefore Art Thou Capitalism?’ and Steve White‘s ‘Nudge’ and ‘The List’ nail it. Merry Cross’s ‘This Vast Entitled Bag Of Air’ takes the piss out of it.
But the majority of the poems in this wonderful book just reaffirm the fact that, in extremis, most of humanity reaches out to each other to succour and support. Hilary Walker’s moving, beautiful ‘Human Touch’ mourns the cruel fact that we are denied that solace now. Mark Connors’ ‘At Home’ personalises it. Nick Toczek sees silver linings in ‘Be Positive, be Keener’. And Patrick Kealy puts into words the awesome reality of how the everyday is something different, in a flash…..
Some confront the unpleasant minority. Sez Tomasin’s ‘Fuss About Nothing’ deals with those in denial, Bridie Breen’s ‘ Looking Up On You Looking Down’ with the selfish and inconsiderate, Emma Dalmayne’s ‘They Could Breathe’ with victims of domestic violence, nailed down with their abusers.
Every poem is a victory. An uplifting, real, human book. A book where poetry meets life. Which it doesn’t do anywhere near enough. Buy it please, from https://www.janinebooth.com/shop. Cheers.
