Luckily, the twenty one years of Apples and Snakes has seen an
incredible amount of talent, so that this anthology offers a whole
wide spectrum of various poets with completely different styles,
from conservative rhymed poems, to modern innovative and
contemporary forms.
Velocity contains works of proven poets, whose work is expected to
represent a template for contemporary verse. Michael Donaghy gives
us Southwesternmost and Exile's
End, his talented and precise work which never fails to
impress.
Mimi Khalvati is in there, Roger McGough, Brian Pattern, Grace
Nichols et al, but Velocity furthermore rewards us
by giving us an opportunity to read younger talents, that are
dominating London's Performance Poetry scene, but whose work
stands strong and proud when written down. How can anyone fail to
feel deepest emotions after reading Zena Edwards'
Blankets and Roses, or Jacob Sam-La Rose's
Bone, or Aoife Mannix's Only the
Essentials. These three are probably best examples how
poetry can reach highest effectiveness both when performed and read
straight from the page.
The writer of these lines has been auspicious enough to witness the
wonderful birthday party of Apples and Snakes, where many poets
from this anthology read their work on the same stage where A&S
organised their first reading, exactly 21 years ago. The
versatility and the offering of talent in this way can only be
achieved by good old Apples and Snakes. Hats off!
Conversely, there are verses in this anthology written by well
established poets who fail to impress at all and whose work is
completely over shadowed by younger newcomers.
Michael Horovitz's poem Some Poets are
Politicians is lacking inspiration and inventiveness. Same
goes for Billy Childish's tediously repetitive We Have
War Because We Love War (when will the unimaginative
preaching end?), that has an atrocious form. How can anyone really
wish to see totally pointless and talentless childish drawings by
John Hegley? And poets that dub themselves pseudonyms such as
"Nicholas Urbanspirit Makoha", "Thom the World
Poet" and "Mr. Social Control" are definitely
suspicious.
Fortunately, Velocity brings us new aptitudes, new
hopes and bright forms, reminding audiences that the twenty one
years of Apples and Snakes was a well worthwhile, damn useful and
productive period of offering young talents opportunities to
display their poetic know-how and to strengthen their confidence
and wish to write and produce great pieces of poetry. Well done
Apples and Snakes. See you in another twenty one years.
