Although this blog never really stuck to poetry as the theme for the majority of posts, I still retain the ambition to learn more about poetry and poets and share some gobbets with my readers . Those poets who formed the Belfast Group in the 1970s were an interesting bunch. In the week that Seamus Heaney is being commemorated and celebrated, I am researching the poets and writers that contributed to the Honest Ulsterman literary journal.
I went to one of Belfast’s biggest second hand bookshops that used to have premises in the North Street arcade before it was struck by fire. It took a short while to locate an anthology of modern poetry from the North of Ireland. Philosophy still interests me so I bought a copy of Daniel Dennett’s book on consciousness and an amusing book that takes extracts from the tales of Winnie the Pooh to explain philosophy. A balloon symbolises our view of the world and honey the clear and shining emblem of truth.
Over a pint at the Sunflower bar where the Lifeboat poetry group have their monthly readings, I dipped into the poetry anthology. Tom Paulin’s writing was a pleasant surprise, Longley demands a closer look and Simmons featured prominently.
Grabbing poets work and displaying it on a blog is something I am not entirely comfortable with, but hope that my good intentions are obvious. In an age when youtube and google are the accomplices to the assault on intellectual property rights, the battle to ring-fence artistic endeavour is lost. Live performance is a must for t he artist and maybe we are the richer for that.
Like most smash and grab bloggers, I strive only to demonstrate my admiration and passion for others’ writing. The etiquette for doing so has yet to be formalised on the web, a place where formality and rules are pariahs.
Here’s a nice youtube link to James Simmons singing one of his ballads
odespinner 