The Ritual. Review by Alan Price. The Ritual was the 1977 debut feature of Indian director Girish Kasaravalli. For many years it was very difficult to see in the West. Now thanks to the Film Heritage Foundation it’s been beautifully restored.
Poetry review – TREESONGS: Charles Rammelkamp is entranced by Amy Barone’s sensitive and uplifting celebrations of nature
Poetry review – THE WAY THE WATER HELD ME: Pam Thompson considers Catherine Redford’s poems of bereavement in which Mary Shelley becomes a companion in grief
Poetry review – SIGNALS TO THE DISAPPEARING SHORE: Kate Ashton is moved and impressed by these poems in which Aidan Semmens confronts dark episodes in world history, both past and present
Poetry review – CROSSING THE HINGE : Nick Cooke praises Mandy Pannett for scrupulously avoiding dishonesty and self-deception in her poems about the challenges facing our world
Poetry review – DREAM LOGIC: Vanessa Napolitano is enthusiastic about a debut collection from Satya Bosman
British Landscapes. Review by Barbara Lewis. In the depths of World War Two, the British government funded a project called “Recording Britain” that commissioned artists to capture landscapes and buildings at risk of disappearing.
Rinaldo. Review by Barbara Lewis. Handel’s Rinaldo, the first Italian-language opera created for a London audience, was an 18th-century hit about love, war and redemption. It was written at speed and performed with lavish special effects at a time when tales of crusading knights filled the popular imagination.
Poetry review – PLYMBRIDGE: D A Prince reviews a collection by Anthony Wilson which draws together memories from different times, making some sometimes surprising connections
Poetry review – TIGRESS WITH WINGS: Sue Wallace-Shaddad is impressed by Rupinder Kaur Waraich’s vivid poems on growing up within Indian culture
Poetry review – LIES BLURRING HERE: Nick Cooke looks at a new collection by Adam Piette which is concerned both with the search for clarity and the avoidance of it
Poetry review – SEANG (HUNGER): Belinda Cooke reviews a moving account by Anne Casey describing a people’s displacement and ill treatment
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • added recently on London Grip, books, history, poetry reviews, year 2026