Strongroom. Review by Alan Price. With the BFI’s Strongroom and its extra film The Man in the Back Seat we have two powerful examples of terrifically tight story telling. Three crooks rob the strongroom of an airtight vault and lock the manager and his secretary inside. But it’s a bank holiday weekend and being there for three days means they will suffocate.
Poetry review – CHANGE YOUR LIFE: Alwyn Marriage considers a new selection of Rilke’s poetry translated by Martyn Crucefix
Poetry review – AT A TANGENT: Neil Elder admires a well put together New and Selected from John Weston
Poetry review – ANXIOUS BRICOLAGE: Jennifer Johnson is intrigued and impressed by an unusual long poem from Richard Leigh
Poetry review – TRY TO FIND ME: Sue Wallace-Shaddad discovers that Tessa Foley’s poetry takes her to unfamiliar places
ENDLESS PRESENT: Kate Noakes reviews a generous selection of articles and reviews by Rory Waterman
Poetry review – LANDSCAPE WITH MINES: Peter Ualrig Kennedy is moved by the strength and immediacy of Anna Bowles’ poetry in this impressive pamphlet.
Poetry review –of an octopus: an archite|x|tural awareness of words: Charles Rammelkamp reviews an intriguing new collection by Diane Sahms
Poetry Review – MEETING PLACES: Antony Johae reviews a recent collection by Sally Festing
The Weight of Being. Review by Barbara Lewis. “Life is hard, that’s why no one survives” is the title of a work by Middlesborough-born artist Gordon Dalton.
Ultimately, even art is not a cure, but it can console, give meaning and even extend our lives. It’s true for us all to varying degrees.
Poetry review – WINGING IT: Jennifer Johnson wonders if the laid-back title of Malcolm Carson’s collection belies the care with which it has been composed
Poetry review – THE HUM HEARERS: Chris Konrad finds Shey Marque’s new collection to be a search for the irreducible essence at the centre of what we call life
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, year 2025