A Red that Sings. Review by Barbara Lewis. “The red that sings” is a phrase rooted in the intellectual atmosphere of the 19th-century when scientists first grappled with the concept of synaesthesia, and poets and painters seized on it as a heightened response to the anxiety and excitement of breathless social change.
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Poetry review – CONVERSATIONS WITH A MACHINE : Michael Bartholomew-Biggs reviews a slim collection by Ruth Irwin that seeks to engage with big questions
Van Dyck, The European. Review by Barbara Lewis. A lack of evidence means art historians can only speculate about the relationship between Peter Paul Rubens and his most gifted pupil Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641).
Poetry review — CONVERSATIONS WITH MAGIC STONES: Sue Wallace-Shaddad admires how the techniques of writing and sculpture are related in Vivienne Tregenza’s collection inspired by the life & work of Barbara Hepworth
SEVEN STORIES: Emma Storr enjoys a selection of tales by Merryn Williams which touch on the darker side of human nature
Poetry review – BEYOND THE NINTH WAVE and RED DRESS: Simon Jenner reviews recent collections by Gordon Meade and David Cameron
Poetry review – SKY SAILING: Marie-Louise Eyres finds that a surrealist element in Tony Kitt’s poetry doesn’t hinder its ability to connect with a world his readers can recognize
Poetry review – MULTUM IN PARVO: Alex Josephy is impressed by the range and richness of the material from which Jane Weir crafts her poems
Poetry review – FACE IT: Jennifer Johnson considers the psychological undercurrents in a substantial first collection by M Stasiak
Poetry review – CROSSING PATHS: Sarah Leavesley admires a sequence of poems about cross-country walks by Jean Atkin & Richard Skinner which could be seen as a kind of rambler’s guide in verse
Poetry review – OUR WEIRD REGIMENT: Shanta Acharya discusses Martyn Crucefix’s thoughtful and eloquent explorations of change and fragility
Poetry review – THE LAST ONE PICKED: D A Prince recognizes how far Stuart Handysides has developed his craft and experience before producing a first collection
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, year 2026 • Tags: books, D A Prince, poetry