What They Don't Tell You about Being a Mum

Becoming a parent for the first time is exciting, joyous, scary and a huge step into the unknown. First-time mums can find a lot of official advice, but here is a new mum sharing her experiences of the reality in a touching and amusing way through her entertaining and honest poetry.
Following the success of the author’s Facebook page ‘What they don’t tell you about being a Mum’, to which Jayne still uploads a poem most days, here is a selection of the poems from the first year of her baby’s life.
Her message to mums is clear: Nothing prepares you for becoming a parent, it’s OK not to be OK and, most importantly, we are all in this together. Enjoy.

Weirdo Tales for the Littlie Mind

dear reader,

i must warn you that the following may entice you to a collection of stories that could leave you feeling curious and even a little odd. in these pages you will meet the part of me that is still a littlie, who often played alone finding solace in the sanctuary of imagination, yet struggled with the desire for a friend. don’t be fooled by the seemingly ordinary plot lines, there is more to these stories than meets the eye. within these pages you will find contentious topics that challenge societal norms, or stories that encourage children to think critically and form their own opinions, all in the hope to provide a neo-pedagogy-of-mutual-child-adult-parenting-experience. 

while these stories are perfect for littlies who may be eager to explore the weird world of the self, this children’s book is for all.

and while the tales may seem strange, they are full of magic, dreamy adventures of self-discovery and journeys of growth, hope and renewal. you’ll learn the joys of decluttering the mind from dull forgettable thoughts. you’ll witness the magic of watching something grow and thrive. you may learn the lesson that true comfort can come in the simplest of forms. the endless, arduous journey to search for true friendship is matched by the raw emotional struggles of our weird and wondrous mind. 

so if you are brave enough to venture into the world of the weirdo tarot, i invite you to turn the pages and explore the mysterious and peculiar, weirdo tales for the littlie mind.

yours weirdly,

the weirdo tarot

(be weird it’s normal)

Wavelengths

‘Wavelengths' is an exploration of light, colour and form through the creation of transfigured natural images.

The result is a series of multi-layered image-scapes exploring the spectrum of visible wavelengths and my fascination with refraction and the interaction of light and glass, taking the images through the colours of the rainbow.  

These images are linked to a selection of poetry that provides a sidelight on the images.

One does not illustrate the other, but gives a different departure point for interpretation.

The poetry is chosen to have some relevance to the facing image  -  in a variety of styles, from 18th century to modern poets, and from well-known favourites to unknown poems.

Walking on Ice

Life is a journey, often perilous. We take risks, not because we want to die, but because we want to feel alive. This book explores the feelings of joy and triumph, loss and regret that we all experience along the way. Set in airports, train stations and bus stops, it captures the moments in transit and transition where we pause to reflect on our own journey, gather our thoughts and rebuild ourselves stronger and wiser to carry on. 

Waking Up to Beauty

Poems are small individual vignettes. Each one telling a story and painting a picture.
Poetry is a special art form. People from all walks of life can express themselves and their thoughts through poetry.
Sometimes a memory triggers an emotion: if you like to write poetry, then there is no better way to express a moment in time than to write the words that give a poem life.
Poetry can be funny, it can be serious, it can be about love, it can be about sorrow. Poems can be about so much: about the sea, about rivers, about snow, and the warm glow in the fireplace, at home, in the deep mid-winter.
Poetry lets us feel the emotion and view the scene in our own minds, through the vision of the poet. Read on…

Voyager

This poetry anthology provides reflections on a variety of topics ranging from nature, family, and transformative experiences. The experiences contained are not earth-shattering or unique, but everyday stories that could be told by everybody. Heather Riches has encapsulated these in a thoughtful but respectful way, and they will strike a chord with all who absorb them.

Verse and Worse

This book of poetry will appeal to those who can see life from a different perspective; for example, the author’s poem on Trousers, reflecting a different view of these everyday garments. His writing is both innovative and sometimes intense whilst also being humorous, such as Knickers and Bras and It’s the Dog that gets the Blame. His writing can also be political and controversial like his poem Black is White and can contain clear messages for political leaders.

The author’s insight into the lives of different people, as shown in Actors and Disability, shows a refreshing and informative view of life. His love of the countryside is clearly demonstrated in Beauty of the Countryside and in other poems. His writing is more punchy than mellifluous, reflecting his unique style of composition.

This collection of poetry is a worthy addition to the genre.

Unwavering

Opening the Window Into a Soul:

Confidence

Loneliness

Grief

Liberation

Power

Finding hope

Anguish

Tragic Relationships

Insecurity

Inner Torment

Revenge

Alienation

Love

Loss

Manipulation

Because What is Simple About Being Human?

Una Terra Nel Sole: A Land in the Sun

Questa pubblicazione e’ una raccolta bilingue di poesie del Tempo del Sogno (Dreamtime), originariamente scritte in italiano da Lino Concas e accompagnate dalla traduzione inglese di John Gatt-Rutter. Le poesie esprimono il fascino e l’identificazione del poeta con la cultura antica degli Aborigeni australiani conosciuta come “Dreamtime” (Tempo del Sogno) e i traumi storici della colonizzazione bianca. Esse sono diverse da qualsiasi altra poesia sull’esperienza aborigena, e sono una creazione unica sia tematicamente che nel loro linguaggio poetico. Le poesie vengono accompagnate dalle fotografie del “Dreamtime” (Tempo del Sogno ) e dal materiale informativo , incluse le scuse per la “Stolen Generation” del Primo Ministro Kevin Rudd, 2008. Questa pubblicazione mira ad avere un ampio impatto tra i lettori sia di lingua italiana che di lingua inglese, e va oltre una semplice lettura di poesie.

This publication is a bilingual collection of Dreamtime poems, originally written in Italian by Lino Concas, and accompanied by English translation by John Gatt-Rutter. The poems express the poet’s fascination and identification with the age-old culture of Australia’s Aborigines known as Dreaming or Dreamtime and the traumas of white settlement. They are unlike any other poetry about the Aboriginal experience and are a unique creation both thematically and in their poetic language. The poems will be backed up with Dreamtime photography and informative material, including the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s 2008 “Sorry Speech” about the Stolen Generation. This publication aims at making a wide impact among both Italophone and non-italophone readers, and goes beyond a simple reading of poetry.

Twenty-First Century Renderings

Twenty-First Century Renderings is a first collection of poems about love, culture and poetic influence from a new British poet, Christopher Dadson.

In this collection, Christopher explores themes of change, constancy and conflict through a broad range of forms and styles, from traditional sonnets and ballads through lyrical and dramatic monologue, to free verse and longer narrative styles.

His poems are straightforward on the surface but contain echoes of English and Spanish language poets through the ages, resulting in a contemporary collection that draws equally on early modern poetic tradition and present day experience.

Tracking the Meanders of the Self

When facing cancer, far from her family and country, alone, Danielle found the strength she needed to fight, in personal expression. She confided her innermost thoughts to her modest art forms. It became a survival quest, an exercise in human resilience. Images and added poems helped her conjure up the tenets of her life.

People who are confronted by near-death experience through disease will closely relate to her ordeals having to come to terms with the possible outcome of treatment: a scary dilemma.

Art helped her retake charge of her life rather than let herself be victimised by the experience. She couldn’t change the course of events but she could change the way she looked at it and become more positive. A deeper self-comprehension came with the acceptation of her own human limitations. Only later serenity became part of the equation.

Today and Yesterday

Written over a number of decades and covering a wide range of experiences and aspects of life, Today and Yesterday has been described as:  “A compelling and poignant collection of poetry … the vivid and colourful verse will captivate readers, drawing them into each piece and holding them until the very end. … The intricate and intriguing themes will leave many readers reflecting on their own lives and experiences as they are taken on an extraordinary and thought-provoking journey.”
This new book of poetry from David McMichael seeks to attain a balance between the modern and the traditional, the real and the dreamlike, ‘today and yesterday’. Only the reader can decide to what extent this is achieved.