Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Robert Sheppard: Shearsman Launch of History or Sleep: Selected Poems (set list)

At the Shearsman Launch Reading on Tuesday 12 January 2016 I read with Sascha Aurora Akhtar at the Swedenborg Hall, London, hosted by Tony Frazer, publisher of Shearsman Books.

I launched History or Sleep, my new selected poems, for the third time, and again, did not repeat any of the poems from the other readings.  

This selection draws on every book of my poetry since Returns of 1985 through to Words Out of Time of 2015, and is designed to sample in portable form both the recurring and developing themes of my work and their changing forms. See various posts on this blog Pages about the selection and de-selection of the poems here. And here. There is a new review of the book, by Steve Waling, here.

Details and purchase details here!

Patricia Farrell's 1993 portrait used for the cover

I read:

One for William Carlos Williams
Looking North 2
History or Sleep
Small Voice
from Warrant Error: Caught between wipers
Four Poems Against Death

and I finished with a recentish elegy for Lee Harwood, and a poem I wrote on the train, on the way to London for the gig, then called 'Ode to Life', now called '(Variation on) Ode to Life'. (It's a Don Pullen composition; listen up here, for the one I have on CD, and here for a live solo version. It's stunning.)

A great evening: great friends. Watch an earlier reading here.

Clark Allison's review of the book may be read on Stride here. 'The Advert of Itself: Some Notes on Robert Sheppard's History or Sleep'. A second review, by Ian Brinton here.  There is another review of the book, by Steve Waling, here.

Details of Sascha's book here.