Aesthetica 2023

The Aesthetica Creative Writing  Anthology 2023

Delighted to have been shortlisted in the competition and for my poem 'Lilias' to be published in their magazine, as from 18th December.                                                                        

                                               

Featured Writer in Federation of Writers (Scotland)'s newletter.

 Delighted to be Featured Writer in November's Federation of Writers (Scotland)'s Newsletter.

Featured Writer

This month we are delighted to welcome the winner of this year’s Alastair

Reid Poetry Pamphlet prize and co-curator of PoetryLit, Stephanie Green, as

our featured writer. As her biography shows, Stephanie has an excellent track

record as a writer and collaborator in poetic projects and has the distinction of

having been shortlisted for the Wigtown Poetry Prize this year as well. ‘The

Roider’, the poem she has chosen to share with newsmail readers, is one of

the poems in the prize-winning pamphlet: its visceral immediacy, economy of

language and the poignancy of its deeply moving ending amply demonstrate

the qualities of Stephanie’s writing which so impressed the Wigtown judges.

Biog.

Stephanie Green is Irish/English. Her pamphlets are ‘Glass Works’ short-listed

for the Callum McDonald Award, 2005, ‘Flout’ (HappenStance, 2015) and

‘Ortelius’ Sea-Monsters’ (Wigtown Festival Company, 2023), winner of the

Alastair Reid prize. She has collaborated with Sonja Heyer, Sound Artist,

creating poetry/sound walks: ‘Berlin Umbrella’ which appeared at StAnza,

2020 and ‘Rewilding’ (online at Writers’ Rebel) at the Orkney Nature Festival,

2023. She was shortlisted in the Wigtown main prize, 2023 and came 2nd in

the Poetry Wales Award, 2023. She co-curates ‘PoetryLit’ online, works as a

Dance reviewer and lives in Edinburgh. www.stephaniegreen.org.uk/

6

Roider

A dark red H – I once knew the word -

on the black funnels of whaling ships.

I pray your flesh, dark, red, will cure me,

but I must have nil by mouth,

strung up, fed with liquids like the gulps of sea

that swooshed through your baleen, a vast brush,

each cold, rubbery strand jammed tight,

trapping thousands of micro-organisms

as once every sensation, pulse of life,

filtered through my brain.

How many remembered now?

Synapses fizzling. Black-out.

Acrid smoke fluctuates, revealing

sunlit trees, as I walk through a wood

down to the beach holding my mother’s hand.

Who is the stranger who seems to know me

as she kisses my forehead? A young man

comes less often, and is impatient to be gone –

he seems familiar – one of my ship mates, perhaps -

who sniffs the kelp and salt on the wind

and hears, as I do, the call of the white seas.

Note: H stands for ‘hval’, Icelandic for whale.

This poem is taken from ‘Ortelius’ Sea-Monsters’ (published by Wigtown

Festival Company, 2023). It was the winner of the Alastair Reid pamphlet

prize. ‘The Roider’ was first published in the Rialto.

© Stephanie Green 2023

Inspiration for two Whale Poems in 'Ortelius' Sea-Monsters'

                                                                      

                       Still from film of a humpback whale in the Husavik Whale Museum.

On the same May 2017 trip to Iceland where I saw sea-monsters on Ortelius' map, I also spent a day travelling along the coast to Husavik, whale-watching capital of North Iceland.  

Included in my 'Ortelius' Sea-Monsters' pamphlet are two poems about real whales as a counterbalance to the trauma of those sea-monster poems. However the plight of whales is also potentially traumatic as they may be on the point of extinction if we don't clear up pollution of the oceans, whether from plastic, oil or noise of shipping lanes.

I've written extensively about my 'To a Humpback Whale' poem in a feature 'How I wrote...' published in Poetry Wales (online) and also briefly mentioned the atmospheric experience of the Husavik Whale Museum.

See previous blog posted 2022/03/how-i-wrote-to-humpback-whale-poetry.

Some photos of the trip:

                                                   Kitted out against the cold wind and spray.

                                                                 A  "blow".

                                                  All we saw. No breaches. Oh well.

                                             Inside Husavik Whale Museum.
                                              

Sea-Monsters in Akureyri Museum, Iceland

Hanging from the ceiling of Akureyri museum were several papier mache monsters made by local primary school children.  I hope they did not haunt the kids with nightmares as they did me after a visit  to this museum, in North Iceland, May 2017.

The models were inspired by this map of Iceland with its surrounding seas full of mythological and fantastical sea-monsters.  I was electrified by these monsters, and they became the inspiration for my poems exploring trauma -arising from the sea of the unconscious I suppose - which eventually became the pamphlet 'Ortelius' Sea-Monsters' which has won the Alistair Reid Award, 2023.                                 

        

            Map of Iceland by Ortelius, 1590,  Akureyri Museum, North Iceland

Here is the description of the monsters available in the Museum with close-ups images added by myself.

 a) The Nahual. If any man eat of this fish, he dieth presently. It hath a tooth in the forepart of his head, standing out seuen cubites. This diuers haue sold for the Vnicornes hornes. It is thought to be a good antidote and foueraigne medicine against poison. This Monster is forty elles in length. (This image is not found on Ortelius’ map, so I have used one by Pierre Pomet, 1694).

b) The Roider, a fish of an hundred and thirty elles in length, which hath no teeth. The flesh of it is very good meat, wholesome and toothsome. The fatte of it is good against many diseases.

c) The Burchualur hath his head bigger than all the body beside. It hath many very strong teeth whereof they make Chesmen or Tablemen. It is threescore cubites long. (A sperm whale?)

d) The Hyena, the sea hogge, a monstrous kind of fish, of which thou maiest read in the 21 books of Olaus Magnus. (N.B. 3 eyes in its flank.)

e) Ziphius (or Xiphius) an horrible sea monster, swallowing the blacke seale at one bitte.   (An orca?)

f) The English whale, beached. Not used.

g) Hroshualur, that is as much as to say Sea-horse, with a mane hanging downe from his necke like an horse. It often doth the fishermen great hurt and skare.

h) Not used. The greatest kind of Whales. It is more like a little iland, than a fish. It cannot follow or chase the smaller fishes, by reason of the huge greatnesse and waigth of his body, yet he praieth vpon many, which he catcheth by a natural wile and subtility which he vseth for to get his food.

i) Skautuhvalur, this fish altogether full of gristles or bones, is somewhat like a ray or skaite but an infinite deale bigger: when it appeareth, it is like an iland, and with his finnes ouerturneth ships and boates.

Ortelius' Sea Monsters wins the Alastair Reid Prize.

 

So delighted to win the Alastair Reid 2023 (Wigtown Book Festival) Poetry prize.

Wigtown's Facebook page says:

Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize

Named in memory of one of Scotland’s foremost literary talents, this recognises a collection of work rather than individual poems. The prize is for the work to be set as a pamphlet by Gerry Cambridge and published by the Wigtown Festival Company.

• Winner: Ortelius’s Sea Monsters, by Stephanie Green

Donald S Murray, the judge, said: “‘Ortelius’ Sea-Monsters’ is outstanding in terms of its source of inspiration and the varied ways in which the writer examines the fantastical beings to which the reader is introduced within its pages. I relished each encounter, fascinated by the different ways in which each creature is described. This is a work which is a triumph both for the writer’s imagination and their wide and surprising range of poetic skills.”

Tyrone Guthrie Centre, July 2023

 

How great to be on writing retreat at the wonderful  Tyrone Guthrie Centre (Annaghmakerrig) again  and this time with Milla Van Der Have, my dear friend and poet colleague on PoetryLit, the monthly online poetry event we run.  

No PLit business this time...just writing our own stuff, and joining everyone else here for dinner and craic in the evenings.

Rotterdam Poetry Festival, June 2023

 Rotterdam Poetry Festival, June 2023. 

 Left to right: Walco Van Loon, Iain Whiteley, Milla Van Der Have and myself, Stephanie Green                                                                                             

Great meet up of the PoetryLit! crew at the Rotterdam Poetry Festival - we were audience, not performers.   A great pleasure to meet the two men I had not met in real life before- despite being colleagues via the internet. Milla, founder and m.c. of PoetryLit! suggested  the team meet up in her country's international festival. A fantastic festival - I do recommend it.

We were lucky enough to hear the amazing poet, Ada Limon, American poet laureate.  And in between poetry events we managed to explore the amazing city - the most exciting experience a water taxi ride through the docks, and the sight of a walking tree. It must be the influence of the poetry!

Writers Rebel feature Rewilding Brodgar

Yay! Rewilding Brodgar is featured on the Writers Rebel website.  How great to be paired with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

Writers Rebel Newsletter

Dear Friends,   Rachel Carson’s ground-breaking work, Silent Spring, a classic of ecological literature, is not just a deeply-researched investigation into the damaging effects of agricultural pesticides but an evocative warning about the loss of the heartbreakingly beautiful music of the natural world. This week, we showcase an exciting new project developed by poet Stephanie Green and sound artist Sonja Heyer. They are highlighting the relevance of Carson’s message by drawing attention to the sounds of endangered species in their natural habitats. To read a little more about the project, visit Writers Rebel. Or to start their addictive, mesmerising 15-minute sound walk in Orkney straight away, visit https://rewildingbrodgar.netlify.app/. Love and rebellion,   Writers Rebel

2nd Prize Poetry Wales Award 2022

 Over the moon to receive 2nd Prize in the Poetry Wales Award, 2022, judged by Gwyneth Lewis.

Katherine Bevis was a well-deserved first prize.

Wales Poetry Award 2022 - Winners Announced!

A huge congratulations to

First Award winner Kathryn Bevis

Second Award winner Stephanie Green

Third Award winner Kit Griffiths

And to all of our Highly Commended poets: Guinevere Clark, Lesley Curwen, Jonathan Greenhouse, Gill Gregory, Rae Howells, Anna Kirby, Iris Anne Lewis, Kathy Miles, Frances Roberts-Reilly, and David Walrond

Read their poems here: https://poetrywales.co.uk/wales-poetry-award-2022.../

And keep your peeled for the video of the Awarding Ceremony, coming soon to our website and YouTube channel!

All reactions:

33Jenny McRobert, Kathryn Bevis and 31 others

Iceland Writers Retreat, April 2023

 

Viking long-ship, the ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager’  created in steel by Jon Gunnar Arnason. Notice the modern day transport of motorized scooters alongside.

Great to be back in Iceland. It was the end of April and snowed the first day even though it is the Icelandic spring.

This time not a holiday but a series of workshops on creative writing (not really a 'retreat') led by many well-known writers.   Amongst the participants I met many Americans and Canadians as well as Icelanders and also a special pleasure to meet many Africans - which I had not expected.  

The IWR is organized by the First Lady so we had a reception in the Presidential Palace. There were also a choice of day trips - I chose the literary one which involved visiting the home of Haldor Laxness where the coach driver sat down at the piano and sang to us. His other job is as professional musician.  Most unexpected. Apparently in Iceland many people have more than one job.

I attended workshops by Helen Oyeyemi and Amanda Smyth on novel writing. And a workshop by Chloe Aridjis on activism as a writer.  So you have an idea of my current interests, outwith writing poetry!  There were no workshops for poets but I understand that there will be in 2024.

On the last evening there was a participants' open mic where most people read extracts from novels in progress. I read my poem 'Inside the Whale Museum' which was about the museum in Husavik, North Iceland I visited on my last trip. It was on that same trip I  visited Akureyri and saw the sea-monsters on Ortelius' map of Iceland which inspired my poems. (See previous blog.)

I highly recommend the course, though being Iceland it is expensive but worth it.

See https://icelandwritersretreat.com/

Brodgar poetry/sound walk now called 'Rewilding'.

 

Delighted that the RSPB  will be hosting Sonja Heyer and my Orkney poetry/sound walk, now called 'Rewilding',  as part of the Orkney Nature Festival 14th May-21st May, 2023. You can listen in person walking round  the Ring of Brodgar and along the path through the RSPB Reserve  or listen online from wherever you are.  

Due to the wind in Orkney the idea of listening through umbrellas has been jettisoned! Participants will listen through their own headphones.

Much of the sound work is natural sound recordings (wind, water, birdsong) taken on site or throughout Orkney but we now have some musical additions to the final work including percussive effects by Sonja.  Also there is  an extract from 'Farewell to Stromness' by Peter Maxwell Davis to a poem warning of the demise of the lapwing, curlews etc.  This will have particular resonance to Orcadians and others who know that 'Max' wrote this to protest against proposed uranium mining (1980)  that would destroy Stromness - the heavy beat suggests the villagers/refugees leaving their homes.  I felt it beautifully fits the potential extinction of various birds and other species on the A List at Brodgar. Thankfully, Stromness was saved, as I hope birds on the endangered list will be too.

I'm also delighted that local Orcadian, Lucy Alsop, soprano, agreed to sing some verses of 'Ariel's Song' ('where the bees sucks... ' words from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', music by Thomas Arne) which meld beautifully with a poem about the Great Yellow Bumble Bee (also in danger of extinction.)  We've also inserted recordings of Orcadian poet, Ingrid Leonard, pronouncing the Orcadian dialect words for birds.  Thanks therefore to my friends, and singer/poets, Lucy and Ingrid.

Details of the event will shortly appear on the festival website... here is a wee promo of us doing the research to whet your appetite.

Click on Rewilding research and recording.