One of this year’s stories has been the publication of my slim volume of Poetry titled ‘A Light Mazed’. In total 24 poems with my illustrations are available for the very first time as a collated whole and will initially be available from this site for the price of £10.99 + P&P .

The inspiration is multifaceted, but in essence is about time and place in my small corner of Suffolk over the last 5 years or so. With my poetry, observation is key and I’ve been graced the chance to observe how a plot of woodland which I maintain, transcends time and the people, flora and fauna that have occupied it. The woodland in question has been crossed by people for thousands of years from Neolithic to Bronze age, Iceni to Roman, from mercenary armies to landed gentry and from monastic pilgrim to itinerant farm labourer. Ironically my 5 years and counting is the quietest period of time on this land for many decades. Part of my observations are about it reverting away from us into something wilder and what this feels like and looks like. The quiet that transcends the woodland today muffles what has gone before, my job as a poet is to tap into the wavelength of the place and describe it to you. That’s what I hope and expect this slim volume to do.

Previously my poetry has sometimes been published in anthologies with other poets, a process I’ve enjoyed immensely as I’ve met so many interesting people along the way. I have however branched out with this poetry collection, another way of putting it is that I’ve ‘anthologised’ myself, as there was just too much to say to break up the poems and illustrations into smaller chunks.

I really hope anyone who purchases a copy and reads it enjoys the glimpse it offers into a rare environment that is making its own history.