Walrussey by Bex Hainsworth (ABCTales Poet Mistaken Magic)

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Wed, 06 Dec 2023

Well this definitely deserves a place on our front page: Bex Hainsworth who wrote on ABCTales as Mistaken Magic has published her first poetry anthology. Not only that, but one of the poems in the collection, ‘An Octopus Picks Litter at the End of the World’ has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize by her publisher, The Black Cat Poetry Press. Very big congratulations to her! 

 

I'm sure most of you won't remember me, but this site was such an important step in my writing journey. It was where, at sixteen years old, I first started sharing my poetry. This community helped me develop my craft and supported me through the ups and downs of my teenage years. 

Leaving ABCtales behind whilst I was at university was difficult, but felt like what I needed as I dedicated my time to studying and starting teacher training. 

I'm now thirty-two and a full-time English teacher. This year, I married the love of my life, a wonderful person who has edited every poem I've written for the past five years, and I published my first collection of poetry! 

I would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone at ABCtales, past and present, for being such an important part of my life, and for all the support and feedback you offered me when I was first starting out as a fledgling poet

Walrussey is a collection of 28 poems which explore marine ecosystems and their inhabitants, from a Greenland shark lurking in the depths of Arctic waters to the tide pools of the Welsh coast. It is an ode to the beauty of these aquatic worlds, but also a warning about the devastating impacts of climate change.
 
"This brillianty-titled collection describes an abundance of sea and shore creatures, capturing them in a visionary net of language. Meticulous and lyrical attention to detail is evident throughout; the poems are inventve, compassionate ; they convey the fragility of life and the long planetary history we share with our fellow creatures." - Penelope Shuttle 
 
Copies can be purchased directly from the publisher, The Black Cat Poetry Press, here: https://www.blackcatpress.co.uk/product-page/walrussey

Comments

Submitted by mark p on

 

 

Submitted by mark p on

Congratulations. well done!

 

Submitted by MistakenMagic on

Thank you, Mark! :) 

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Great to see this and have your story up to date. I remember you and your brill poetry from before. Congrats on the book and a fair wind for setting sail 

 

Submitted by MistakenMagic on

Thank you so much, blighters! I remember your wonderful work, so glad to see you're still posting here - I need to get stuck back in and start commenting! 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I didn't know your work, so I am glad you left your early poems on here - from those I've read now, you were brilliant even as a student ten years ago. I hope very much that your book does really well as it surely deserves!

 

Submitted by MistakenMagic on

Hello there! Thank you so much for checking out my earlier work and for your very kind words. Publishing with small presses means marketing is always a struggle, but I've almost sold out my first print run. It's always great news when someone who isn't related to me or friends with my mum buys a copy! Thanks again for reading my poems - I hope to start posting on ABCtales again soon :) 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Congratulations on selling all of your first print, that's fabulous!

 

Submitted by celticman on

I've bought a copy. Looking forward to reading it. 

 

Submitted by MistakenMagic on

Thank you again, celticman! 

 

Submitted by celticman on

An Octopus PIcks Litter at the End of the World is indeed a wonder.