Fractures

I’ve mentioned in a few places that I have a poetry collection forthcoming and I’m now in a position to share some details about it. Fractures is a series of haiku and haiku-like* poems that stand alone and also form a fragmentary narrative. It’s been taken on by the fabulous Tapsalteerie press based in rural Aberdeenshire (I know, the Aberdeenshire lad went to Japan, wrote Japanese poems and ended up getting them published by another Aberdeenshire lad – such is the weird way of the modern world). Tapsalteerie are responsible for some of fantastic poetry pamphlets over the last few years, including two by Calum Rodger which I particularly admire, so I was delighted when Duncan agreed to publish Fractures. It’ll be out in the world this autumn so watch this space for details and developments.

*I’m not going to go into the whole discussion about whether haiku can really work in English – it’s an old debate that shows no signs of being decided one way or the other. I’d say the spirit and some of the rules of haiku transfer well into English but the famed 5-7-5 structure doesn’t. A syllable in English is not the same as a syllable in Japanese. Breaking fragile, beautiful poems just to force them into a synthetic frame seems daft. Each poem has its own perfect form. Sometimes that’s 5-7-5, sometimes it isn’t.