Ten Poems About Walking, Introduced by Sasha Dugdale

'Instead of a Card' is the idea behind the British publisher Candlestick Press' range of gorgeous small poetry pamphlets. With covers created by leading contemporary artists and poems hand-picked to speak to every kind of reader, all their titles offer a richly rewarding reading journey.  Pamphlets are supplied with an envelope for posting and a bookmark for a special message. 

This volume -

There seems to be a natural connection between walking and poetry. For William Wordsworth, the regular rhythm of walking was a stimulus to writing, and he said that "nine-tenths of my verses have been poured out in the open air."

This beautiful mini-anthology contains William Wordsworth's heart-stopping 'Old Man Travelling' alongside contemporary poems that capture the delights of a walk with a dear friend and of walking in solitude. There's a poem about setting off through city streets to find a river and a heron, and another featuring a surprising encounter on the top of Helvellyn. One by one then as a whole, these poems remind us that being on foot is one of the best ways of experiencing the world:

"Sole self I bedded down close as I could To listen: lapping, birdlife homing, settling..." - from 'Lake' by David Constantine

Sasha Dugdale is an award-winning poet and translator and a keen walker.

Poems by Matthew Clegg, David Constantine, Sasha Dugdale, Choman Hardi, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Stephanie Norgate, MR Peacocke, Stephen Watts, William Wordsworth and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. Cover illustration by Hugh Ribbans. 

Candlestick Press | 2022 | Paperback | 20 pages | 21 x 13.7 x 0.3cm | 70g