Poetry Scotland 57 and 58

Issue 57 celebrates the opening of the Clackmannanshire Bridge. It contains a lively spread
of poems, including a page of translations from Romanian poet Simona Grazia-Dima by diehard's
own globe-trotter and poet Morelle Smith, and a debut sequence by Dundee's Murdo Macdonald
on an updated mythology theme. There are contributions from new and regular poets, and our
first poem in Italian (the English is below), while on the one hand, Robert Ritchie does a little
affectionate fun-poking in his inimitable strain, and on the other hand, Helena Nelson writes movingly of Duncan Glen.

With the two longer contributions, a number of other poems have been held over till the Spring,
so I hope you will be patient rather than disappointed if they include yours.

Issue 58, a Dedicated Issue by John Tatum, has also been prepared. A few copies were sent out
before a mechanical printing error was noticed on page 3 which obscured a fair part of the text in a column of poems.

We have decided to reprint this issue in a second printing. We are hoping to have it reprinted for
the author before Christmas, and it will be included with the Spring mailout to all subscribers.
A pity, because the blue and green made a pretty Christmas colour match.

Valeria Di Clemente: translation of Per Ricordo, Issue 57, p3, Remembering

I spent these last ten years also
among old glorious Northumbrian stones
whose names whip like wind
mixed with rain, nothing to say,
they wake up half-sleeping voyagers,
York, Whitby - Jarrow, Monkwearmouth
homeland of my patron saint,
Lindisfarne tidal island, holy island,
and now that something has happened
that mates old stones
and last spring grass,
caught by the rush of the flight
I cross the half-destroyed border walls,
the first and the second,
here are the Picts, ready to give battle
with their blue-painted faces –
and then, surprise, here’s my mirage too,
rolling like a rolling top along the streets
of this city – where dreamers
and fairies live a real life,
free spirits think at night
of dreams dreamt during the day. English translation by the poet.

Sally Evans

Announced and published are the four first of a new diehard
response to current poetry publishing: diehard Poetry
Scotland Windfall chapbooks.
The first are Ian Blake (author of diehard paperback
Aultgrishan, long sold out). Then two Gaelic poets,
Rody Gorman known to all PS-ers and Rob McIllechiar, a
relative newcomer. diehard was one of the pioneers of
Scottish all-Gaelic publishing, which has now taken on
in a big way. The fourth of the first four is Sally
Evans; this is because her book was ready, while the
next two invited women poets, Morelle Smith and
Margaret Gillies Brown, have just been published.

The books are:

Windfall 1. Ian Blake: Waiting for Ginger Rogers at Loch Oich.
Windfall 2. Rob McIllechiar: Aiteachadh
Windfall 3. Rody Gorman: Eadar Fiaradh is Balbh na h-Oidhche
Windfall 4. Sally Evans: The Great North Road.
Windfall 5. Morelle Smith: The Ravens and the Lemon Tree
Windfall 6. Margaret Gillies Brown: Sang o the Mavis

You can order the books at £3 each. (at 43
pages, card cover, sewn, they're designed to exactly
fit the ordinary letter band).

Poetry Scotland: the magazine

Poetry Scotland 57 and 58

Windfall Chapbooks

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