Ten: New Poets from Spread the Word

by Bernardine Evaristo (Editor), Daljit Nagra (Editor)

This groundbreaking anthology of ten new poets truly reflects the multicultural make-up of contemporary Britain. At a time when less than 1% of all poetry books published in the UK are by black or Asian poets, the work of these writers testifies to the quality and versatility of vital writing that should not be overlooked. These new voices draw on cultural influences and multiple heritages that can only enrich and broaden the scope of contemporary British poetry. This anthology is the culmination of a much needed initiative by literature development agency Spread the Word to support talented new Black and Asian poets. The poets' histories are to be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ireland and England. Their eclectic, wide-ranging poems will take you on a journey into war and exile, myth and magic, homeland and memory, fantasy, family and love. Whether travelling through the streets of London, the killing fields of Bangladesh, the cane fields of the Caribbean, or back in time to the life of a courtesan in 3rd century BC India, these poems will open up new landscapes for the reader. Ten's new poets Mir Mahfuz Ali, Rowyda Amin, Malika Booker, Roger Robinson, Karen McCarthy, Nick Makoha, Denise Saul, Seni Seneviratne, Shazea Quraishi and Janet Kofi Tsekpo.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2010

About the author

Bernardine Evaristo is the Anglo-Nigerian award-winning author of several books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the African diaspora: past, present, real, imagined. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other won the Booker Prize in 2019. Her writing also spans short fiction, reviews, essays, drama and writing for BBC radio. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University, London, and Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature. She was made an MBE in 2009. As a literary activist for inclusion Bernardine has founded a number of successful initiatives, including Spread the Word writer development agency (1995-ongoing); the Complete Works mentoring scheme for poets of colour (2007-2017) and the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (2012-ongoing).

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of poetry about the universal elements of life. The book contains a short biography of each poet, a selection of their poems, and a brief explanation of each reflecting on style and theme. A truly inspiring read.

[Sheila]

Borrowed this as an ebook from the library and found a few poems I really liked

By Karen McCarthy Woolf
Mort Dieu
White Butterflies

By Seni Seneviratine
Roqueburn

By Mir Mahfuz Ali
Bidisha on the Wall
My First Shock at School
Still Birth

[Gita Swasti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karena ditulis oleh banyak orang, isinya jadi beragam. Perihal seksualitas, keluarga, kesunyian, kematian. peperangan.

Beberapa penulis yang saya sukai:

- Seni Severatine, puisi-puisinya terasa patuh pada penyelidikannya. Sangat observan.
- Nick Makoha, puisi-puisinya energik, eksploratif, dan meninggalkan kesan yang belum selesai.
- Rowyda Amin, puisi-puisinya berbau sejarah yang tenggelam dalam interseksionalitas. Ia merangkul banyak hal. Ia sepertinya menyukai kerumitan suatu hal.

[Prerana Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good collection of poems from poets who have come from different parts of the world. Bangladeshi poet who wrote my salma was very touching.

[Shriram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology is delightful in every sense. There has never been a better time in celebrating the contribution of poetic voices of non-native English speaking countries.

Some of the poems in this anthology are breathtakingly refreshing. Some are poignant in imagery. Some are raw in experience. But all the poems offer, one way or the other, different perspectives on life.

Credit should also be given to editors for their balancing act. They had restricted themselves from overdoing their jobs.

Read it if you're interested in hearing the often-drowned poetic voices.