Introduced as ‘poetry to read to the monsters under your bed,’ Sadie Maskery’s first full-length collection unearths magical tropes, blending imagination with scepticism. Her writing permeates the borders between dreams and reality, past and present, attachment and loss in ways that are both whimsical and haunting.
The mythological state of history can cast a shadow on the apparent mundanity of contemporary life. It can be tempting to look at the world and proclaim that we have reached the end of a time where people can look at the world around them with childish wonder. It takes poetic works such as Ruth Mcllroy’s The pot of Earth and the Iron Pot to reinvigorate the majesty of day-to-day life, dissipating the numbness that often accompanies familiarity.
It’s safe to say that The Vagina Monologues is not a play that everyone wants to see. A combination of observations, monologues inspired by interviews about women’s relationships and experiences with their vaginas, and facts about genitalia, the play remains legendary in feminist culture, but is often prefaced by “could you imagine watching…” by others. From the beginning of the play, the point was made clear: ’think about your vagina. Do you like it?’
Intricately lyrical, Dai George’s second collection Karaoke King is infused with musicality and rhythm. Through styles ranging from reggae to calypso to jingles, this deft fusion of themes and contemplations explores concerns surrounding politics and climate change, and trepidation in approaching an increasingly digitalised world….
Eric Ngalle Charles’ work covers his life and experiences as an individual with an identity that has been pushed, and stretched over and around the world. As the blurb describes, his life is one of displacement and trafficking, being taken from his home in Cameroon to Russia, before finally settling in Wales, from where he now describes his story.
Old Boy offers an insight into Dundee’s boys and men, the history of familiar faces. Finn hasn’t even learned to walk, yet his grandfather Martin is here to share his story — just last year born but with so much ahead of him to learn. 10-year-old Harris has a special bond with his grandfather, David, talking about football, discussing the present, the future, and answering Harris’ hundreds of questions about David’s past, “What was life like when you were my age, granddad?”
Scottish Dance TheatreDundee Rep, 17-18 March Two pieces from the SDT’s new production are inspired by nature—imagining how we could be something else (a tree or a flock of birds). These create a shared space in a joyous & expansive act of poetic imagination. Pauline Torzuoli, the choreographer, has suggested seeing the piece as ‘a Read More
Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is an intriguing encounter of the final moments one desolate soul, Charlie, makes on a path riddled with mistakes, a journey all of us know. Having abandoned his now 17-year-old daughter ten years ago, he is in search for redemption as a parent whilst battling with two major struggles—his declining health, as well as the guilt which lingers as a result of abandoning his family.
Adam Wyeth’s collection is poetic and dynamic, about:blank tentatively explores the nature of writing itself, and where it emerges from.
There is a stark, polarising beauty in Winter nights. The cold air makes the warmth shine all the brighter. Rhiannon Hooson’s Goliat follows this style of beauty and intrigue, illuminating its subjects through visual and lyrical contrast. The collection pulls the reader into a diverse array of striking landscapes. These places are as much the focus as the people who occupy them, twisting the narratives around complex histories and unique physical features that have moulded them….