The Emma Press Anthology of Aunts E-Book

• Herausgeber: The Emma Press
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: The Emma Press Poetry Anthologies
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 47

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

At one remove from parental authority, aunts play a crucial role in the upbringing of children across the world. This anthology puts these women in the spotlight and explores what it means to be – and feels like to have – an aunt, historically and today. Some aunts are biological, some are chosen, but all have an impact on the way we learn to move through the world. Poets in this volume tell stories of glamorous confidants, akin to older siblings, and of older women, tough and worldly-wise, who offer their nieces and nephews a different perspective on life. Above all, the book restores their centrality to young people's development and to family life.

Leseprobe

The Emma Press Anthology of Aunts

OTHERTITLESFROMTHEEMMAPRESS

POETRYANTHOLOGIES

Urban Myths and Legends: Poems about Transformations

The Emma Press Anthology of the Sea

This Is Not Your Final Form: Poems about Birmingham

POETRYBOOKSFORCHILDREN

Falling Out of the Sky: Poems about Myths and Monsters

Watcher of the Skies: Poems about Space and Aliens

Moon Juice, by Kate Wakeling

The Noisy Classroom, by Ieva Flamingo

PROSEPAMPHLETS

Postcard Stories, by Jan Carson

First fox, by Leanne Radojkovich

The Secret Box, by Daina Tabūna

POETRYPAMPHLETS

Dragonish, by Emma Simon

Pisanki, by Zosia Kuczyńska

Who Seemed Alive & Altogether Real, by Padraig Regan

Paisley, by Rakhshan Rizwan

THEEMMAPRESSPICKS

Malkin, by Camille Ralphs

DISSOLVE to: L.A., by James Trevelyan

The Dragon and The Bomb, by Andrew Wynn Owen

Meat Songs, by Jack Nicholls

Birmingham Jazz Incarnation, by Simon Turner

Bezdelki, by Carol Rumens

For our aunts

THEEMMAPRESS

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by the Emma Press Ltd

Poems copyright © individual copyright holders 2017Selection copyright © Rachel Piercey and Emma Wright 2017Introduction copyright © Rachel Piercey 2017Illustrations copyright © Emma Wright 2017

All rights reserved.

The right of Rachel Piercey and Emma Wright to be identified as the editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978-1-910139-66-0

A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in Great Britainby TJ International, Padstow.

The Emma Press

theemmapress.com

[email protected]

Birmingham, UK

Contents

Introduction, by Rachel Piercey

Travelling with Isaac, by Anna Woodford

The things they wrote, by Rob Walton

Sudbury Lunch, by Natalya Anderson

The Butcher’s Diamond, by Anita S. Pulier

A Cuddle of Aunts, by Winifred Mok

Great-Aunt Rose, by Gill McEvoy

Curfew, by Kayo Chingonyi

A Half-Cut Sestina, by David McKelvie

Betsey Trotwood sets the record straight, by Carole Bromley

Aunt Amy’s Parasol, by Angela Kirby

Auntie Peg, by Isabel S. Miles

Tailors, by Simon Williams

Jon Snow and the Joyces, by Jan Heritage

Aunt Syl, by Joan Michelson

She tells her nephew he’s mad to get more tats, by Kate White

My Favourite Aunt, by Brian Docherty

The Sex Lives of Aunts, by Margot Myers

Coal Tar, by Stephen Bone

Survivors, by Charlotte Eichler

What Will Your Sims Do Now? by Matthew Haigh

Broken Biscuits, by Kathleen Jones

Aunty, by Rachel Long

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, by Mia

For the Aunts of Eighties Metal, by Elisabeth Sennitt Clough

Auntie Australia, by J V Birch

My oddest aunt, by Gill McEvoy

Sister, by Amy Evans

Holiday in Clacton, by Kim M. Russell

My Colourful Aunt Rose, by Tracy Davidson

The Alphabet Aunties, by Ruthie Starling

Familiar, by Mary Anne Clark

From the Duck-Egg Blue Kitchen, by Lily Blacksell

Auntie Bob’s Feet, by Gill Learner

I sometimes hear her voice brekking, by Rob Walton

On becoming an aunt, by Hilaire

Aunt Anna, by Robert Hamberger

Acknowledgements

About the poets

About the editors

About the Emma Press

Also from the Emma Press

Introduction

“Now that you are become an Aunt, you are a person of some consequence & must excite great Interest whatever You do. I have always maintained the importance of Aunts as much as possible…” So wrote Jane Austen in 1815, to her ten-year-old niece Caroline. Anyone familiar with Austen’s work will know that this is true: her aunts – Anne Elliot, Lady Catherine, Miss Bates, Mrs Gardiner et al – stride fully-formed around the centre of her plots, laughing, scolding, counselling and caring.

I am blessed in having an abundance of Mrs Gardiners in my life: fun, loving, supportive aunts whom I adore. This anthology is for them – I know that the trail-blazing, advice-giving, feast-cooking, fast-chatting, music-loving, gift-giving, high-kicking aunts collected here will make them smile.

The book also celebrates the lovely phenomenon of the unrelated ‘aunt’, the close family friend. ‘Aunt’ isn’t simply a word describing a biological relationship; we use it to signify closeness, connection and a nurturing presence – as well as the agony aunt’s ability to give smart and objective advice. There are many such inspiring, influential figures here.

But there are cloudier stories, too – aunts who have been trapped by the times, by bad luck, by their socioeconomic circumstances. And so the anthology also functions as an important historical account of women’s experiences: alongside the exuberantly convention-busting aunts, we encounter those who lost their only loves to war, who never had the children or the lives they longed for, who have been misunderstood or neglected by impatient younger relatives.

Whatever the situation, each poem offers a hugely memorable encounter. I loved this submission process – it was wonderful to meet such bold, formidable, heartbreaking, hilarious individuals and I treasure every aunt in this anthology. Reader, I am delighted to introduce you to so many persons of consequence.

Rachel Piercey

LONDON

April 2017

The Emma Press Anthology of Aunts

ANNA WOODFORD

Travelling with Isaac

Tired of toys, you play

with your voice –

‘A-ba!’  ‘Ah-ba!’

I find a couple of words

for you to chew on like ‘apple’

and ‘auntie’ but ‘A-ba!’ you insist.

Then I begin to follow –

‘A-ba!’ I reply.

Suddenly we are speaking

to each other and

holding each other