S a James

Sometimes I smile S a James

What if poems had biographies? 'Sometimes I smile' is part exploration of this question, part reading companion, part writing companion, part insight into a poet's struggle with creativity and depression. In this guided tour of her collection 'plenty-fish' (Nine Arches Press), award winning poet Sarah James shares the inspiration, frustrations, pain, philosophies and thoughts that lie behind the poetry. The reader is no longer restricted to the finished poems, but can also view the actual writing process, and the birth of each piece. Each poem's biography also includes one or more potential literary discussion point, writing prompt and inspirational photo. Among the poems' 'stories', the feminism of 'Still the Apple' and the eco-politics of 'Oil and Water'. The wonder of nature is brought close-up, as we see ant "legs unpicking silk stitches" or how a dandelion's "stubborn roots draw up strength - from the land's glacial inheritance". Meanwhile, family, fear and a need for belonging grip "after my dad arranges his own funeral".'Sometimes I smile' reveals the hidden life behind the poems.