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Magma is all about the mix. In each new edition, all kinds of poetic life can be found rubbing shoulders from all kinds of poets at different stages of their careers. So our theme of The Street seeks to echo and amplify that wonderful, vibrant, democratic hubbub. We wanted to bring the street to life through as wide a variety of poems as we could find on the subject. And you did not disappoint us. Your street poems arrived in their hundreds and ultimately thousands. We received so many high quality ontheme poems that with regret we had to turn away some very good poems that simply didn’t fit the brief. Once we’d made our final selection, the poems fell very naturally into seven groups. Our first group demonstrates that the art of the flâneur is as alive and well in the 21st century as it was in the days of Baudelaire or Frank O’Hara. The second group reminds us that the street exists not only in space, but in time, and stretches through many histories, whether social, political or personal. Thirdly, we have a set of poems that consider the lives of people for whom the street has become home, or who are in transition, or temporarily away from shelter. Next, we look at danger, and more specifically, sexual danger: the street is a place where anything might happen. Our fifth group pays testament to the power of proximity, focusing on neighbours and how these people — neither strangers nor friends — become a mirror to our own selves – sometimes bringing comfort, but also inviting unsettling connections and comparisons. Our smallest group is about love and lost love: the street as neutral territory, common ground, where love can be considered, escaped or advertised. We end with a series of poems about way-finding, where streets and our journeys through them are presented as metaphors for our lives and relationships. It’s a very fine collection of poems, and we’d like to thank all our poets for them as well as everyone who submitted such a wonderful variety of work. We’re always looking to enrich the Magma mix, and so we invited this year’s outstanding crop of fifteen Foyle Young Poets to supply us with a new poem. We’re delighted to publish them here and we’d like to remind all our readers that youth is no barrier to publication in Magma. We’re thrilled to have Simon Barraclough’s powerful dystopia ‘Brightness’ — a response to Byron’s ‘Darkness’ — which will be published in his new collection of poems on the theme of the sun, Sunspots. And we’re excited to offer readers an opportunity to get to know the dazzling range and invention of our Selected poet for this edition: Amali Rodrigo. Some of our prose articles are more ‘street’ and less scholarly than perhaps you’ve been used to in Magma. We publish the results of our digital street survey to discover the meaning of poetry today in a single word. Read Nick’s article to find out which poetry tribe you belong to. We’ve road tested the Poetry School’s psychogeographical audio tour, Walking London, authored and narrated by Tamar Yoseloff, and written up the experience so you can take a stroll through hidden London with us. And we have a fine — and really quite scholarly — article on wit in poetry from the South African poet Finuala Dowling, which includes several writing challenges. We hope you’ll find plenty to enjoy here, along with the opportunity to sharpen your wits, before you next leave the safety of your own home and take to the thrills and spills o.f the street. Jon Sayers Nick Sunderland 3
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inspired Simon Barraclough responds to Byron 22 selected Amali Rodrigo Snake Charmer Alms to Crows The Circus Happy Valley Brazilian 43 close reading Claire Crowther reviews Jacqueline Saphra, 70 Penny Boxall and Michael Henry Laurie Smith reviews D A Prince, Miriam Gamble and Mark Burnhope 73 Pippa Little reviews Dan O’Brien, 76 Roddy Lumsden and Karen McCarthy Woolf Rob A. Mackenzie reviews Katherine 79 Stansfield, Eavan Boland and Roísín Tierney The Hidden Wisdom of London’s Streets 10 Jon Sayers At Any Street Corner 32 Finuala Dowling Poetry = Kumquat. What kind of poet are you? 56 Nick Sunderland “the enchanted glittering surfaces” World Away 6 Gram Joel Davies Wasting Time by Looking Christine Webb 7 Madrid Speaks, April 2013 8 Anja König Coin-Sized Wishes Simon Kew 8 Atlantic Tuna, Borough Market 9 Ian McEwen A Statue of the Virgin in a Cuban-themed Restaurant 9 Kathryn Simmonds “we’re on the rewind” 1941 16 Christine Webb Google Street View Roy Marshall 16 A Moment In The Sun Doreen Hinchliffe 17 Local History Stuart McKenzie 18 Car Camping down Rosehill 19 Jessica Mayhew A Day Trip to Münster Martin Monahan 20 March against Time Sue Kindon 21 “as a river moves round an old stone” Triptych 27 Rebecca Watts Stare Miasto Geraldine Clarkson Strange Meeting John Wheway 28 28 Richmond High Street, 1986 29 Chris Rice On the Street Geraldine Clarkson 29 For those who walk pavements Pam Thompson 30 Speeding Sari Claire Booker All things weird and wonderful Kate Noakes 30 30 Sonnets To Robert Fergusson 31 David Wheatley “between safety zones” Some of what she told me 36 Kate Noakes The Vale Maria Taylor Nice Weather Emma Must wanted Tiffany Anne Tondut 37 37 38 4 contents

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inspired

Simon Barraclough responds to Byron

22

selected

Amali Rodrigo Snake Charmer Alms to Crows The Circus Happy Valley Brazilian

43

close reading Claire Crowther reviews Jacqueline Saphra, 70 Penny Boxall and Michael Henry

Laurie Smith reviews D A Prince,

Miriam Gamble and Mark Burnhope

73

Pippa Little reviews Dan O’Brien,

76

Roddy Lumsden and Karen McCarthy Woolf

Rob A. Mackenzie reviews Katherine

79

Stansfield, Eavan Boland and Roísín Tierney

The Hidden Wisdom of London’s Streets 10 Jon Sayers

At Any Street Corner 32 Finuala Dowling

Poetry = Kumquat. What kind of poet are you? 56 Nick Sunderland

“the enchanted glittering surfaces” World Away 6 Gram Joel Davies

Wasting Time by Looking

Christine Webb

7

Madrid Speaks, April 2013 8 Anja König

Coin-Sized Wishes

Simon Kew

8

Atlantic Tuna, Borough Market 9 Ian McEwen

A Statue of the Virgin in a Cuban-themed Restaurant 9 Kathryn Simmonds

“we’re on the rewind” 1941 16 Christine Webb

Google Street View

Roy Marshall

16

A Moment In The Sun

Doreen Hinchliffe

17

Local History

Stuart McKenzie

18

Car Camping down Rosehill 19 Jessica Mayhew

A Day Trip to Münster

Martin Monahan

20

March against Time

Sue Kindon

21

“as a river moves round an old stone” Triptych 27 Rebecca Watts

Stare Miasto

Geraldine Clarkson

Strange Meeting

John Wheway

28

28

Richmond High Street, 1986 29 Chris Rice

On the Street

Geraldine Clarkson

29

For those who walk pavements

Pam Thompson

30

Speeding Sari

Claire Booker

All things weird and wonderful

Kate Noakes

30

30

Sonnets To Robert Fergusson 31 David Wheatley

“between safety zones” Some of what she told me 36 Kate Noakes

The Vale

Maria Taylor

Nice Weather

Emma Must wanted

Tiffany Anne Tondut

37

37

38

4 contents

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