Books From The Pantry: Journeys in Europe by Neil Leadbeater & Monica Manolachi reviewed by Kev Milsom

‘Rivers connect people and places. They carry water and nutrients to areas all over the globe…to travel down rivers of this length is to travel through different languages, societies and cultures’. (Neil Leadbeater & Monica Manolachi) Here’s an interesting and … Continue reading

Poetry Drawer: Gustav Holst Considers a Pebble While Composing ‘The Planets’: Rivers in the Dorian Mode: Coln St. Aldwyns by Neil Leadbeater

Gustav Holst Considers a Pebble While Composing ‘The Planets’ He cradles its convexitiesin the palm of his hand,feels its significance,weighs its bulk. Striated it could be Saturn,whose drawn linesare deeply scarredfrom hard-earned experience. Pockmarked with craters,it could have been Mars. … Continue reading

Books From the Pantry: Pearl Blades and Painted Silks: The Language of Fans by Worcester Poet Laureate Leena Batchelor reviewed by Neil Leadbeater

Prior to writing this review I was listening to a recording of Elgar’s ballet ‘The Sanguine Fan’. Written in 1917 for the benefit of wartime charities, the name derives from the fact that the theme of the piece was inspired … Continue reading

Books From The Pantry: A Raga for George Harrison by Sharmagne Leland-St. John: Reviewed by Neil Leadbeater

Native American author, concert performer, lyricist, artist and filmmaker, Sharmagne Leland-St. John, is the Editor-in-Chief of the 19-year old literary and cultural arts journal Quill & Parchment and the founder of fogdog poetry in Arlington, WA. Widely anthologised, her recent … Continue reading