This week’s Book of the Week is like nothing else we have published, an inspiring and quietly brilliant wee collection from one of my favourite poets, Mr Mick Yates.
‘The Blue Hour is a period of morning and evening twilight when the sun is below the horizon colouring the sky a deep blue. The poems in this enchanting and magical collection reflect upon the mysteries, the joys and the sorrows of human existence from both a personal and a universal perspective. It is a journey that we all share in common, and these are poems that chart our shared experience from dawn to sunset in a celebratory and life-affirming way.’
‘His work is breathtaking, so very human and accessible’
– Heidi Nightengale, Publisher & Editor at Clare Songbirds Publishing House
‘In the real way of a conversation that starts light and then dives deep Yates draws us into topics of life and death, our connectedness to the earth, the wonder of the ocean, our past. He surprises with some spectacular unexpected endings. Poems with what I have called ‘Slap upside the head’ last lines. Each a gem, shining stone or shell shard gleaned from a winter beach during the long wait for spring. Collect one yourself.’
– Rachael Z. Ikins, Associate Editor, Clare Songbirds Publishing House.
About Mick Yates
Mick Yates lives in the far north of England. He has worked extensively as a playwright and has had more than thirty plays produced at theatres across the country. He has received many awards, including an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First. He has also written for television, most notably for the BBC series Doctors. artefacts, his debut poetry collection, won the 2014 Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize and was published by Indigo Dreams Publishing in 2015. His second collection kaleidoscope was published by them in 2017. A new chapbook, the art of conversation, was published by the New York based Clare Songbirds Publishing House in 2018.
Another collection, the shapes of passion, was published by Clare Songbirds Publishing House in 2018. His most recent collection, random thoughts from the north, was also published by Clare Songbirds Publishing House in 2019. He was longlisted in 2017, 2018 and 2019 for Best Poetry Pamphlet in the prestigious Saboteur Awards, and was also a Pushcart Prize nominee in 2018.
Product details
- Paperback : 50 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1916090842
- ISBN-10 : 1916090842
- Product Dimensions : 14.81 x 0.3 x 21.01 cm
- Order from Amazon HERE
I asked Mick a few questions about the blue hour…
1. What was the inspiration for the collection and how long did it take to come together?
the inspiration for ‘ the blue hour’ came from a detective series on television the name of which I can no longer remember, but it was set in Wales. The opening shot was a beautiful image of an estuary at sunset as the sun almost dipped completely beneath the sea in the distance. The lead character is sitting with his daughter and he talks about this being the most magical time to watch a sunset at ‘the blue hour’ when the fading light is at its best and it evokes long-forgotten memories and has a spiritual quality which is quite sublime. There in front of me on television was my title for the collection and so it was conceived.
2. How did you get involved with writing poetry – is there a ‘literary tradition’ in your family?
There is no literary tradition in my family. Back in1969 my father wanted me to become a doctor. I had a place at Sheffield University to study medicine, he wanted me to win Wimbledon also. This was the Summer of Love and I was a Hippy in spirit. The world was changing fast and so was I. I went to two major music festivals which changed me forever. The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, which became Glastonbury the year after, and the legendary Isle of Wight Festival. My life changed forever. I went to university but dropped out after a year after reading copiously all kinds of literature. I wanted to become a writer which I eventually did by dogged perseverance. I ended up writing for theatre and for television as a playwright and scriptwriter but my career came to an abrupt halt in my early fifties when I went to care for my mother and father. My mother had Alzheimer’s. It was then that I started writing poetry to maintain my sanity. I started sending poems to magazines and got accepted and published and here I still am writing for as long I can hold a biro I hope.
3. Are you a ‘researcher’ or is your work more imagination-driven?
Mostly ‘imagination-driven’ but I also undertake research when it is required.
4. Tell us something about the book that nobody has mentioned that they have noticed yet
I have no answer to this question I am afraid, what you see is what you get with my poetry.
5. What is the best comment about the book that you have heard or read?
The best comment on ‘the blue hour’ that I have received is this one I think:
‘ The most beautiful and moving poetry collection that I have ever read. I shall treasure it and return to it for as long as I live.’