Review by Elizabeth Chell of "Just This Side of Seaworthy and Other Poems" and "Rock, Paper, Scissors and Other Poems" by Cathi Rae

 

Cathi Rae’s collection of poems Just This Side of Seaworthy explores the complexities of ageing and mental illness and the forging of new identities in a world where expectations are unforgiving. 

Rae's style is accessible. Her words speak the truth all "women of certain age" must confront. Her poems are not maudlin. They are introspective and deliver a positive acceptance and are celebratory of the aging process. Her poems are layered; on the surface they are what they are, but the underlying emotion and evocative imagery make them extraordinarily good. 

These poems also explore death and other topics. "Single handed," a biography of her father and family dynamics, would not sit out of place on a shelf with Duffy and Heaney.

What I admire most about Cathi Rae’s poetry is her masterful structure and the subtlety with which she conveys emotion. In her poem "When Our Bodies Become as Linen," she eloquently juxtaposes the durability and fragility of linen with the ageing process. This comparison illustrates how, much like linen, we possess an inner strength that endures even as our exterior fades with time. Cathi’s poem "Wednesday night is women’s night – remembering the 1980s," with its thoughtful structure, captures the essence of a girls' night out dancing around handbags with friends, not caring which side of the bed we got out of. Rae's poetry is sometimes raw, sometimes harsh, yet remains consistently honest and exquisitely crafted.

Rae's collection Rock Paper Scissors, as Cathi explains in her introduction, had a starting point: "Tell me about your life." The poetry encapsulates the voices of individuals Cathi encountered during her PhD journey. Her poetry delves into the complexities of mental health and mental illness, addressing the numbing effects of medication. It made me laugh and cry. The beauty of her work is how she encapsulates the ordinariness of mental illness - how it can take anyone prisoner. This challenging yet vital subject, often shrouded in secrecy, is brought to light through Cathi’s work, which fosters open and candid exploration of mental health from a fresh perspective.

This collection of voices, vividly expressed through Cathi’s unique poetic style, will resonate with everyone. During the 2020 lockdown, many of us experienced anxiety, and the most vulnerable often lacked a voice. Cathi’s poetry effortlessly provides a platform for these feelings of inadequacy, addressing an ever-present issue. Mental health is a universal experience, affecting us all either directly or indirectly. We should celebrate it as an intrinsic part of being human. Cathi’s poetry makes it clear that mental health transcends age, gender, and race.

If you appreciate these latest collections of Cathi’s work, I would also highly recommend her earlier poetry collection Your Cleaner Hates You and Other Poems. 

About the reviewer
Elizabeth Chell is a full-time teacher with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Leicester.

You can read more about Cathi Rae's Just This Side of Seaworthy and Other Poems, and Rock, Paper, Scissors and Other Poems, on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Review by Cathi Rae of "Word Bath" by Kassie Duke

Kassie Duke is an American poet and writer but is firmly linked to Leicester and the University of Leicester, having studied an MA in Creative Writing here. This is her first collection – described as “a short sweet walk through the mind of a writer,” including poems that explore “every mood but melancholy.”

Kassie uses language confidently, painting small but beautiful pictures of nature and the everyday and is particularly skilled at the short poem form – something which is far harder to achieve than might seem from first reading. These poems, often quiet on first reading, bear multiple visits and will re-pay careful attention and time. I enjoyed the micro poems and their use of language based on the natural world. 

In our current dark times, this little message of hope seemed particularly apposite: “and I will dream — not of the time I spent in winter — but of the sun coming up with the steam.”

This is a book to pop into your back pocket and dip in and out of over a coffee or when you have a few moments to reflect on the power of words.

About the reviewer

Cathi Rae is a spoken word artist and poet. Her debut collection is Your Cleaner Hates You and Other Poems (Soulful Publishing, 2019). She is currently working on an M4C-funded Creative Writing PhD at the University of Leicester on telling marginalised lives through poetry.

You can read a review of Cathi's collection on Everybody's Reviewing here. 

You can read more about Kassie Duke's Word Bath on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Interview with Anietie Isong

 

Dr Anietie Isong has worked as a corporate writer for some of the biggest brands in the Europe, Africa and the Middle East. His first novel, Radio Sunrise, won the 2018 McKitterick Prize. The novel was previously shortlisted for the Kingston University Big Read, and longlisted for the 9mobile Prize for Literature. His individual short stories have won several prizes including the Commonwealth Short Story Award. His collection of short stories, Someone Like Me, published in 2020, won the first annual Headlight Review Chapbook Prize for Prose Fiction, administered by Kennesaw State University, Georgia. Isong has spoken at the Birmingham Literature Festival, Marlborough Literature Festival, Henley Literary Festival, among other literary festivals. He holds a PhD in New Media and Writing from De Montfort University Leicester, an MA in Communication from the University of Leicester, and a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Ibadan.

You can read a review of Anietie's novel, Radio Sunrise, on Everybody's Reviewing here.

In February 2021, Anietie gave a guest lecture and reading at the University of Leicester. Below, he is interviewed by first and second-year undergraduate Creative Writing students at the University of Leicester about writing, research, novels and his short story 'While We Were Sinners,' which you can read on the Mechanics Institute Review here. 

Interview with University of Leicester Creative Writing students

Q: Which methods of characterisation methods work best in your opinion, or which one do you like best? 

AI: I think I employ speech the most. I started writing for radio before focussing on fiction. Back then, when writing radio plays, I had to make my dialogues as convincing as possible. I couldn't describe scenes - except through the characters' words. I believe this background in radio has played a key role in my current writing style.       

Q: Did writing about a familiar setting in the story 'While We Were Sinners' make the overall process easier, or did rooting it somewhat in your own experience make fictionalisation more difficult?  

AI: Indeed, writing about a familiar setting made the process easy for me. Almost all my works are set in places I have lived or at least visited. I lived in Lagos which is why part of Radio Sunrise was set there. I envy authors who can write about places they have never visited. I like to observe people in their natural settings so I can write about them properly. In addition, my works are usually set in contemporary times that I have experienced. This is why I have never attempted to write historical fiction. 

Q: How do you go about in creating characters? Do you draw inspiration from people you know? 

AI: My inspiration is drawn from my surroundings. I like observing people. I watch out for many details - their walks, clothings, looks. The majority of the characters in Radio Sunrise were inspired by the people I had met at some point in Lagos or in the Niger Delta. Even my own parents inspired me! I grew up in a deeply conservative Christian home, that's why there's always a religious slant in most of my works.    

Q: Do you know how a story will end from the very beginning or do you change your mind during your writing? 

AI: To be honest, I don't. Most times, I start my stories not knowing how it will end. Even if I know the ending, there's always a possibility that it will be changed. Sometimes, when I start writing, I know the ending but not the beginning - this is the case with my forthcoming novel. 

Q: You said that it is easier for you to write about Nigeria because you already know a lot about this country, but do you still have to do some research to enhance your work, or would it be possible for you to write without? 

AI: For Radio Sunrise, yes, I still needed to do some research, but it wasn't much. In the novel, I focused on writing about the places and topics I knew - like journalism, the Niger Delta, Lagos. I worked in a radio station, so it was easy for me to write about Ifiok and the other characters on the book. Nigeria is such a vast country. I couldn't possibly write about the northern part of the country without doing a lot of research, since I have never lived there. For my forthcoming novel, I did quite a lot of research, and since the story is related to healthcare, I also spoke to a number of medical practitioners. 

Q: How did you decide on the title of the short story ‘While We Were Sinners’? 

AI: There is a verse in the Bible that my mother always recited: 'While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.' I simply took the title from there! 

Q: If you were to continue the story 'While We Were Sinners,' do you have an idea of what might happen to  Solomon? 

AI: To be honest, I have not thought about this. Maybe Solomon could be sent to prison for a long time. 

Q: How did you decide to write about Solomon and his questionable career choices? What was your inspiration? 

AI: Many years ago, I read in the Birmingham Mail about a man in the city who fell on hard times, and how he turned to fraud to make ends meet. I began to imagine the man's background, and how he had found himself in the situation. That's how I decided to write the story of Solomon. Of course, not every penniless person would consider questionable career choices, but it's something I wanted to explore in the story. 

Q: How does short story writing differ to novel writing, do you think? 

AI: I love writing short stories. I wrote and published a number of short stories before deciding to write a novel. I think writing a novel requires much discipline because you are telling a longer story over a period of time. I prefer brevity. My novel is a slim volume. Most of my short stories are actually quite short. 'While We Were Sinners' is one of my longest stories. 

Q: What motivates you to write? When you have off days and don't feel as motivated, or aren't happy with your work, how do you deal with this? What do you do to fight writer's block? 

AI: I try not to force myself to write. There are times I could go months without writing a word of fiction because of a lack of motivation. But I don't let it bother me. When really motivated, I could write for hours every day. 

Q:How easy do you find it to innovate? Do you always feel in touch with your imagination, or do you feel reality makes it difficult? 

AI: I read/watch the news often so I can know what's going on around the world. While my fictions are usually based on my imagination, I try to blend it with reality.