shedman

Is a shed a substitute for something never had

a replacement mother, or a kind of flat-pack dad?

So begins John Davies’ much published and broadcast signature poem

in his new full-length collection Shedman, named after his journeying

alter-ego. Shed poems there are aplenty, illustrating Shedman’s career

since his first residency at Brighton’s Booth Museum of Natural History.

But this new collection also represents the broad spectrum of

John Davies’ work. Across the different sequences, Davies weaves

together his themes with wit and seriousness in an array of carefully

crafted, thoughtful and thought-provoking poems.

'Davies, in the words of one of his own poems about the poet Michael

Donaghey, uses “…words as munitions/laser-guided to the meaning in us”.

Shedman is a collection that I read and re-read. Images, ideas and

haunting refrains echo in the mind.’

W Quaso

John Davies published his first pamphlet collection The Nutter in the Shrubbery

in 2002. In the same year he won an ArchiTEXTS Award for his first residency

as Shedman (www.shedman.net). He has also received an Arts Council England

personal development award. His poetry has been published in anthologies and

magazines and he has read his work at events and festivals in the UK, Ireland

and Europe. John founded and was director of literary arts organisation