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
THE SOUTH from 2002-07.
