I was the first ever poet in residence at Kelmscott Manor, the 'heaven on earth' retreat of William Morris from 1871 to 1896. Out of this residency comes a unique collection of poems exploring the diverse themes of the house from creativity and making to love and desire, as well as probing the deeper question of what Morris's legacy means to the England of now, struggling to define itself between the pull of the past and the invitation of the future. With Morris-inspired illustrations by Jessica Palmer.
To order a copy (£15) please email robertseatter@hotmail.com
“There’s a powerful sense of place in these poems, and so much more: a profound sense of our humanity, and a timeless, clear-eyed recognition of what really matters, of how we can be truly alive in a fractured world. To read them is to feel, despite everything, that in some sense the soul does live here.”
Jean Sprackland
100 years ago in May 1924, just two years after the dawn of BBC broadcasting, radio listeners first heard a cello playing while nightingales sang to it, live from a Surrey garden. The cellist was Beatrice Harrison, and she and her nightingales became internationally renowned, recording every Spring over the next 12 years. This collection marks that moment, exploring the power of radio to create a new and unique community, with evocative illustrations by Jessica Palmer.
The poems also feature in a Radio 3 documentary: The Cello & the Nightingales
“In these taut, transcendent poems, Robert Seatter explores the ‘myth cycle’ of the famous BBC recording of a nightingale singing ‘with’ a cello, delving deeper into nightingale mythology and folklore. Each poem repays careful reading and attention: as the opening poem observes You’ve been singing all this time/we just forgot to listen.”
Catherine Smith
“The poems have the crystal quality of birdsong, with all the delight of a continuing conversation between art, nature and technology. A joyous collection.”
Imtiaz Dharker
