|  Some
sound bumbles in my drum
Some sound rumbles in my ear
Some sound stumbles through my hair
And some sound just fumbles
But I catch in the hearts and the souls of the strangers
The vibrations that no one can hide
And so ends the poem Bumble
in my Drum by Berit Lundh, one of an anthology, in aid of charities
for the deaf, edited by former and current Edge Hill students Alan
Corkish and Andrew Taylor.
The inspiration for the anthology called Listening to the Birth
of Crystals began when Alan attended a deaf awareness course in
Liverpool. It was there that he met sign interpreter Sarah Hannett,
who introduced him to the world of deaf people, and motivated him
to embark on the poetry collection.
The anthology includes work by current and former Edge Hill students
and staff, alongside prize-winning writers and first time published
poets, with proceeds going to the National Deaf Children’s
Society and the Merseyside Society for Deaf People.
Alan and Andrew met at Edge Hill when they studied the MA in Writing
Studies. Former poet in residence at the Liverpool Architecture
and Design Trust, Andrew is currently studying for a PhD here. The
poets found that they both shared an empathy with the world of the
deaf, as Andrew’s sister is profoundly deaf. Together they
set out to invite poets from all over the world to contribute to
the anthology.
Alan said: “I began trawling the web searching for poets whose
work I admired, then blatantly sent each a begging letter. Poets
responded from across the globe, some sharing their own experiences
with deafness, indeed many of the chosen poems are written by deaf
people. The unique strand that draws all the poets together is the
desire to communicate ideas and emotions.”
Robert Sheppard is Writing Coordinator at Edge Hill and an established
poet whose work is included in the anthology. He is delighted with
Alan and Andy’s achievement in producing it:
“It's good to see poets, and particularly ex-students of Edge
Hill, taking hold of the means of production. It's part of the self-reliance
we promote on the MA in Writing Studies, where Andy and Alan met.”
The anthology has met with rave reviews from both sides of the Atlantic
following its launch in the USA.
|
Edgeways
Issue 13 Contents >>>
|
|
|
|
