Christmas Poetry from Candlestick Press

I always look forward to the Candlestick Press Christmas Poetry Pamphlets 

and this year sees two absolutely stunning collections 

Ten Poems about Robins

What is it about robins that makes them so easy to love? Is it the jaunty red breast? Or the fact that they have been known to build their nests in kettles, boots, coat pockets and even under car bonnets – places that seem to suggest a wish to be close to our human world? Perhaps it’s because they appear to want to keep us company by perching close by while we’re gardening or flitting alongside us when we’re out on a walk.

The special postcard features the poem ‘Brou-Rhuddyn’ by Pippa Little, winner of our postcard poem competition.

Selected and Introduced by Hamish Whyte

Cover illustration by Sam Cannon.

My thoughts:

There is so much to love about this collection of jaunty poems about robins and, let's face it, robins are so perfectly reminiscent of the winter months that no image of Christmas is complete without one perched upon the branches of a tree in the garden. The ten poems contained within this collection bring this cheery little bird to glorious life :

from The Key-Note by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

"Yet robin sings thro' Winter's rest,

when bushes put their berries on;

While they their ruddy jewels don,.."

to After Christmas by Peter Walton

"Today in woods in Kentish countryside

we saw them in their scores ignite inside

Each thicket's heart a ticking pulse of red - .."

There is something both old and new in this pamphlet to help celebrate the splendour of our much loved, Robin Redbreast.

Christmas Lights

The switching on of festive lights in towns and villages across the land announces the fact that Christmas is fast approaching. It also marks the start of real winter.

This delightful selection contains ten brand new poems by leading contemporary poets and comes with a limited edition poem postcard. We find light in all its many shapes and forms – from the ‘glittering heart’ of Paris in December to the glint of a skater’s boot on a frozen lake or the sugary shine of a child’s candy cane. And worlds away from the hubbub and dazzle, there’s the silent watcher at the window who:

The special postcard features the poem ‘This little town’ by Rob Miles, winner of our postcard poem competition.

Cover illustration by Sarah Young.

My Thoughts:

The twinkly lights that brighten our cities, towns and villages make the magic of Christmas come alive and these ten poems about dark winter nights take us on a sparkly journey which reminds us about the beauty that can be found in quite ordinary things, especially when they are lit up with magical Christmas lights.

From Christmas Lights by Stephen Keeler

"Now the village is

en fête: dressed for a party in the dark

across filed , along uneven paths.."

To the beautiful Northern Lights by Nancy Campbell

"..In winter she wakes

at midnight to an intense silence

as if the town is stalking itself,

and she knows the skies will be bright as butter"

This collection of wintery poems about the beauty of dark skies is alight with the promise of time made golden with the hope of perfect light.

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously-produced poetry pamphlets, as well as short prose fiction and non-fiction. The pamphlets make a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter @poetrycandle