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Madeleine L’Engle on fantasy and the open mind
‘Children respond to anything a writer asks of them-as long as there isn’t any wax [i.e. inauthenticity] around. It’s often possible to make demands of a child that couldn’t be made of an adult. Sometimes the very acquisition of knowledge (something quite different from wisdom) can hold us back. For instance, in some of the… Continue reading
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The Seafarer
The Seafarer is a poem from the Exeter Book, a 10th century codex of Old English which sprang from a project of monastic reform and restabilisation following a long period Viking attacks and the subsequent disrepair of Christian places and their spiritual practices. The poem is mostly secular with a religious addition, possibly added later,… Continue reading
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The Ick according to Mumsnet
by anonymous contributors in this thread. The end bit on a tomato. The word ‘sip’. The word ‘entrepreneur.’ People starting a new paragraph for every sentence, like they’re writing a poem. Disney adults. The word ‘panties’. Hairdressers who handle your hair in a feeble way. Gen Z influencers who live alone and post reels about… Continue reading
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2025: a tasty mast year
“Berries have come early to the rowans of Edinburgh this year. A few trees have already shed or partly-shed their leaves following August’s drought, making it easy to spot the blackbirds and thrushes bobbing up and down atop heavy bunches of bright red fruit.” This is a remark I made on a dormant Substack in… Continue reading
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New poem published in Magma Poetry
Whoops! I nearly forgot to tell you… The poem is called “Halicephalobus Mephisto or Dirt Divinations” and it’s about a worm under pressure. You can pick up issue 90 of Magma directly from their site or from various bookshops with the foresight and good taste to sell Magma’s current and back issues. Digital copies are… Continue reading
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Jane Alyson Clarke 