Launching Fire and Bees

V. Press is very very delighted to announce the launch of Fire and Bees, a poetry chapbook by Bethan Rees.

“Fires both real and metaphorical crackle through this exciting new collection by Bethan Rees, and its pages hum and crawl with insect life. These poems are hard-hitting and poignant; exploring themes of class, loss, mental health and the way familial trauma is passed on from one generation to the next. Rees’ work is surreal and compelling – an exciting new voice in the poetry world.” Julia Webb

“Fire and Bees darts with unexpected twists and edges, projecting its imagination into past, present and future, with themes of family, relationship and corporeal sensitivity. Mirroring the very nature of poetry, thresholds between the interior and exterior of bodies feel permeable, with recurring images of stings and syringes pricking the skin. Rees’ work is quick-witted and blazing.” Claire Williamson

Fire and Bees is very intense and very reflective, like the burning memories we carry. 

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-2-7
32 pages
R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem can be enjoyed below.

BUY FIRE AND BEES NOW using the paypal options below. 

Fire and Bees (with p&p options)

Fire and Bees (with p&p for UK delivery) £8.99 GBP Fire and Bees (with p&p for Rest of the World delivery) £19.50 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Stitches

I need to let you know what

I’ve done in my life.

The journeys I’ve been on.

The people I have met

that you might have hated

or loved.

Sitting in the parlour, I take

thread from Gran’s biscuit tin

come sewing kit.

I’m telling you my story through

my skin. Stitching my narrative into

the body you gave me.

The thread slides through my palm

and the pull of the needle is guided

by your spirit.

I want to let you know what you want

to know. And hopefully you’ll feel this too.

I create an aeroplane with black cord

and flesh. But from your perspective it looks more

like a bird.

So, I start to stitch a bird, because I think

that’s what you want me to do.

LAUNCHES

20 April 2024 - London

Fire and Bees will be officially launched in London today (20 April 2024) at the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair 2024.

This free all-day (11.30am - 6.30pm) event takes place at St Columba’s, SW1X 0BD. More information can be found on the flier below or at The Poetry Society: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/free-verse-poetry-book-and-magazine-fair/.

9 May 2024 - Brixham

Join Bethan Rees at Golden Lion, Brixham on Thursday, 9 May 2024, 8pm, for the launch of Fire and Bees! 🐝🔥

📍 Location: Golden Lion, 65 New Road, Brixham

All poetry lovers welcome! Listen to Bethan read from her debut chapbook Fire and Bees and experience an open mic poetry session – share your own poetry or simply enjoy the spoken word.  (To secure your open mic spot, email brixhampoetry@gmail.com or sign up on the night.)

Admission is free! Copies of  Fire and Bees available for £6.99. Your support is valued whether you purchase or not.

Featuring MC Robert Garnham, Professor of Whimsy. Mark your calendars and spread the word! Let's celebrate the joy of poetry together.

London, launching & lovely news!

V. Press is very very excited to be heading to London later this month for the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair 2024.

This free all-day (11.30am - 6.30pm) event takes place on Saturday, 20 April 2024 at St Columba’s, SW1X 0BD. More than 50 publishers, including V. Press, are already confirmed as taking part. The fair is a chance to meet other publishers (and poets), find out more about their work and buy some books.

For more information about this year's Free Verse, check out the fair's website at http://www.poetrybookfair.com/p/welcome.html or The Poetry Society at https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/free-verse-poetry-book-and-magazine-fair/.

NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER

V. Press is very very delighted to be launching Fire and Bees, a poetry chapbook by Bethan Rees, at Free Verse on 20 April.

Although Bethan won't be in London herself, we will be celebrating Fire and Bees' publication on our stand at the fair.

“Fires both real and metaphorical crackle through this exciting new collection by Bethan Rees, and its pages hum and crawl with insect life. These poems are hard-hitting and poignant; exploring themes of class, loss, mental health and the way familial trauma is passed on from one generation to the next. Rees’ work is surreal and compelling – an exciting new voice in the poetry world.” Julia Webb

“Fire and Bees darts with unexpected twists and edges, projecting its imagination into past, present and future, with themes of family, relationship and corporeal sensitivity. Mirroring the very nature of poetry, thresholds between the interior and exterior of bodies feel permeable, with recurring images of stings and syringes pricking the skin. Rees’ work is quick-witted and blazing.” Claire Williamson

Fire and Bees is very intense and very reflective, like the burning memories we carry. 

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-2-7
32 pages
R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem, more information and ordering for Fire and Bees can be found here.

REVIEW NEWS

(m)othersongs

"[...] in (m)othersongs, form and content are matched skilfully in service of the emotive main subject, that of not being a mother, and the ‘othering’ which happens in personal and public realms. [...] The poems are unflinching, and yet tenderness, not bitterness, predominates even in the face of difficult acceptance [...]"
Pam Thompson, Orbis

More information, a sample poem and ordering for (m)othersongs by Sarah Doyle can also be found on the V. Press website here.

Not Enough Rage

“[…] there is an angst buzzing like an electric current throughout the work. In many ways, it is capturing the crackle that has been in the air for the last few years, the sense that things are out of kilter and could go snap at any time. […]  

“The hurt and strangeness of the world in Not Enough Rage, is encapsulated in those lines [the last 6 lines of the opening stanza of ‘How Many Nights’], the ‘glass corpse filled with hornets’ image is brilliant, and an example of what these poems can offer by way of originality. There is also a tenderness that hovers at the edge of the collection, looking for opportunities to show itself. In “World Away”, the opening poem, the goal was ‘to show the world’ that what matters is words, and ‘what happens’ with words that touch the nervous system ‘like a taper / to a gas-tap.’ In poems such as “How Many Nights” that goal is certainly met. As for the title of the collection, there seems to be plenty of rage in these poems; we all know there is plenty for Gram Joel Davies to rage against, and poetry that shows its teeth is sometimes no bad thing.”

Neil Elder, London Grip, full review here.

More information, a sample poem and ordering for Not Enough Rage can be found on the V. Press website here.