Steve Spence – författare

Steve Spence follows his Forward Prize-shortlisted debut with Limits of Control, a fizzing, wit-laden investigation of contemporary society in prose poetry."These poems are likeable, funny and intelligent, their satire exact for these times."Michael Mackmin, The Rialto (on A Curious Shipwreck)Steve Spence lives in Plymouth and co-organises the live poetry group The Language Club. His reviews and poetry have appeared in Great Works, Shearsman, Stride, Tears in the Fence, Tenth Muse and The Rialto. He was assistant editor of Terrible Work magazine and in 2007 completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth. His debut, A Curious Shipwreck (Shearsman, 2010), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection.

These are poems which are ostensibly about pirates yet the subtext has a satirical impulse which is fuelled by surrealism and a delight in upending the apple cart. The author revels in entertaining juxtapositions and in breathless passages of 'stream-of-consciousness' rant, which work wonderfully on the page or performed live. While there are playful references to traditional pirate mythology these poems also talk about the times we live in, from the joint catastrophes of global warming and the credit crunch to popular culture and media trivia. Wordplay is endemic. There's more than a hint of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in this book, as the shadowy figure of Alice entices the pirates into further adventures, yet the ships run aground or never manage to leave the harbour. Absurdity is the keyword, as a sense of fun runs parallel to a skewed commentary on topical events.

Steve Spence's new collection of poetry - his second from Shearsman Books - is a continuation of the mapping of contemporary cultural and political topics through the medium of montage, intervention and startling juxtaposition. While this poetry has its serious side there is plenty of scope for fun and a celebration of the strange and 'off-key'. There are still a few odd-sounding fish, and the occasional cloud or pirate may appear when least expected, yet it's a developing terrain where almost anything can happen and often does.

This new collection brings together a mix of montaged and strangely juxtaposed materials composed over a period of several years between 2012 and 2017 and continues a tradition whereby images and ideas create a framework which contains some familiar and not so familiar topics and relationships. You may recognise phrases and snippets which cause a sense of deja vu but not that you'd be certain enough to nail down. Weather becomes political and there is resonance here in abundance. "Spence's pirate poetics combine the best of nautical history with some freely plundered contemporary processes to produce gold aplenty..." -Rupert Loydell on A Curious Shipwreck (Shearsman Books, 2010), shortlisted for the Forward Prize best debut collection"This is a ship steered by Werner Herzog and captained by Klaus Kinski." -Fred Johnston, Tears in the Fence, on A Curious Shipwreck"Limits of Control (Penned in the Margins, 2011) is a collection of prose poems and about 75% of its lines are killers." -Martin Stannard, Stride Magazine"Subtly prismatic, these fractured images float joyously free from the whorl on the page." - Peter Gillies, Stride Magazine, on Maelstrom Origami (Shearsman Books, 2014)"Steve Spence has reframed noise pollution for the connoisseur." -Patrick Holden on Many Red Fish (Knives Forks and Spoons, 2019)