Rosemary Tonks, the lost poet

Rosemary Tonks was a feted poet, trenchant reviewer and literary socialite. And then she 'disappeared'. Following her death last month, Neil Astley traces her extraordinary storyThe "disappearance" of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising mysteries. Bizarre theories abounded as to her whereabouts if she was still alive. As the poet Brian Patten put it in a BBC radio feature about her in 2009, she "evaporated into air like the Cheshire cat". One contributor imagined her living in Cuba, "smoking cigars in a doorway". Other commentators over the years have made her into a nun; consigned her to a sect; had her communing with the ghost of Charles Baudelaire; or put her in a shed at the bottom of someone's garden. For some reason, these mythmakers always required her to be living in poverty.Having tried to visit her myself, 10 years ago, I knew all these theories to be far from the truth. But out of respect for her declared wish, maintained by her family, that she should be left in peace, I kept her address and situation secret. Tonks died last month at the age of 85 (all the existing records had her as four years younger). She had indeed been living as a near-recluse but out of choice, quite comfortable in her circumstances. Even so, she remained restless in spirit, defiantly independent and quite alone in her continuing search for God, for she was ever alert to the "brainwashing", manipulative tendencies in the religious... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rosemary Tonks, the lost poet

Rosemary Tonks was a feted poet, trenchant reviewer and literary socialite. And then she 'disappeared'. Following her death last month, Neil Astley traces her extraordinary storyThe "disappearance" of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #years younger


US Poet Laureate Ada Limon is publishing a new anthology of 50 poems by 50 poets.

Lit Hub is pleased to announce a new books, published in cooperation with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a collection of poems reflecting on “our relationship to the natural world by fifty of our most celebrated contemporary writers.”... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-06 14:00:57 UTC ]
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Robert Hershon, Artful Poet Who Published Poets, Dies at 84

He was a founder of Hanging Loose Press, which started as a loose-page poetry journal and became a book publisher as well. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-03-31 21:53:23 UTC ]
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'AI is a crap poet': Margaret Atwood isn't worried about artificial intelligence

Celebrated Canadian author Margaret Atwood says she's too old to be concerned about artificial intelligence and how it could affect her career, but admits that's not the case for younger artists. As she works on her memoir, Atwood says she wants to tell stories about the 'stupid things and... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2024-10-28 23:31:38 UTC ]
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Panel Mania: ‘Babe in the Woods: Or the Art of Getting Lost’ by Julie Heffernan

Julie Heffernan's debut graphic memoir ‘Babe in the Woods: Or the Art of Getting Lost,’ transforms a weekend hike in the woods into an evocative survey of her life and career and into an all-too-real survival story. An 11-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Internet Archive lost their latest appeal. Here’s what that means for you.

As Publishers Weekly reported this week, the Internet Archive, nonprofit home to a robust digital library, has lost its latest appeal in a case brought by publishers. A panel from New York’s Second Circuit “has unanimously affirmed a March 2023 lower court decision finding the Internet Archive’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-06 13:00:06 UTC ]
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“Examine Every Atom”: The Capacious Career of Poet, Editor, and Critic T. R. Hummer, by Chard deNiord

“Examine Every Atom”: The Capacious Career of Poet, Editor, and Critic T. R. Hummer, by Chard deNiord Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/31/2024 - 08:31   Right photo by formulanone / FlickrT. R. Hummer, as he is known professionally but Terry to... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-07-31 13:31:02 UTC ]
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Read a poem written by America’s best young poets.

Want to know what the best youth poets in America are thinking? Literary Hub is pleased to exclusively share a poem, collaboratively written by Scholastic’s 2023 National Student Poets, along with new data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ that underscores the importance of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-21 14:00:54 UTC ]
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8 Memoirs by Poets that Flex the Untapped Potential of the Genre

The poet’s journey from writing verse to lyric essays to memoir is now a veritable pipeline, with more and more poets turning away from lines and stanzas to incorporate poetic techniques into prose. Poetry can often be rooted in memory already, using imagery and figurative language to explore... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-05-02 11:05:00 UTC ]
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A Secret Letter to the KGB Turned A Lost Family History Into a Novel

Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family.  Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Ukraine honors its own Tortured Poets Department.

Today on Xwitter, Ukraine offered up their own version of The Tortured Poets Department, honoring three Ukrainian writers who have died in the 790 days so far of the country’s war with Russia: Victoria Amelina, Maksym Kryvtsov, and Volodymyr Vakulenko. Amelina, a celebrated novelist and winner... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-24 19:32:22 UTC ]
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Oakland’s Poet Laureate Receives Rainin Arts Fellowship, Plans Anthology with New Indie Press

Ayodele "WordSlanger" Nzinga, honored for her theater innovation, is co-editing a bilingual anthology with Oso Perezoso Press, launched by indie publisher J.K. Fowler. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds of Small Presses Just Lost Their Distributor. Now What?

A nonprofit that distributed books for many of the country’s small presses has closed, and the fallout could affect the publishing industry in ways both big and small. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-17 09:03:54 UTC ]
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A poet's novel of utopia shows less an ideal than, perhaps, a road map

Are utopias becoming a trend in fiction during this dystopian era? The debut novel from Phillip B. Williams, 'Ours,' embraces magic without ignoring reality. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-24 11:09:13 UTC ]
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City Lights Rallies for a Palestinian Poet

A February 7 group reading at City Lights Books amplified the voice of Gazan poet Mosab Abu Toha and benefited the Middle East Children's Alliance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Resisting sentimentality, Laird Hunt's latest book is an elegy for a lost generation

Without even the slightest sentimentality about it, Laird Hunt's new book, 'Float Up, Sing Down,' provides an elegy for a lost generation. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-07 17:33:54 UTC ]
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After Nearly Four Years, Manhattan's Poets House Reopens

Following the pandemic, a community schism, and a burst water supply line, the nonprofit poetry library has undergone serious renovation and reorganization, staffing up and once again opening its doors to the public. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life a Cold Crematorium: A Long-Lost Memoir from a Holocaust Survivor

The following is excerpted from Cold Crematorium:Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz,  József Debreczeni’s firsthand account of his deportation to Auschwitz, from Hungary, in May 1944. * The long train, comprised of low boxcars with German insignia, was grinding to a halt. “We’re stopping,” the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-25 09:53:48 UTC ]
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At Generous Press, Two Poets Fall for Romance

Generous Press, a new imprint of indie Row House Publishing devoted to romance with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability-focused content, will mark its debut with 'Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology' in May. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick opens up and performs at the L.A. Times Book Club

On Dec. 12, California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick talks about life on the road at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 20:24:33 UTC ]
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