Sampson Low Poetry Pamphlet series
Designed to evidence the remarkable contemporary and innovative poetry being written by current and recent Kingston University Creative Writing students, this series of beautifully designed pamphlets each features a suite of poems, most often on one theme or in one style, by a solo author. Visit https://sampsonlow.co/wck-pamphlets/ to purchase from the series.
Published by Sampson Low, one of the UK’s oldest publishing houses, being founded in 1812, and edited by SJ Fowler and Alban Low, this series mark the first publications of many poets who are very likely to be significant presences on the UK scene and beyond in the coming years. Click on the title and author to read more about each publication so far:
#12 : The Year of the Rat by Gabriella Buckner
#11 : Macbett, ver 2. by Laurensia Puia
#10 : Sea Wall by Jamie Toy
#5 : E∩Nby Silje Ree
#1 : Future Dentist by Molly Bergin
“Kingston University brings together students from all over the world, from as wide a range of backgrounds and cultures as can be found in the UK. It creates a community that cross pollinates influences and ideas, and this is inevitably reflected in the work the students create. The university does not get enough credit for this – it is, I have seen, a vibrant, harmonious environment where originality and difference can be transformed into exciting and innovative expression. The students are hungry for that which is innovative, that which allows them to express the true size and complexity of their experience and their community at the university. This series of poetry pamphlets reflects that. The work is utterly contemporary, it is exciting and energetic. It is, I hope, the best kind of representation of what Kingston University stands for – intelligent, unique and various in its character.”
Series editor, SJ Fowler
Series 4 - Jamie Toy / Laurensia Puia / Gabriella Buckner
'Sea Wall, by Jamie Toy addresses both the alienation we face politically today with the desire to overcome our impasses. By taking up desire in its contemporary form, the collection finds refuge in the internal noises of the body, wikipedia and the rivers of Europe. Sea Wall cuts through pessimism and nihilism to offer a potential way out and a creative expression of hope in a digital, political and intra-personal dark-age'
'Jamie Toy is a British poet currently living in London.' - jamiebtoy.wordpress.com
This debut poetry pamphlet dissects a pre-existing play and turns it into poetry. By taking the old and making it new (twice), Macbett ver. 2 hints to past great writers while experimenting with language and form to express timeless concerns from a contemporary perspective.
Laurensia Puia is a poet and writer studying in London. She is interested in Avant Garde poetry and prose, film and theatre. Apart from experimenral language, her work also involves images, sound and materials.
The Year of the Rat is an exploration of fraught relationships—between outside forces, other people, and within oneself. The poems in this collection, while varying in style and length, all use vibrant imagery and simple language to strike at the heart of those commonplace battles, failures, and traumas which stick with us forever.
Gabriella Buckner is an American student striving for a career and life in the UK after completing her Creative Writing and Publishing MA from Kingston. She also paints, writes short stories and (starts to write) novels.
Series 3 - Marcia Knight Latter / Helena Artus / Julia Rose Lewis
Ramblings External by Marcia Knight-Latter externalises the unfiltered thought behind everyday experiences. The pamphlet explores space and time as the poet manipulates an internal narrative during regular activities by focusing predominantly on the distractions that come from within the thinking process, leading to more abstract connections. The reader receives an intentional delivery of information through careful formatting which allows for the extension of thought, to explore how a thought is visualised and heard. Marcia combines simple language with contextualised contractions and lyrical abstractions to produce intense imagery and a disjointed aesthetic.
Miscellaneous by Julia Rose Lewis is a poem about trying to work things out between the poet and Nantucket Island as their love is old and full of flaws. This poem asks if it is possible to have a mutually healthy relationship between a human and an island. It employs Dr Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham as a source text to explore the role of negation in this conversation. The alternating 5-7 syllable counts of the lines suggest the wavering voice of the narrator or more simply the waves striking the island.
Series 2 - Olga Kolesnikova / Silje Ree / Yvonne Litschel
Chronicology by Olga Kolesnikova is a cursory examination of physical pain and discomfort, and a passing glance at pain’s effect on the psyche. Pain is presented throughout the collection in multiple ways – disorientated narratives, a rejection of and an overindulgence in the language surrounding the self, and body-centred images. In each poem, pain takes a different role; in some it is an integral part of the pained, and in others it exists independently and is experienced by no one. Together, these fragments offer a taste of all that could be said on the subject of pain.
E∩N by Silje Ree is a poetry collection which uniquely uses words found across the English and Norwegian language. The debut collection is both intriguing and delightful, showing Silje Ree’s sagacious grasp of words and skilfully emphasising both the acoustic and visual elements of language. The bilingual footnotes are artful and inventive, creating a dialogue with the poem’s main body to give a powerful exploratory dynamic. The combination gives the reader who possesses knowledge of both languages a unique and profound connection and understanding with the material. Moreover, this divergence of language evokes curiosity in the English reader to find out the different meanings and explore the idiosyncrasy languages. E∩N is a result of Silje’s experience of living in both countries, and she explains that knowing two languages creates opportunities for cunning words and phrases to transpire. Ultimately, Silje executes the deviation in the footnotes with brilliance, guiding us to experience the poetry from the poet’s intent.
Moth Dust by Yvonne Litschel is at its core an exploration of death, and both its presence and prevalence in all aspects of existence. Whether positioned at the forefront of the piece, or present in a less overt manner, death can be found throughout the collection. Through a combination of lyricism and disjunction, the reader is accompanied through various narratives and encouraged to reflect upon the inevitable and learn to accept or even embrace it. The varying degrees of discussion aim to open up a dialogue about topics surrounding death.
Series 1 - Molly Bergin / Dacy Lim / Zakia Carpenter Hall
