{"id":7104,"date":"2022-02-22T20:49:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T20:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=7104"},"modified":"2022-02-22T20:49:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T20:49:51","slug":"strange-nests-and-cryptic-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/strange-nests-and-cryptic-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"STRANGE NESTS AND CRYPTIC CARDS"},"content":{"rendered":"

As any fule kno, we do not cover the Beast That Is Poetry at greydogtales. Except when, occasionally, we do. Which is all very strange. However, we have two fine examples of this vexing animal in hand \u2013 Jessica McHugh<\/strong>\u2019s Strange Nests<\/em>, and Paul St John Mackintosh<\/strong>\u2019s The Great Arcana<\/em>, and they crept far enough into our kennel to deserve mentioning. These are two books of verse, but they\u2019re as different as chalk and something which is definitely not chalk. Here\u2019s a taste of them, both widely available now\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

STRANGE NESTS by <\/span>Jessica McHugh<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"strange<\/a><\/p>\n

Following her Bram Stoker and Elgin Award nominated collection, A Complex Accident of Life<\/em>, Jessica McHugh draws this time on the Frances Hodgson Burnett<\/strong> classic, The Secret Garden<\/em>, for a new collection of her blackout poetry*. What\u2019s that, then? Essentially, blackout poetry is sculptural, carving away at an existing text until you\u2019re left with the words you want. <\/span><\/p>\n

A Complex Accident of Life<\/em>, inspired by Mary Shelley<\/strong>‘s Frankenstein<\/em>, was our first extended exposure to the form, and we were sold \u2013 if not on everything about blackout poetry in general, certainly on McHugh\u2019s remarkable ability to carve new and evocative meanings from literary monoliths. It\u2019s a fascinating read, and now we have Strange Nests<\/em>, which McHugh described to us as:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>A collection of horror blackout poetry exploring the consumptive and transformative power of grief.\u201d<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Secret Garden<\/em> is an interesting choice as a source text, and one of which we approve, as it is set in Yorkshire. We ourselves have a secret garden at the back of our Yorkshire hovel, but unlike that of Misselthwaite Manor, ours is a quagmire created by too many dogs digging and peeing on everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s a sample of the unadorned text…<\/p>\n

\"strange<\/a><\/p>\n

And here’s the graphic way in which McHugh works and presents the full form alongside the extracted core:<\/p>\n

\"strange<\/a><\/p>\n

The venerable Ginger Nuts of Horror review site said of Strange Nests<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA thought-provoking and powerful collection of short poems exploring a range of emotions and experiences that even a novice poetry reader can appreciate and learn from. It is worth a look, even if it is just to get a glimpse at the fascinating world of blackout poetry.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/gingernutsofhorror.com\/fiction-reviews\/book-review-strange-nests-by-jessica-mchugh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

We agree. McHugh is a textual sculptress, and the reviewers are right, this one is definitely worth a look.<\/span><\/p>\n

*If you\u2019d like to know more about the form, there\u2019s quite a lot of detail here:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

the history of blackout poetry<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

And there’s an Amazon link here:<\/p>\n