Oversteps News 64, June 2021

Oversteps Books Ltd, 6 Halwell House, South Pool, Nr Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2RX
alwynmarriage@overstepsbooks.com

A new Oversteps book has just been published.
Split the lark by Sue Davies (ISBN  978-1-906856-91-5), price £8 plus p&p.

Oversteps published Sue’s first collection, Blue Water Café, in 2014. Since then Sue has continued to hone her poetry, appear in journals and win competitions, and we are delighted to be able to bring this new collection to publication.

You can read an example of her work, as well as sample poems by all the other Oversteps poets, on our website: http://www.overstepsbooks.com

Pandora’s Pandemic. £8 plus p&p.
This book is being published at the beginning of July and although it is not strictly an Oversteps Book, as it’s published by SPM Publications, it’s by your Managing Editor – and (unfortunately) still very topical – so I hope you will be happy to have news of it here. The poetry chronicles the past year in which the world has changed in countless ways, and so many of us have had to endure covid, loss and (if we are fortunate) recovery. The book costs £8 plus p&p and is available from the publisher, from me, or from your local bookshop or library. If you’d like a copy, you can either contact me on <alwynmarriage@marriages.me.uk> or add it to your order below, and I’ll sort out the payment.

After such a long hard sixteen months, we are extremely happy that the Ways with Words festival at Dartington will once more be happening, though in a slightly attenuated form. On Saturday 17th July, therefore, we shall once more be celebrating and presenting some of our poets at the ever-popular Oversteps Day. This will take place in the Upper Gatehouse at Dartington Hall, which is a lovely, airy venue; and to ensure safety for all, audience numbers will be limited and well-spaced. If you’d like to see the programme for Ways with Words, you can find it here: https://mcusercontent.com/8ac0a63789a38ab83a9e1cc39/files/a029c120-b434-9803-9102-2c46b6afd448/Ways_With_Words_Programme_as_of_15_6_21_compressed.pdf; and you’ll find the details of the Oversteps Day on Saturday 17th. If you look further, at Sunday 18th, you’ll see that I am privileged to be giving a presentation on my latest novel, The Elder Race, in the Great Hall at 4.00pm.

We were very sad to hear recently that the Oversteps poet, John Torrance, had died. He was a really lovely man and a good poet. We send our sympathy to his family. I am sure he will be sorely missed.

As usual, Oversteps poets feature in an encouraging number of competition successes. Here are a few recent ones:

Michael Thomas was long-listed in the National Poetry competition
and Highly Commended in the Charles Causley competition
Mark Totterdell had a poem selected to be displayed on a bus in Guernsey
Jean Atkin was commended in the Teignmouth Poetry competition; and in the local section, Sue Proffitt won first prize and Elisabeth Rowe was commended
Alwyn Marriage was shortlisted in the Ginkgo Prize for environmental poetry
Doreen HInchliffe won 1st prize and a commendation in the Acumen poetry competition
Sue Davies was commended in the Sussex and Binsted Poetry competition
and in the Poetry on the Lake competition, in the Silver Wyvern, Caroline Carver was shortlisted and Christoper North was highly commended, In the Formal category, A C Clarke won 1st prize and Anne Stewart and Christopher North were both shortlisted. In the Short poem section, Michael Swan and Christopher North were both shortlisted. As you can see, a very satisfying crop of successes.
Congratulations to all these wonderful Oversteps poets.

wishing you health and happiness

Alwyn

To Oversteps Books, 19 Harvey Road, Guildford GU1 3SE (temporary address during lock-down)

Please send ….   copies of
Split the lark by Sue Davies £8 each plus p&p                         £

Please send … copies of Pandora’s Pandemic
by Alwyn Marriage, at £8 each plus p&p                                    £

Postage and packing per book: £1.80 in UK (£4.50
if ordering from abroad)                                                                £
P&p for 2 books, £2.50 (£5.20 abroad);                                      £
3 books £5  (£6.20 abroad)                                                           £

Total                                                                                                    £

Name & address: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Many of the other Oversteps books that are for sale on www.overstepsbooks.com can be added to this order.
Money can be sent either by post to Oversteps, with cheques made payable to Oversteps Books Ltd; or by email: alwynmarriage@overstepsbooks.com using Paypal.
But it is even more helpful when payment is made by bank transfer, so please contact me for details, if you’d like to pay by this more efficient method.