Ahead of the official Launch of our Changing Landscapes anthology on 28th November I am pleased to have received two boxes of books.

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of collating the contributions, editing and designing the layout and creating the cover design. It has been a privilege to work with these writers.

The poems in this anthology are created by local writers who came together through a series of workshops. Some are very experienced poets whilst others are just setting out on their poetic odysseys. The poets supported and inspired each other and the result is a collection that explores a range of styles and approaches.

We have included several “concrete poems”, where the words and visual shape combine to enhance to the subject. We also include a dialect poem along with an illustration created by the poet..

Some poems speak directly to the “Changing Landscapes” theme, whilst others are less direct. Some poets considered the changes observed  through the seasons, as the light changes throughout a single day, or during a brief journey.

We hope that the variety of approach adopted by the poets helps to reflect the varied nature of the changing landscapes around our homes on the edge of the Pennines.

The quality of the poetry from the contributors is really good and the range of responses to our local landscapes has been really inspirational.