REELING AND WRITHING by Barry Smith
ISBN: 978-1-913329-91-4
October 2023
​Paperback, 210x148mm, 102 pages
RRP £12.50

REELING AND WRITHING
​by Barry Smith

In Reeling and Writhing Barry Smith has collected poems from his fifty years of writing poems and songs, to produce a book in varied styles on a range of topics. The book is divided into three sections: in the first, ‘Waiting in the Wings,’ he presents people and places he has encountered in his life in rural England. In the second section , ‘A Looking Glass World’ are songs from the musical producrions he has written and directed: Alice, The Country of the Blind and The Mysteries. In the third section, ‘The Ghost in the Machine’, are poems on political and more philosophical themes which reference the war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemice and the threat of terrorism and the spiritual life.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR REELING AND WRITHING:

Adrian Green, writing in The Littoral Review in February 2024, praises 'Smith’s versatility as a writer – he can handle the vernacular and the humour as well as the more formal aspects of language on the page, and slip seamlessly between the two in the same poem without making it sound forced. He is equally at home describing the countryside...' Green also comments on 'Smith’s range of reference, his depth of enquiry into philosophy, and his ability to use ambiguity without being wilfully obscure.' He concludes: 'This is not a volume to be skimmed superficially. It is blurbed as a "retrospective of Barry Smith’s writing from the Sixties to the Twenties" and it really is worth spending time to appreciate his insight and achievement over seven decades of writing.'

Sam Smith (editor and reviewer in The Journal)  has praised Smith’s ‘wry views of recent outrages and political developments, the tightly-related anecdotes and the polemic. He knows how to hit home...’ And referring to Section 1 of the collection,‘Barry has the knack of placing each descriptive piece within an historical context, be that in a day’s wander around his Sussex neighbourhood, or in a visit to a particular churchyard, where the Romans or even the bronze age can figure.'

Mat Riches in London Grip compares Barry Smith’s new collection to ‘a feast of rich and complex flavours’ (Michael Bartholomew-Biggs, ed.).
"It’s reeling and (possibly literally) writhing from the off. In the opening poem, 'Radioactive', we meet what I think is an early version of Smith as a young theatre director working himself into the ground in pursuit of unattainable dreams ahead of suffering an ‘incipient ulcer’ despite warnings ‘to take things easier in the rehearsal room’. And it doesn’t let up much after that. The poems that follow are filled with lost friendships in 'Up the Ladder' and heroics in 'Warrior'.
In 'Brook Churchyard' the stone is 'scoured', the cross 'moss-steeped', the sky 'opalescent', the succour 'easeful'; the adjectives and adverbs are crammed in here. If eighty-something pages of poems aren’t giving you your money’s worth, then think of the language you’re getting on top of that. These poems have had the best of everything put in and so they will be tasty and filling as you consume them. I think the summing-up words of this review of Smith’s complex, intriguing and satisfying book should belong to Lewis Carroll:  'Well, there was mystery', the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, — 'Mystery, Ancient and Modern' ".

Myra Schneider, poet and author comments:
"I really like the immediacy, the sensuousness of much of the writing. I was carried away in particular by Silencing which is a tour de force. It takes leaps seamlessly and the balance of place and historical detail is perfect. The poem ends brilliantly, touching on the silence at the beginning. The end of the opening stanza is a reminder of the covid pandemic. I think the first section of the book is especially strong. 'Between Worlds' is another outstanding poem which takes me back to my girlhood in Chichester. The Wild Garlic at Shorwell particularly struck me too. It's heaps better than the poetry which is hyped these days - a tonic!"

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Barry Smith is currently the director of the South Downs Poetry Festival and co-ordinator of the Festival of Chichester. He curates the poetry element of Blakefest and edits Poetry & All That Jazz magazine. Smith was runner-up in a 2021 BBC Proms Poetry Competition, and shortlisted for the Bread & Roses Songwriting and Spoken Word Award, 2021. His debut collection, 'Performance Rites' (2021) is available from Waterloo Press.

'Reeling and Writhing' is Barry Smith's second collection of poems and song lyrics, The title refers to the song sung by the Mock Turtle in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll; the collection includes lyrics from Barry'Smith's score for his musical 'Alice' and the book is published to coincide with the 125th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's death.

​'Barry Smith is both a Maecenas for other poets and a poet himself. His verses range from the simple and incantatory to the complex and mysterious, rich in imagery, narrative and feeling.' — Louis de Bernieres.