Wendy Falla was born and brought up in the Channel Islands, and lived as an adult on Sark for three years. She now lives in Hampshire with rescue dogs and tortoises. A piano technician by trade, she relocated from the Channel Islands in 2010 to study Creative Writing at Winchester University. Her debut collection of poetry The Venus Pool was published by Dempsey & Windle in 2017. Her blog is www.wendyslifelaundry.wordpress.com
THE VENUS POOL by Wendy Falla
'Wendy Falla has a sharp eye for detail and a great ear for dialogue, sometimes alternating between standard English and the patois of Channel Islands. She is a natural story teller and her poems are beautifully observed narratives which reveal a deep and sympathetic knowledge of these unique Islands from where she originally comes. . . Falla bears witness, in a number of ways, to the idiosyncrasies and resilience of an island people. The geography and history of Channel Islands are in effect mapped out by the poems which, in their freshness and deep sympathy, conceal their considerable artistry. This is a tremendously good debut collection.'
Julian Stannard
'Wendy Falla has a sharp eye for detail and a great ear for dialogue, sometimes alternating between standard English and the patois of Channel Islands. She is a natural story teller and her poems are beautifully observed narratives which reveal a deep and sympathetic knowledge of these unique Islands from where she originally comes. . . Falla bears witness, in a number of ways, to the idiosyncrasies and resilience of an island people. The geography and history of Channel Islands are in effect mapped out by the poems which, in their freshness and deep sympathy, conceal their considerable artistry. This is a tremendously good debut collection.'
Julian Stannard
ISBN: 978-1-907435-49-2
Published 2017
37 poems
Perfect-bound paperback
59 pages 15cm wide x 21cm tall
Price: £7.99 + p&p
Published 2017
37 poems
Perfect-bound paperback
59 pages 15cm wide x 21cm tall
Price: £7.99 + p&p
Resilience
From 'The Venus Pool' (2018)
If you want something done,
ask a busy man.
He’ll do it straight away
and to perfection, at the first attempt.
A meal or bottle of favourite spirit in return
and a willingness to respond
with a smile when he asks you
to sew on a button or hem his trousers.
Remember back to a time when they had nothing,
when the only thing to be shared was an embrace
and a sympathetic ear.
There is a great deal to be learned from
a small isolated community under pressure:
stoicism, resilience, determination
and an optimism that the dark days will surely pass.
© Wendy Falla
From 'The Venus Pool' (2018)
If you want something done,
ask a busy man.
He’ll do it straight away
and to perfection, at the first attempt.
A meal or bottle of favourite spirit in return
and a willingness to respond
with a smile when he asks you
to sew on a button or hem his trousers.
Remember back to a time when they had nothing,
when the only thing to be shared was an embrace
and a sympathetic ear.
There is a great deal to be learned from
a small isolated community under pressure:
stoicism, resilience, determination
and an optimism that the dark days will surely pass.
© Wendy Falla
