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Philippa Rees
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  • United Kingdom
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Something About Me and My Book:
I first heard this story on a beach in Yucatan, told by the (now) main character. This was at the end of the sixties and the unrest of Vietnam which seemed to close down the optimism and vitality that promised so much The Story seemed at the time so mythical in its dimensions that it called for poetic evocation rather than narrative. It is however a novel in that it has poetic 'chapters' and it evokes the voices and atmosphere of late sixties Florida which I knew well and in which I transposed the work. Because I am resident no in England English publishers did not forsee a large English readership ( I believe the work is universal in its treatment of birth and loss) and they will be proved wrong. Because I am now resident in England I am finding difficulty in publicising the work in America. I have written many other works, novels, plays and TV scripts and publishing this was my attempt to get other works considered. Extracts and Biography appear on the website page as well as laudatory reviews.
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http://www.trafford.com/06-1520

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At 3:08pm on November 18, 2007, Shara Smock said…
Hi Philippa,

Hi Kim,

I think you may be interested in FL Writers Assn.
It's a wonderful group for learning, networking, and submitting work to the quarterly magazine. It's actually not only for Florida any more. We have national and even a few international members!

If you'd like to check it out, please come to http://www.floridawriters.net.

I also run the FL Authors online group at bookmarket. You can join it, regardless of your FWA affiliation.

Have a good week,
Shara
At 10:38am on March 18, 2007, Philippa Rees said…
A Shadow in Yucatan

Reviews and Professional Opinions

BBC Writers’ Room.

‘This is the story of Stephanie as she deals with an unwanted pregnancy.... Thematically it’s about love and loss, and contains some delicate observations of character (Guiseppe selling dried pasta with regret particularly comes to mind). Set in Southern America, this is a lingering and poetic piece that would work well for radio...’

Alison Jakes (Poetry Circle)

‘I was utterly awestruck by the writing skill and breadth of imaginative evocation.....poetic, elegiac...almost unbearably intense...sensuous imagery from both nature and modern urban living...musical, both rhythmic and assonant...sustained dramatic tension within a simple everyday story....the superficiality of the beauty salon is a very potent metaphor....’

Prunella Scales (Actress)

I think the writing is brilliant, she’s obviously a very considerable poet...’

Katherine Knight (Real Writers)

As with a highly literary novel, this ambitious story makes demands upon its readers. As with most modern poetry it deserves to be read and re-read.....

The basic narrative is simple but poignant, taking a young unmarried girl through her pregnancy. She decides on, but then refuses abortion, is let down by her own mother but befriended by her landlady. She gives her child up for adoption and goes through a breakdown in consequence. The resolution is quietly sad, when she comes to terms with her situation, having seen her child loved by the adoptive mother.

The story is a vehicle for some impressive poetry. It is highly emotional and transforms the ordinary protagonist into an archetypal figure of suffering motherhood.
‘Speech must now grow from silence and the stones that cockle the black backs
Of women in pre-history, left alone with the consequence of men’

It is not merely feminist polemic however, there is an impressive section ‘The Storm’ which celebrates the male principle in mythological terms, the storm God as fertiliser of the Earth, or the sky god as progenitor of the Goddess’s son. There is religious dimension too. Throughout there are subtle references to the Christian Nativity, and on another level it tells of Christ’s birth and Mary’s suffering in modern terms. It contrasts the cruelty of the girl’s Catholic mother, with the compassion of her Jewish landlady.

Considered as pure poetry, the lyrical passages show an accomplished writer at work. ‘Light plaited the stalks into shadow, the dark rolled the sun in its sleeve, the wind took her pulse with a turning leaf, are merely examples. Sound and sense are well married and many devices such as alliteration are used skilfully. Occasional rhymes are unobtrusive. The varied line makes the verse as easy as possible to read given the length of the work...

There is implicit criticism of the hypocrisy of society as a whole....The poem has a social purpose.

Sarah Gorham (Editor in Chief, Sarabande Books Louisville KY)

I was so pleased to receive your fine collection, A Shadow in Yucatan,. It’s not often we get to see what British poets are up to. The poems are extremely skillful and quite moving. I like particularly your long lines and good ear; the latter is all too rare these days!’
 
 
 

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