Words by Kenneth
Steven: Photos Iain Sarjeant.
Calling all those who love Iona, wherever you may be.
In a bookshop in
the last few days we spotted this absolutely delightful book about the wonder
that is Iona. It is unusual in that it spotlights many of the less well visited
coves and ‘wilder corners’ of the Island, opens them to us through Kenneth’s
profound prose and lilting poetry and additionally shows them to us through
Iain’s stunning photographs. As Pam , my wife, looked through the book, she
murmured, ‘It’s gorgeous’ and it is.
We got to know
Kenneth when he led a couple of writing retreats, the second on Iona, so we
knew this book was in preparation, but we simply had no idea how lovely it
would be. Nor did we, until now, quite discover how well Kenneth knows the
island, having fallen in love with it as a child and having visited many, many
times since.
You can find
out more about Kenneth, and listen to him as well, on his website Click Here
There’s some more
material including one of his recent poems titled ‘Twelve’ on his blog which
you’ll find Here
As you will see
if you look for Kenneth via a search engine, Ted Hughes has said of Kenneth’s ‘Collected
Poems’,: 'I'm enjoying it intensely,
style and subject.' Magnus Magnusson describing Kenneth’s poems says ‘(they)…
ring bells in us, and chime with the profoundest responses of the human spirit’
If you are minded
to buy ‘Iona, The Other Island’, do think also of it also as an ideal, modestly
priced (£14-99) gift especially
for any other Ionaphiles you may know or those with whom you would like to
share your experience of that amazing place. The ISBN number is
978-0-86153-830-0
I am delighted to
say that a couple of my own Iona collection (see general index in the right
hand column) were written during and after the retreat I refer to above:
Kenneth is an excellent teacher and great encourager, so this small tribute-by-blog to
his latest work comes with my grateful thanks.
You can also read ‘Gliese 581’ (A brown dwarf star with several exoplanets) on this blog by clicking HERE
You can also read ‘Gliese 581’ (A brown dwarf star with several exoplanets) on this blog by clicking HERE