Description
Reflections on Richard Wheeler’s poetry across ‘I of Modern Nature’ (2021) and ‘Finding What We Need’ (2026)
“From city boulevard to submerged forest, the streets of Paris to ‘the nonchalance of pike’ in shadows, Richard Wheeler’s vivid and sharply observed poems draw the reader into a sensuous world of colour, sound and texture. These are carefully crafted and haunting pieces, inspired by the poet’s love of music, art and nature, and reflecting on our own relationships with the world and those around us.
A stunning debut collection, and certainly one to treasure.”
Kathy Miles, poet from West Wales, winner of the 2015 Bridport Prize. Her fourth full collection is Bone House.
“This is a confident and highly accomplished debut that comes from a place of deep lyrical reverence for the natural world and consummate understanding of the human condition. Richard creates keenly observed tableaux in a taut, muscular and personal concision that draws the reader ever inwards. He is a promising poet who delivers from a rich palette and whose voice deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
One of Wales’ finest bards of the moment.”
Paul Steffan Jones, author of Lull of the Bull, The Trigger-Happiness and Otherlander.
“Richard Wheeler’s poems are keen-eyed, arresting, linguistically adroit, and utterly distinctive in their way of juxtaposing image and idea. They explore themes of place, time, memory, desire, and – in many cases – the role of poetry and visual art in creating a jump-cut mental scenography where these are strangely intermixed.
An impressive collection and one that offers striking thoughts and perceptions on every page.”
Chris Norris. Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University.
“I lost myself for two hours…. words and images greedily consuming me like morning dew
on this thirsty ground…’Finding What We Need’ is exquisite. Each vignette a whole universe of poetic colour, shared experience, sounds, textures and smells. Throughout, you lead us to experience the deep and sacred presence of the earth itself.”
Jo Davies, author of To Forget With Grace.
“Richard’s poems reach out to you. He manages to gift the reader with carefully crafted word portraits, ‘eavesdropped from another world’.Exquisite work.”
Anne Marie Butler, working poet and landscape artist, winner of the 2017 R.S.Thomas Poetry Prize.
“‘Your ‘Fragments of War’ is outstanding!”
Janice Dempsey, writer, Owner/Editor at Dempsey & Windle (Vole Books). This poem featured in the ‘Green Fuses’ anthology, Vole Books, 2024
“Richard’s poetry simply hums with the appreciation of place, of nature, wildlife and the ways in which we humans slip into the landscape.
The poems are beautiful. Elegiac, sometimes sparsely constructed, evocative and thoughtful, these are poems that have the capacity to take you out of your world and into that of the poet.”
Marc Mordey, author of Marcism Today
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