The Rain Barrel by Frank Ormsby Helen Mort generated a storm of critical

generated a storm of critical and public controversy

He spoke of ‘sensuous cerebration’ as a way of being in the world

But this book is also rare in reflecting the concerns of readers from all walks of life

Blackburn mixes fragments from her own life with a series of eighteen ‘songs’ and all sorts of stories about the places and the people she meets in her quest to get closer to an understanding of Doggerland

and post-independence referendum Scotland

The Rain Barrel by Frank Ormsby Helen Mort generated a storm of criticalFrank Ormsby's seventh collection of poems reflects not only the beauty of the Irish landscape and the sensuous and aesthetic impact of the small farms among which he grew up, but also the continuing violence of the 'Troubles'. Close to the surface of mountain and bogland lie the hidden graves of the 'Disappeared'. Ormsby continues to make vivid use of the short, resonant poems which were a striking feature of Goat's Milk and The Darkness of Snow.