Soul Feast anthology interviews in Beshara & on Books for Breakfast
'As a long-time fan of Soul Food, I’m looking forward to reading the newly released companion anthology, Soul Feast, edited by Neil Astley and Pamela Robertson-Pearce. These anthologies set out to nourish the reader’s mind through thought-provoking and insightful poems that bring clarity and light in dark times.' – Will Mackie, New & Recent Poetry from the North
A companion anthology to Soul Food.
Soul Feast: nourishing poems of hope & light, edited by Neil Astley and Pamela Robertson-Pearce, offers up a new feast of thoughtful poems to stir the mind and feed the spirit, bringing hope and light in dark, uncertain times. This book’s inspiration – Soul Food – was published in 2007 and achieved its wide popularity by word of mouth. For many thousands of readers feeling adrift in the early years of the 21st century, the poems in that book offered support and sustenance. Drawn from many traditions, Soul Feast includes work by poets ranging from Lal Ded and Tukaram to Pessoa, Borges, Cummings and Langston Hughes, as well as poems by celebrated contemporary poets such as Ellen Bass, Imtiaz Dharker, Jane Hirshfield and Naomi Shihab Nye.
Neil Astley is editor of Bloodaxe Books, which he founded in 1978. His books include novels, poetry collections and anthologies, most notably those in Bloodaxe's Staying Alive anthology series: Staying Alive (2002), Being Alive (2004), Being Human (2011), and Staying Human (2020), a Poetry Book Society Special Commendation. Pamela Robertson-Pearce is an artist, filmmaker and translator. Her films include IMAGO: Meret Oppenheim (1996) and Gifted Beauty (2000), about Surrealist women artists including Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. She has worked with Neil Astley on several Bloodaxe DVD-books, including the anthologies In Person: 30 Poets (2008) and In Person: World Poets (2017).
PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH NEIL ASTLEY
Books for Breakfast: Neil Astley on Soul Feast and more, Thursday 16 May 2024
An in-depth interview with Neil Astley was featured as full episode of the Books for Breakfast podcast on 16 May 2024. Neil was in conversation with hosts Peter Sirr and Enda Wyley about his new anthology Soul Feast, companion anthology to Soul Food, both co-edited with Pamela Robertson-Pearce.
The podcast opened with recordings of Irish poets Enda Coyle-Green and Mary O’Donnell reading and introducing their poems ‘Hope’ and ‘The Intimate Future’ from Soul Feast. Later on, Neil read ‘Question’ by Mary Swenson, ‘Permission’ by Brendan Kennelly, and the podcast closed with Neil reading the poem ‘Table’ by Turkish poet Edip Cansever, translated by Julia Claire Tillinghast and Richard Tillinghast. Enda read ‘Imaginary Conversation’ by Linda Pastan and ‘Addiction to an Old Mattress’ by Rosemary Tonks. Peter read ‘To Be Alive’ by Gregory Orr. Many of the poems and poets were discussed, in particular, Neil’s long friendship and collaboration with Brendan Kennelly, and how he came to republish the work of Rosemary Tonks.
The discussion began with Neil speaking about founding Bloodaxe Books in 1978, and about the background to his Staying Alive series of world poetry anthologies. Neil spoke in detail about Soul Feast and Soul Food.
‘It's so celebratory reading this book. I loved it!’ – Enda Wyley, on Soul Feast
‘On today's show we interview poet, novelist and publisher of Bloodaxe Books Neil Astley. We talk to Neil about the latest Bloodaxe Books poetry anthology, Soul Feast, poems to stir the mind and feed the spirit, companion volume to 2007's Soul Food. We also talk about how he got into publishing, what poetry means to him and some of the discoveries he's made along the way. Two Irish poets in the anthology, Enda Coyle Greene and Mary O'Donnell, read their contributions.’
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1162427/15052806
INTERVIEW WITH NEIL ASTLEY IN BESHARA
Beshara Magazine, Spring 2024
An in-depth interview with Neil Astley has gone online in the Spring 2024 issue of Beshara Magazine in connection with the new anthology he has co-edited, Soul Feast: nourishing poems of hope & light. He spoke about founding Bloodaxe in 1978, about his Staying Alive series, and about the two anthologies he co-edited with Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Soul Food (2007) and Soul Feast (2024).
‘Neil Astley, founder of Bloodaxe Books, talks about the universal appeal of contemporary poetry and the series of inspiring anthologies he has edited’
https://besharamagazine.org/arts-literature/contemporary-poetry-neil-astley-bloodaxe-books/
ONLINE REVIEW COVERAGE
London Grip, online 3 May 2024
A very warm and detailed review of the new Soul Feast anthology has gone online in London Grip. Stuart Henson compares Soul Feast with its companion anthology Soul Food, and quotes from many of the poets included in the new book.
‘In the end, the proof of a Soul Feast has to be in the eating, and I’ve got to admit that, even for an old cynic like me, the whole experience of sitting down and partaking was actually, well… ‘nourishing’.' – Stuart Henson, London Grip
https://londongrip.co.uk/2024/05/soul-feast/
~~~~~
Seven poems from Soul Feast read by the poets
Seven poems from Soul Feast are read here by the poets: Imtiaz Dharker: ‘Living Space’; Arundhathi Subramaniam: ‘Prayer’; Kerry Hardie: ‘Flesh’; Jane Hirshfield: ‘The Envoy’; Naomi Shihab Nye: ‘The Art of Disappearing’; Imtiaz Dharker: ‘How to Cut a Pomegranate’; Tomas Tranströmer: ‘Tracks’ (‘Spår’), translated from the Swedish by Robin Fulton.
The poets were filmed in London, Mumbai, Galway and Stockholm, and on Achill Island, by the editors of Soul Feast, © Neil Astley & Pamela Robertson-Pearce 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2024.
Launch reading by Jane Hirshfield & Maria Stepanova with Sasha Dugdale – plus Soul Feast
Jane Hirshfield, Maria Stepanova and Maria's translator Sasha Dugdale celebrated the publication of their new poetry books at this online reading for Bloodaxe Books on 19 March 2024. They read live and discussed their work with each other and with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley. The event also included readings of poems from Soul Feast, which features four of Jane Hirshfield’s poems as well as Sasha Dugdale’s translation of a poem by Elena Shvarts. Forward to 1:00:26 to view this sequence only.
[29 April 2024]
