Wheelsong Books Review of 2023

2023 has been an amazing year for Wheelsong Books. I established the company in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic, basically for something to do. I set it up as a not-for-profit company to promote new and emerging voices in poetry, and also to raise much needed funds for Save the Children - a global relief charity. 

What did Wheelsong do in 2023? 

January saw the publication of the first book in the Symphoniya de Toska trilogy by American writer Marten Hoyle. Its January 19th publication coincided with the birthday of one of his favourite poets, Edgar Allen Poe. Marten's second publication was released on April 9th, the birthday of Charles Baudelaire, and the final instalment was published to coincide with the birthday of another of Marten's favourite dark writers, H. P. Lovecraft, on August 20th. How's that for symbolism?

In late February, together with my good friend Charlene Phare the Facebook group Invisible Poets was launched. The name was an ironic swipe at the fact that most poets go unnoticed and uncelebrated even though they may actually be quite brilliant (and in many cases better than those who are well-known, highly visible, published poets. The group quickly flourished, and now, at the time of writing this post, has reached 15,000 members. 

Also in February, Tunisian bard Rafik Romdhani released his third book, Vapour of the Mind through the Wheelsong Books label. As in previous books, Rafik excels in the use of rich imagery, metaphor and awesome insights into his life in North Africa. 

In March Wheelsong Books announced the call for poems for Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2. The anthology was published in April with a stunning cover photograph (courtesy of Kerry Cole) and sold quite nicely, raising around £450 ($565) for Save the Children. As with all Wheelsong Books, it is still available on Amazon and other online outlets worldwide. In the same month I published a book called Nocturne, which featured a lot of poetry about the night, sleep and dreams, and darkness. 

In June, Matt Elmore's first poetry collection, the sublime Constellation Road was published and this was followed closely in July by Imelda Garcia's debut collection Beyond the Pyre for Wheelsong. Both books contain some stratospheric poetry, and both deserve a wide readership for their brilliance. 

September saw the publication of Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3, which featured a stunning image by photographer Lynda Clifton. Containing over 200 poems from more than 100 poets, Anthology 3 has already sold 400 copies and continues to be available. We have so far donated £750 ($940) to Save the Children for their relief initiatives from the sales of this book.

December saw the publication of Brandon Adam Haven's second poetry book, This Broken Home, which is a darkly gothic collection of somewhat disturbing poetry and horror flash fiction. If you intend to read this book alone, I strongly advise you to keep all your lights on. 

We also relaunched Live Poets Society, which now goes out live twice each week, on Friday at 8pm (UK time) and on Tuesday at 3pm (US Eastern time). Viewing numbers have been on the increase, which this shows a healthy interest in the spoken word and live performance poetry.

The Wheelsong Books blog was also launched in the summer, with regular posts about poetry from me, alongside Matt Elmore, Brandon Adam Haven and Charlene Phare, alongside guest posts. It has so far attracted almost 30,000 views and there are some amazing, thought provoking posts on all aspects of poetry and creative writing. 

That was 2023. Let's raise a glass to the coming year and do our best to keep poetry remains alive and kicking. Wheelsong Books has a long list of publications waiting in the wings, including two more anthologies!

Steve Wheeler

Poetic devices 12: Cacophony

Cacophony, which means 'bad sound', is the opposite of euphony (good sound) and occurs in speech where there is a mix of harsh and/or inharmonious sounds. 

In poetry, cacophony refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, sibilant (hissing) and especially unharmonious sounds – usually in the consonants of words – the poet uses to create an effect, emotion or atmosphere. Cacophony should not be confused with onomatopoeia which Matt Elmore has already elaborated upon.  A classic example of cacophony in poetry is Jabberwocky by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, even the title sounds discordant. 

Read the words out loud:

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe. 

Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

The frumious Bandersnatch!

Yes, they are largely nonsense words, but the brilliance lies in the mix of the sounds and the way they discordantly flow to create the narrative. The use of the coined or made-up words creates sounds (or phonics) that imbue meaning into the elements Carroll is describing. Slithy toves are not ordinary toves - they are very slithy, and that sounds unpleasant. The jubjub bird sounds like a very irritating bird, because its name denotes the repetitive noise it makes... and so on. 

The tragedy Macbeth, written by Stratford-on-Avon bard William Shakespeare, is full of cacophonous passages of dialogue to depict descent into madness, and of course, this famous soliloquy, spoken immediately after a brutal and bloody murder:

Out! Damn spot! Out I say! One, Two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.

The last line in particular is quite chilling not least because of the cacophonous nature of the preceding texts. But it is the explosive and discordant nature of the first sentence that truly sets up and darkens the entire speech. The Bells by dark romantic poet Edgar Allen Poe is another example of how words can be used explosively to create not only terrific alliteration, but a full cacophony effect:

Hear the loud alarum bells– 

Brazen bells! 

What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! 

In the startled ear of night 

How they scream out their affright! 

Too much horrified to speak, 

They can only shriek, shriek, 

Out of tune

Note the use of words such as scream and shriek - sibilant words that might put you on edge when you hear them! Poe depicts turbulence in so many ways in this one short passage of text. There are numerous other examples of cacophony in poetry, which I'm sure you will be on the look out for! 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

11. Metonymy

Image from Pixabay 

Poetic devices 5: Assonance

"What does assonance mean?" asks Frank Bryant, a professor of literature. "It means getting the rhyme wrong," he declares, before falling drunkenly off the stage, and crashing into his audience. 

The professor, played by Sir Michael Caine in the movie Educating Rita, takes a very jaded view of poetry. He's more interested in booze, and escaping from reality. Not unlike several well known, real-life poets...

But in one sense he's correct. 

Assonance isn't about end rhymes or 'getting the rhyme right.' It's about powerfully expressing ideas and emotion through the similar sounds made by adjacent words. The resemblance of vowel sounds is where the assonance occurs. If you use assonance effectively, it can change the tempo of your poetry or even intensify the mood you are trying to convey.

Here's a great example of assonance in the poem by Edgar Allen Poe called Bells:

Hear the mellow wedding bells

Golden bells!

What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!

Yes, Poe uses end rhymes too, but it's the assonance of mellow, wedding, bells, foretells that really makes the poem resonate. 

Another excellent example of assonance can be found in The Cold Wind Blows by Kerry Roper. This is a rich examples of internal rhymes too.

Who knows why the cold wind blows

Or where it goes or what it knows

It only flows in passionate throes

Until it finally slows and settles in repose

Want to make your poem memorable? What to step away from predictable rhymes?

Steve Wheeler

Image from Your Dictionary

Melody

Melody is an essential component of poetry. It is the musical element that gives a poem its rhythm, tone, and emotional impact. Melody can be created through a variety of poetic devices, such as rhyme, alliteration, and repetition. In this blog, we will explore the importance and effectiveness of melody as a writing option in poetry.

Firstly, melody can help to create a memorable and emotional experience for the reader. A poem with a strong melody can at times be more powerful and impactful than one without. This is because melody can create a mood or tone that resonates with the reader and stays with them long after they have finished reading the poem. For example, the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe has a haunting melody that adds to the poem's eerie and melancholic tone. Sometimes just as we get musical notes in our head, the musical flowing of words can generate this as well. 

Secondly, melody can help to unify a poem and give it structure. A well crafted melody can tie together different parts of a poem and create a sense of coherence. This is particularly important for longer poems or poems with multiple stanzas. For example, in the poem "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, the repeated refrain "April is the cruellest month" helps to unify the different sections of the poem and create a sense of continuity.

Thirdly, melody can help to convey the meaning of a poem. By using poetic devices such as rhyme and repetition, a poet can emphasize certain words or ideas and create a deeper meaning. For example, in the poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, has the repeated refrain "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," which emphasizes the poem's central theme of one fighting against death.

Finally, melody can make a poem more enjoyable to read and listen to. Just as a good melody can make a song more enjoyable to listen to, a well-crafted melody in a poem can make it more enjoyable to read. This is particularly important for spoken-word poetry or poetry that is meant to be performed. A strong melody can capture the attention of the audience and make the poem more engaging.

In conclusion, melody is an important and effective writing option in poetry. It can create a memorable and emotional experience for the reader, unify a poem and give it structure, convey the meaning of a poem, and at times make it more enjoyable to read and listen to. Poets should consider experimenting with different melodies as a tool to enhance their poetry and create a deeper connection with their readers.

Brandon Adam Haven 

Image by: Brandon Adam Haven