Blog of Susannah Quinsee about life, work, parenthood and play
In Lockdown II, I published a poem a day on my blog and really enjoyed the experience. I thought I would then go on to put up a poem a week, but then well December, birthdays, Christmas etc. So now Continue reading Not for the City, Charlotte Mew
My last poet that I studied for my PhD was Aphra Behn. She is probably the most well known of the three. Arguably she was the first English novelist, she wrote plays, novels, poems, certainly she was one of the Continue reading Song. Love Arm’d, Aphra Behn
Today is 11th November, remembrance day. My feelings about war are complex. I feel quite emotional at the two minutes silence. It is moving to take time to think and reflect on those who have died in war with others Continue reading Dulce et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen
Making coffee this morning, I heard an interview with Margaret Atwood about her new, upcoming book of poetry, Dearly. I have always loved Margaret Atwood. In fact, I’ve got a pile of her novels by my bed from the library Continue reading Three Desk Objects, Margaret Atwood
Yesterday’s poem got me thinking about my Dad and how much he influenced my love of literature. He had studied English and I remember the summer before I started my A-levels he typed out an “essential” reading list for me Continue reading The Flea, John Donne
This week, I have been thinking a lot about America, no surprise with the US Elections and the tense wait for the result. And my current focus on poetry, has also, unsurprisingly, brought back my PhD which was on androgyny Continue reading Before the Birth of one of her Children, Anne Bradstreet
I must have heard this poem many times before, but recently Samuel L. Jackson read it at the end of the BBC documentary Enslaved about slavery and tracing his ancestry to Africa. It was extremely powerful and I made a Continue reading Still I Rise, Maya Angelou
I chose this poem because it seemed appropriate for that waiting space before something starts, and lockdown can also feel like life is on hold. It also seemed apt in hindsight as November 4th was the day when the results Continue reading For the Interim Time: John O’Donohue