Kenny is a witty writer. His lines of poetry are dipped in pop culture from his youth. Wedged in-between are experiences of living in Plymouth which are carefully used to prop open the underlying tones and themes of the writing.
I enjoy listening to Kenny read, but being able to spend some time alone with the poem allows me to revisit lines, contemplate them for longer than a few seconds of speech, and either try to crack the top surface of his writing or simply get pleasure from simmering in a baffled state of enjoyment of the lyric.
The poetry in A Long Weekend On The Sofa makes you think. It is a thinker’s book.
One of my favourite poems from Kenny’s new collection is titled ‘The Van Dike Club’. Aside from conjuring images of a scene I wish I’d been alive to be part of, there is a real anti-establishment vibe from this piece. The following quote highlights what I mean...
I enjoy listening to Kenny read, but being able to spend some time alone with the poem allows me to revisit lines, contemplate them for longer than a few seconds of speech, and either try to crack the top surface of his writing or simply get pleasure from simmering in a baffled state of enjoyment of the lyric.
The poetry in A Long Weekend On The Sofa makes you think. It is a thinker’s book.
One of my favourite poems from Kenny’s new collection is titled ‘The Van Dike Club’. Aside from conjuring images of a scene I wish I’d been alive to be part of, there is a real anti-establishment vibe from this piece. The following quote highlights what I mean...
Kenny encapsulates in these few lines a sense of great rebellion. Ian Anderson (I met him once whilst chatting to his wife) often highlighted the social conditions of society through Jethro Tull’s music. The Rolling Stones were the bad boys compared to the Beatles and often seen in pop culture as an alternative to the goody-two shoes ‘preppiness’. Kenny conjures all these symbols and paints an incredible picture of a different time which perhaps is not too dissimilar from the one we live in now.
If you buy this book, I recommend following it’s ‘Ronseal’s 5year Wood Stain’ title. Flick open the pages and take a long weekend on the sofa so you can fully appreciate the layers, ideas, nostalgia and humour of this brilliant sequel to The Honicknowle Book of the Dead.
If you buy this book, I recommend following it’s ‘Ronseal’s 5year Wood Stain’ title. Flick open the pages and take a long weekend on the sofa so you can fully appreciate the layers, ideas, nostalgia and humour of this brilliant sequel to The Honicknowle Book of the Dead.
PPW - Promoting Plymouth Writers. Usually a book I stumble upon myself but if you are a Plymouth based writer and would like me to review your book on this blog then please email me via the contact page.