Thetis, a narrative poem retelling the Trojan War through the eyes of Thetis, mother to Achilles, was published by Esplanade Press and launched at Gallery Six in Scarborough, November 2022. Copies (£8.00 or £10 with P&P) can be ordered via watlingsue@gmail dot com.
Heaving with the Dreams of Strangers, a Dreich ‘Slims’ Chapbook winner, published by Dreich in March 2022. Copies (£5) can be ordered direct from Dreich https://hybriddreich.co.uk/product/heaving-with-the-dreams-of-strangers-sue-watling/ or email watlingsue@gmail dot com
Published Poems
Beyond the village in Dreich, Season 4, No. 4, March 2022
You in Dreich, Season 4, No. 4, March 2022
Finding myself in a book in Dreich, Season 4, No. 4, March 2022
Language of the poppy in Dreich, Season 4, No. 4, March 2022
Anne Bonny and Mary Read, 18th-century pirates in The Poetry Shed, November 2021
God isn’t listening to me in Sarasvaki 62, August 202
Lady Willendorf in Sarasvaki 62, August 2021
What’s a girl to do? in Sarasvaki, Summer 2021
Polly Swallow, fisher-girl from Whitby in Sarasvaki 62, August 2021
Wife of Fenrir in Dawntreader, June 2021
Loss of love for a seahorse in Dream Catcher, issue 43, July 2021
Sea Witch in Seaborne, May 2021
Boudicca in Dawntreader 54, April 2021
Kalypso has questions in The Ekphrastic Review, March 2021
When death is not enough in The Ekphrastic Review, March 2021
Terentius Neo the baker in Amethyst Review, February 2021
Burial Mounds in the Landscape in There is no plant B, Stafford Green Arts Anthology, February 2021
Geneology of blood in Amethyst Review, January 2021
Fox on the Allotment, in Green Ink Poetry, January 2021
Walking with Ghosts in the Abergavenny Small Press (ASP) Literary Journal, January 2021
Winter Haiku in Spelt Magazine, December 2020.
Emergence in Visual Verse, September 2020
Accidental Loss in The High Wolds Poetry Anthology, October 2020
A walk on the beach becomes a poem in the Tide Rises, The Tide Falls, October 2020
One of these days it’ll ‘appen in The Adriatic, September 2020
Thetis comments
Thetis was featured on Kate Evan’s blog Scarborough Mysteries at https://scarboroughmysteries.com/2023/01/30/poetry-thetis-by-sue-watling/
Sarah Wallis – author of How to Love the Hat Thrower, Precious Mettle, Medusa Retold and others (see http://www.sarahwallis.net/) Sarah tweets as @wordweave
Thetis
The pace of the text is galloping but assured, in controlled short staccato lines, never threatening to run away with itself or the focus, these events are seen, reported on through the eyes of Thetis, always with an eye on her precious son. It is a text that is fully alive and immersed in its telling and employs some modern vernacular too. The text incorporates a useful glossary of who everyone is in this enormous cast of characters, both Greek and Trojan, so if you’re not familiar that should be no barrier to reading this wonderful book. It is in fact an excellent place to start, even if you know nothing about Troy, The story is captivating and can be read for its own charms, in short a book that will appeal to all readers who love a good story and not just those interested in mythmaking anew.
Thetis (cover endorsement from Sue Wilsea, Raw Material (Valley Press, 2016) and Staying Afloat (Valley Press, 2012).
Sue Watling’s ambitious Thetis is a tour de force. The way she melds narrative myth with contemporary idiom is remarkable. Yet this is not simply a modern version or translation of classical myths. Thetis also offers lyrical poetry which could stand alone as being of the highest order while remaining accessible and eminently readable. The end result is something powerful and unique, showcasing Sue’s impressive talent for dialogue, imaginative story-telling and spot-on description. I have no hesitation in recommending Thetis to all readers – not just those of poetry. You will not be disappointed!
Interview with Paul Brookes from Wombwell Rainbow, June 2022 https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2022/06/16/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-sue-watling/
Extracts from reviews for Heaving with the dreams of strangers
One of those rare collections that manages to bridge the mythical and mystical to the land of the everyday. The poems are strange, rich and wonderful, with exciting turns and interesting imagery. Skill with a lyrical line and deft use of pace and pause draws the reader in and keeps them there from beginning to end. One to return to. Wendy Pratt, @wondykitten, When I think of my body as a horse (Smith/Doorstop winner of the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition 2020).
Myths, history, animals and childhood trauma swirl around this astonishing debut chapbook. Readers are led by the hand through the uncertainties of life, through love and emptiness. To misquote a poem – ‘her…skin invites us in’. A beautiful and unsettling read that left me wanting more. Lynn Valentine, @dizzylynn, Life’s Stink and Honey (Cinnamon Press, 2021).
… a journey through myth and history, redolent with the scents and sense of the sea, landscape, nature and transformation. These are poems that shapeshift from quiet power to loud-striking beauty, creating a world and landscape you will want to visit again and again. Louise Longson, @LouisePoetical, Hanging Fire (Dreich, 2021) and Witch Bottle (Alien Buddha Press, 2022).
This assured debut brings to life historical and mythological characters including women pirates, venus figurines, norse gods and the old testament. The language is as sparse and elemental as the landscape the work inhabits, where nature is the silent spectator to tender moments of fleeting connection. Susan Darlington, @S_sanDarlington, Never Wear White (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) and Traumatropic Heart (Selcouth Station Press, 2021).
