Light After Light
by Victoria Gatehouse
An exploration of science and art from an exciting new Yorkshire voice.
In her debut pamphlet, Victoria Gatehouse explores science and art, seeking out the similarities and tensions that attract and repel them in equal measure. A clinical researcher by day, by night she collects, tests, measures and records her thoughts on the materials – both practical and spiritual – from which we each build our lives.
Light, metal, electricity, shells and fabric are each treated with similar scrutiny, linked by a scientific thread, knotted with humour, playful subversion and lyrical wonder.
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"Gatehouse's poems have a hushed restfulness and composure which complement her subjects, often minutely observed. One of several highpoints, 'The Moth', shows off her ability to pin an object under her glare, seeing all the way down to the veins." — Declan Ryan, TLS
"I have long been an admirer of Victoria Gatehouse’s lovely, clear, punchy poems and was excited to read a collection of them. What a treat it was. Whether writing about the forbidden apples she once removed her brace for, testing metals with a lad in the chemistry lab or delighting in the phlebotomist telling her she has ‘lovely veins’, there is a kind of electric charge running beneath the words. More, more, more!" — Carole Bromley
"Light After Light is a beautifully balanced and sure-footed debut. Rooted in the solid tactile world, and also, like folk tales, on the threshold of mystery, these textured, tender and lucid poems are lit by cool moons, pale suns, flames and stars. In Robert Macfarlane’s coinage, they en-chant." — John Foggin
"In Light After Light, from the moment Victoria Gatehouse strikes the first match in 'Power Cut', her pamphlet is ablaze with terrific writing. She has a natural talent to conjure wit, depth, startling imagery, and to combine these with the warmth and humanity that I have long admired. We are shown Blackpool, turbines, urban geese, snow and so much more in poems that genuinely transcend their subject matter. Gatehouse knows how to entertain in the fullest and widest sense. Her work is both profound and fun. Here is a poet destined for greatness, and one who truly knows the value of engagement." — Keith Hutson
Edition: Paperback
Date Published: 2018-03-15
ISBN: 9781908853974
Catalogue Number: VP0114
Number of Pages: 36
Cover design by Jamie McGarry
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