{"title":"Valley Press","description":"\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eValley Press is an independent publishing house based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Their interest lies primarily in poetry, but they remain open to writing of any genre, and to writers of any status, age or background. To date, VP has also published anthologies, non-fiction, humour and fiction, with plans to diversify further in future. The press was Highly Commended in the 2012 Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards, making it one of the top thirty graduate businesses in the UK. Founded by Jamie McGarry, its first book was published in 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 472px; height: 100px;\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\"\u003e\r\n\u003ctbody\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eValley Press\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWoodend\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Crescent\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScarborough\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNorth Yorkshire\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYO11 2PW\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd\u003e \u003c\/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehttp:\/\/www.valleypressuk.com\/\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\r\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\r\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\r\n\u003c\/table\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sea-swim","title":"Sea Swim","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I am thrilled to be patron of this simple and simply beautiful idea. Poetry is going down to the sea again.\" \u003cbr\u003eCarol Ann Duffy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout 2011, Sea Swimmers swam in Scarborough's South Bay as part of imove, the Cultural Olympiad Programme in Yorkshire. They were led bravely into the waves by poet John Wedgwood Clarke, whose eighteen-poem sequence inspired by this experience has now been collected in book form and published by Valley Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe poems explore the fluent, fragile and sometimes agonisingly pleasurable relationship between the swimmer, the land and the sea around Scarborough; how swimming transforms the way we feel ourselves to be in our bodies, and the liberating effects these changes have on the imagination. \u003cem\u003eSea Swim\u003c\/em\u003e may be as close as you can get to swimming in the sea without donning a wetsuit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"His work is amongst the best to have emerged from new poets in this country over the past two or three years.\"\u003cbr\u003eSimon Armitage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Winter Minutes'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e(from Sea Swim, Valley Press, 2012)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003esouls are exhaled from moist things\u003cbr\u003eHeraclitus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe sea has chilled and cockled this book.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWords migrate through its pages:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eboth doors of the chalet are open; the horizon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ea lightly tapped tuning fork.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThere’s nothing to record but your absence.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eA tiny spider, auburn-legged, light\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eas sea foam, sews along the table’s aluminium edge.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI write in absentia, snow on the sea.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Wedgwood Clarke\u003c\/strong\u003e trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and holds a D.Phil. in Modernist poetics from the University of York. He is currently Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Sciences at the University of Hull, Scarborough. He was shortlisted for the Manchester Poetry Prize in 2010, and commended in the National Poetry Competition in the same year for his poem 'Stubble'. He grew up in St. Ives, Cornwall, and now lives in Scarborough.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1041217432,"sku":"9781908853066","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/valley_press_-_sea_swim.jpeg?v=1752236603"},{"product_id":"form","title":"Form","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eForm\u003c\/em\u003e is a beautifully produced, fiercely ambitious debut pamphlet from a completely new voice in British poetry. These fourteen poems document the emergence of a keen literary mind; unafraid to switch between piercing social commentary (often in the form of extended natural metaphors), tender reports on inter-family interactions (as in opening poem 'Explaining to Joshua Why Snowmen Have to Melt'), and what can best be described as sheer revelry in the joy of language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Golden'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHole of gold, apart from time\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eheld open by exotic matter.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo matter that the patter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eof tiny feet\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eclosed the circle.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove you, Au,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI do.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eEternally old hardened hoop.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eA cheer, a whoop then given back.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRefuge in a toolbox.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eVisits copper cousins\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ein a dirty, dusty corner.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStrange coldy coldness;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003esince furnace forged, soon forgotten.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBuried beneath an apple tree,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eplumps the second season’s fruit.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSuperhero shiny ting!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn summer sunlight,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eswells the bosom of reflected pride.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlinded worms within.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGoaded by fashion\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003einto empty reluctance,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eand limping on forever,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eto melt before\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ea million birthday candles. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCarl Potter\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Beverley, East Yorkshire, in 1984, and remained there until starting a degree in English and Creative Writing at Leeds Trinity University College. He has had a variety of jobs, including landscape gardener and chef, but has always written poetry and fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1041217568,"sku":"9781908853035","price":4.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/valley_press_-_form.jpeg?v=1752236429"},{"product_id":"life-after-life-after-death","title":"Life After Life After Death","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSecond Edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeath for the bomber crew limping back over the estuary? Life after death for the young woman buried under the trees, beneath the city? A lunch break after death - as decades, centuries break their moorings and collide with each other?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFelix Hodcroft is one of the most talented poets writing in Britain today, and \u003cem\u003eLife After Life After Death\u003c\/em\u003e, originally published in 2010, is his first full-length collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDriven by an impressive control of narrative and character, his poems shine a light into every corner of society - including yours - and consider familiar subjects as they've never been considered before. 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Her first collection of poetry, \u003cem\u003eLove Letters \u0026amp; Children's Drawings\u003c\/em\u003e, delighted readers of all ages upon its publication in November 2011.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhether reflecting on the past, through derelict landmarks and absent friends, confronting present-day 'domestic dilemmas' with wit and good-humour, or looking to the future through the eyes (and extraordinary energies) of her grandchildren, Norah remains unswervingly honest, entertaining and inventive. \u003cem\u003eLove Letters \u0026amp; Children's Drawings\u003c\/em\u003e is poetry at its very best – constantly insightful, compelling, essential.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Speaks to the reader's heart... pure, practical and prophetic. A true poet.\"\u003cbr\u003eDeirdre McGarry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Norah manages - perhaps because this book distils a lifetime of writing - to bring before us the tragedy of the human condition, making it sound beautiful and worth living through.\"\u003cbr\u003ePaul Sutherland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Intelligent, compassionate and humane... a treasure trove.\" \u003cbr\u003eHelen Burke\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNorah Hanson \u003c\/strong\u003ewas born in Hull in 1937. She spent much of the war in Beverley, before returning to Hull in 1943. Since her retirement, Norah has devoted much of her time to writing poetry, which  has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies - including \u003cem\u003eDream Catcher\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eIota\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Hull Connection\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePatterns of Hope\u003c\/em\u003e. She has also had much competition success, including being shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and commended in the Yorkshire Open.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1041218000,"sku":"9780956890467","price":7.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/love_letters.jpeg?v=1752236822"},{"product_id":"stone-venus","title":"Stone Venus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Only the core of her left –\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ea memory of being whole.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI keep her upon my bookshelf,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ehold her neat within my hand,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ereminded of the life in stone.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJo Reed's encounter with the original 'Stone Venus', entangled amongst seaweed on a Corfu beach, was the source of much inspiration, creativity and comfort to the lifelong artist. Now, it has become the seed of her first collection of poetry; a collection you could soon be holding in your outstretched hand, much like Jo held 'Venus' herself on that cold morning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe poet demonstrates a fascination with objects - as well as people, memories and places - throughout this moving, delicately-crafted debut, which inhabits them, transports them to decades past, then brings them back into the present with a series of skillful literary flourishes. This is writing to touch, inspire and astonish any reader - even those made of stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Poems which show due care for the reader, often capable of a startling justness of phrase or rhythm...an attentiveness to both art and experience.\"\u003cbr\u003eW.N. Herbert\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Even if I didn’t know, I’d be able to tell the poems were written by a visual artist; like a stained glass with each bit showing a different part of [Jo's] life. Lovely.\" \u003cbr\u003ePauline Plummer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Afterthought'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf she had known she would sleep alone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ein her borrowed marriage bed,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eshe’d have packed that life in a suitcase,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eshe’d have hitch-hiked to Brighton instead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJo Reed was born near Durham in 1941.  She spent her childhood moving up and down the East Coast, from Northumbria to Norfolk, before arriving in Soho, London in the 1960s. She later lived in rural Surrey and Lincolnshire, before settling in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, at the turn of the century. She has worked as an illustrator, printmaker and teacher, and has had her art exhibited widely in one-woman shows from Athens to Buenos Aires, as well as in London.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53675015831937,"sku":"9780956890412","price":7.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/stone_venus.jpeg?v=1752236817"},{"product_id":"the-day-of-small-things-words-and-pictures-from-the-bridlington-romanian-project","title":"The Day of Small Things: Words and Pictures from the Bridlington Romanian Project","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Day of Small Things\u003c\/em\u003e is the second charity publication by   Valley Press; a collection of articles, photographs and   creative writing inspired by the Bridlington Romanian   Project, an organisation from East Yorkshire working in   particular to help the disenfranchised, poverty-stricken   citizens of a Romanian village called Odoreu.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs well as humbling articles on the project's work in   Romania, the book includes translated poems and prayers from   the Roma themselves, thirty-six full-colour pictures (many   taken by local photographers) and thirty pages of creative   writing by supporters of the project in Bridlington,   inspired by stories of volunteers and villagers working   together to improve the situation.  Fully-funded by generous donators, every penny made from   sales of the book goes towards providing more of the aid and   friendship which have achieved so much already, and will   continue for many years to come.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1041219144,"sku":"9780956251954","price":6.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/the_day_of_small_things_bbcd6a63-63b8-4c0e-83c2-6199a49d54f5.jpeg?v=1752236764"},{"product_id":"a-visit-to-the-art-gallery","title":"A Visit to the Art Gallery","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNigel Gerrans' eclectic spiritual poetry, first collected in 2009's \u003cem\u003eTenebrae\u003c\/em\u003e, has earned deserved plaudits for its intensity of feeling and richness of imagery and language. \u003cem\u003eA Visit to the Art Gallery\u003c\/em\u003e offers a new selection, drawing on the poet's remarkable life experience to present twenty-four dazzling portraits, landscapes and memories, composed over six decades and published here for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis edition also includes a complete, revised text of \u003cem\u003eSong Sequence\u003c\/em\u003e, a twenty-six poem cycle intended for performance by four voices, as well as its sister work \u003cem\u003eChorale\u003c\/em\u003e, a dialogue where priest and poet debate their seemingly irreconcileable vocations. 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