Partly in Riga, and Other Poems

This book is in five sections. 'Wear and Tear' contains poems about the birth of my son Gruffydd in 2009, a brother to Robert and Brendan they may not have expected, and the worlds he produced on his arrival. The poems in the 'Partly in Riga' section are from a few years earlier, and a result of a residency in Riga, Latvia as part of the 'Sealines' project. They try to talk about some of the difficulties of knowing and not knowing, of being there and immersed in the place and the culture, but not always understanding. 'Partly Local' tracks a number of journeys both within and outside north Wales, ranging from the Llyn Peninsula to Sussex and the Greek mainland, as well as journeys into the Welsh past through the poetry and landscapes of Dafydd ap Gwilym. The poems in 'Poor Relations' are an attempt to think consistently about contemporary politics at a time when, to me, that seemed to be impossible. They try to locate places of resistance and moments of compassion, however fleeting. The final section, 'The People Poems', takes forward the ideas in 'Poor relations' and explores a developing interest in the human figure, and a the changing and partial contexts produced by human activity. But they try to be about more than the figure, or the politicised human body; they try to be about people and the complexities of their histories, an inter-related present and their possible futures. I like people, even though they disturb me sometimes. (Ian Davidson)