Poetry from the Edge

This new anthology of writing introduces the work of three accomplished Suffolk poets, whose work is inspired by the county's rich variety of landscapes.

R.G. Binns lives on the Suffolk coast. His poems have appeared in The Rialto, Stand and Poetry Review and his most recent collection is The Night. He has been twice commended for the Crabbe Prize and shortlisted for the Poetry Society's Geoffrey Dearmer Prize. "Suffolk is as far east as you can go in this land. For a poet, what better atmosphere to breathe than that of a lush, green, fertile county which reaches out into the North Sea and embraces everything from the cliffs of disappearing Dunwich to anti-tank blocks, ruined abbeys and mysterious forests?"

Merriel Gardiner lives in Lavenham. She trained in Horticulture at Rosewarne, Duchy College, Cornwall and later, Literature with Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. She trained as Horticultural Journalist for RHS The Garden Magazine and has contributed to a variety of publications. Merriel has worked in a number of historic gardens including The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and as Head Gardener of Novikov, at Brent Eleigh Hall, Suffolk. "Many of the poems included here began life in a specific Suffolk location. I believe that at the edge of things (birth, death, love, loss, comfort and time, for example) is where we learn most."

Claire Hamburger has worked as a teacher, counsellor and advocate. Her poems and prose have been published in a variety of anthologies including titles from Sheba Feminist Publishers, Palantir, two German anthologies and Stand. She has won poetry prizes in competitions for Caf Writers, Waterstone's Bookshop, Suffolk Poetry Society, as well as various library competitions. "I started writing poetry at an early age and have read and absorbed across cultures and time spans. My strong belief in humanity and humanitarian causes and in the relationship between nature and humanity drives my work I live life with 'eyes wide open' and have been immersed in the Norfolk and Suffolk landscape for many years."