is it the light
in the egg
that makes the colours
shine from the mouth of the form?
Books & Projects
After Economy
‘The fifty-six poems of After Economy balance on a wavering tightrope between oblivion, void and humanity. An intriguing unpredictability fills Williams’ poems, as they unfold into sensitive, beautiful musings: “this poem may die some evening in a garden by the sea”. A hallucinatory-feel transcends the confines of familiarity as “I was close enough / to … Continue reading After Economy
Condition of Fire
‘Now I will tell my stories of bodies that change…’ Ovid, Metamorphoses Ovid wrote his famous stories of change just before he was banished from his beloved Rome and after travelling and observing many diverse and vibrant landscapes. He may well have visited and was knowledgeable of the Aeolian Isles where volcanoes cast molten lava into … Continue reading Condition of Fire
House of the Tragic Poet
A pamphlet entitled House of the Tragic Poet, published by Sam Riviere’s If A Leaf Falls Press. These poems came about because I watched a documentary about a house in Pompeii called The House of the Tragic Poet, and wrote a poem about that house. Then that poem disappeared off my computer. I tried everything I could to … Continue reading House of the Tragic Poet
Locust and Marlin
Nominated for the 2014 Saltire Society Poetry Book of the Year Award. ‘The slings and arrows of life are challenge enough and Williams celebrates all of our strengths in her poetry. Just as her words are rich with life and love, they’re also critical, and address the harsher blows of living. The poet refuses to … Continue reading Locust and Marlin
Our Real Red Selves
In war and in birth we reveal “our real red selves”, and this volume brings together three poets whose work moves between life and death. Harry Giles’ Drone explores modern warfare and office life. His “drone” is both a remote-control killing-machine and office drudge who is lonely and lacks job satisfaction. Somehow funny and achingly … Continue reading Our Real Red Selves
Snow: The Opera
Read the 4 * review in The Observer here. It was a privilege to write the libretto for the first production by innovative London-based opera company The Opera Story. Snow is a three-act opera inspired by the story of Snow White that most of us know, but told from a fresh, and darker, perspective. To do this, … Continue reading Snow: The Opera
