Cusp – Elaine Briggs
ISBN: 9781788641739
£9.99
There is a density of imagery in Cusp that speaks to an exuberance of spirit and a lively mind. The poems sing off the page, create worlds and make leaps of imagination. We find ourselves unsure of what world we are in, yet always in safe hands. An original collection, full of perspectives that give us pause. We are asked to engage, to think, to upend expectations, to delve as deeply into our unconscious. We are asked to care. In this liminal space on the Cusp, it’s a challenge we should rise to.
Compelling and erudite, thoughtful and courageous, Elaine Briggs’ collection, Cusp embodies what I most enjoy in poetry. This collection takes us on a journey, the titles acting as signposts for the reader. Titles such as Afterbirth, The Egg Bearers, Child lead us into poems of love, loss, relationships; of grandmothers, mothers and daughters. The collection widens out into this poet’s obvious love, and deep knowledge and understanding of, the arts. It encompasses the natural world, the human, painting, myth and landscapes, always leaving space for the reader to step into and dream.
Geraldine Green
These are exuberant poems with a strong music, varied, assured and secure. Elaine’s voice is self-confident and knows where it wants to go. And she is good at mood creation – very much a product of the intermingled elements of the real and the imagined, with a surrealist aspect characteristic of the poems.
The impression I am left with is of the poet delving into her subconscious, trying to make sense of what she finds there, with the reader being encouraged to join the search. A powerful collection.
Robin Thomas
This fascinating sequence poses questions concerning collective origins and tribal amnesia. In the opening poem: ‘the strung-out body on the tail gate of a cargo plane taking off’’ is a terrifying reminder of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, one of many sudden changes of direction tracked in the aptly-titled Cusp. Hidden motives in relationships are forensically laid bare, yet beauty is frequently discovered in the ensuing debris. Land- and seascapes are eloquently conjured from Cumbria to the Loire. Gardens, private and public, are celebrated with microscopic observation. The poet’s precise, rich vocabulary links the personal with the universal.
Jocelyn Simms
Author biography
Elaine Briggs has lived in France for fifty years, and has French and British nationalities. She worked as a professeur agrégée in middle schools, lycées and university, teaching students English language and literature. Alongside this work, she was also a translator specialising in contemporary art – work that she continues to do today. She took early retirement from teaching in order to devote herself to writing. Her poetry has won, been placed or short-listed in various competitions including Hungry Hill, Segora, Cinnamon. Individual poems have been anthologised by Hungry Hill, Segora, Forward, and published in Envoi and the Poetry Salzburg Review. Work has also been read at the Theatre by the Lake, Keswick. She is an avid consumer of KDrama. She has three daughters and one granddaughter.