Author Archives: Sarah Barr

I live in Dorset UK and write poetry and fiction. My short poetry collection 'January' is published by Maytree Press.

Hawthorn

My poetry pamphle ‘Hawthorn’ is now available price £10 (or £20 for super ‘private stock bundle’) from Hedgehog Press

or contact me: sarahbarrwriter@gmail.com

and I will send you the PayPal link to pay

The book contains poems and vivid, atmospheric images

I hope you enoy it!

Night Zoo Birthday

This time last summer my short story collection Night Zoo was launched! It is currently available from Valley Press and has some wonderful reviews, for which I am very grateful. I am celebrating Night Zoo‘s first year!

“Each of these stories is a world of its own, peopled with vivid characters whose lives are revealed in such telling ways, every detail mattering … [Barr’s] prose is exacting and fresh, full of wit and energy.” poet Alice Kavounas Abandoned Gardens

“An absorbing collection of keenly observed stories from Sarah Barr. The characters are beautifully drawn and the narrative throughout is both insightful and vivid. I can highly recommend this collection. An excellent read.” novelist Ian J. Burton All Along the Skyline

The Frogmore Papers 100

Several of my poems have found homes in The Frogmore Papers, most recently in the Autumn 2022 issue which happens to be the 100th issue and is cause for celebration. Congratulations to chief editor Jeremy Page! The cover is wonderful too, designed by Neil Gower.

The Frogmore Press started 39 years ago. In the early years it seems to have been published quarterly; now it appears bi-annually.

I’m enjoying reading some fabulous poems by poets whose names are known to me and others whose work I’m reading for the first time. The first poem in the anthology is by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage – a poignant poem about past and present and which includes walking, for which he is famous.

My poem, ‘Across the Lake’, appears in the anthology after being shortlisted for this year’s Frogmore Poetry prize. It’s a poem that spreads informally across the page. I enjoyed the freedom of writing it and creating a sense of the expanse of water the two swimmers are crossing. What a poem looks like is probably as important to me as how it sounds.

Night Zoo Launch!

My ‘Night Zoo’ short story collection was officially launched at Gullivers Bookshop on the first Wednesday evening in August! Thank you, Gullivers! The place was crowded and buzzing so it was great fun. As well as my reading of the beginning of the story, ‘Great Barrier Reef’, there was also a q and a session, eg see below!

q: ‘Which is your favourite story?’

a: As with children, I don’t have a favourite – they are all equally special! However, I worked longest on ‘Great Barrier Reef’ as there were some sturutural issues to deal with and the early drafts were complicated and packed in enough for a novel so I had to pare things down! All the elements of the story remained but some sank more to the background and others became more focused.

q: Are the stories separate or do they link?

a: The stories are varied and individual and can be read as stand-alones. But there also links, for example – I wrote them all so they have that in common! A few characters reappear in other stories although the reader may not notice that (my secret)! The stories are linked by my concerns – the environment and climage change, respect for the differences among and between people, social justice, parents and children, kindness. Many other issues … too many to list here.

‘Night Zoo’ is widely available at Gullivers and other bookshops, from the publisher Lendal Press, and online at all the usual places including Waterstones.

Valentine’s Day 2022

There are so many well-known and not-so-well-known love poems that I return to. Today I’m thinking about ‘love’ in its different forms. One of my first published poems is very short. I’d probably write it rather differently today, 20 years on, but I’m still fond of the poem, its optimism, and its sense of closeness between humans and nature.

Otter

In the early morning
a little face with a long neck
appears at the window,
a little questioning face.
Two capable paws rest on the sill
and two surprising eyes
look through the window
at us in bed, drinking tea,
in our boat under the willow
in the early morning on the river.

Happy National Poetry Day!

Today, I’m celebrating everything good about poetry!

I am grateful to all the poets whose poems have sustained and delighted me over the years.

I am grateful to all the poets who have offered friendship, inspiration and affirmation, encouraging me to keep going with my writing. Thank you!

Writing can be a lonely journey, at times, but it seems to me that the journey is happier and more fulfilling if we support each other.

On January 1st 2020, poet John McCullough tweeted a lovely message about my poem, ‘January’, that he had previously selected for the Frogmore Prize. He said: ‘I posted a while back about the importance of learning how to use silence in poetry as well as sound. I think this poem … is a great example. There’s so much quietly going on in the stanza breaks, the line breaks and that white silence at the end.’

Thank you, John! Your appreciation of my poem was a lovely gift, helping to inspire confidence. Later in 2020 my short poetry collection ‘January’ was published by Maytree Press. Thank you, Maytree!

The High Window

The High Window is a poetry ezine I always enjoy reading. The presentation is brilliant, the poems very well-chosen and arranged and the short biogs of poets fascinating. The latest issue starts with a vivid spring illustration. I’m delighted to have my poems, ‘Family in the Museum’ and ‘Little White Skating Boots’ appearing in this Spring 2021 First Instalment. It’s great to see my work alongside that of other excellent and well-known poets. Today, poems that chime particularly with my mood are ‘Knitting’ and ‘Visitor’ by Lorraine Carey and Colin Pink’s sequence of short poems on bereavement. Also, I really like the poems on riding pillion on a motorbike by Fiona Sinclair. THW is a super magazine and free to read!

London Grip review

I recently discovered London Grip and I’m now enjoying the writing, poetry and reviews published in this magazine. Recently, poet Emma Storr wrote a detailed review of my collection, ‘January’, finishing with:

‘January is a varied, accessible collection of poems filled with understated emotions from a writer who is practised and confident in handling the profound with a light touch.’

Thank you, Emma, for reading and commenting so closely on my poetry. It is great to have readers – as a writer I think it’s necessary! – and fascinating to discover the various different things each reader finds meaningful and enjoyable in the writing.

Emma Storr’s pamphlet, ‘Heart Murmur’, published by Calder Valley Poetry is an accessible and compelling collection that draws on her experiences as a GP and as a patient.