Caught by the River

Antidotes

11th May 2014

000poetpainting1

Illustration by Maxim Peter Griffin

This is where we pool together all the many wondrous sights, sounds and words which have been piquing our collective interest here at Caught by the River. And it’s been a pretty bountiful spring thus far.

The publishing arm of Caught by the River is on fine form, with the brilliant Water and Sky by Neil Sentance out now. A collection of essays penned originally for the site, it marks his debut book and our first collaboration with Little Toller. You can pick up a copy here.

islandsIslands II & III by Alice Strange

We also announced the publication of our 9th fanzine this week, An Antidote To Indifference. The island themed issue has been guest edited by Malachy Tallack of The Island Review and with contributions from a whole host of excellent writers and artists, it’s safe to say we’re pretty proud of it. Pre-order yourself a copy!

We had a great night at Rough Trade the other week, listening to Chris Yates spin his fishing yarns, with John Andrews hosting the event. The Lost Diary truly is a book for everyone, whether or not you’re a seasoned angler is merely a footnote.

Elsewhere, here’s a selection of things which have made an impact on us over the past few weeks..

This site from writer Julian Hoffman captures his poetic impressions of the Prespa Lakes in northwestern Greece and is well worth checking out. And further afield in Africa, wildlife filmmaker Mark Deeble meticulously documents the flora and fauna of Kenya, again, cast your eye over his work.

A bit closer to home now and Hackney based filmmaker Shelley Love has grabbed our attention for her fantastical visuals . Originally from the West Coast of Scotland, there’s a great interview with her on Hubshop here where she talks about the landscape of the Highlands.

00pylonm11

We stumbled across these eye-catching illustrations from Maxim Peter Griffin and it’s really rather wonderful stuff.

For our eyes…we’re hooked on the television series of Fargo

And for our ears…these post-punk recordings which we came across via Maxim Peter Griffin (via Travin Systems Records) “by local bands on the Bangor and Anglesey scene in ancient Gwynedd, North Wales during the early to mid 1980s” have more than tickled our fancy.

#nowplaying

Pink Mountaintops – Get Back
Archie Bronson Outfit – Wild Crush
Mark Lanegan Band – Sad Lover
Yabby You – Zambia
Gene Chandler – What Now

And we can’t get enough of this…

Firebrand and pal Bill Drummond has been ruffling feathers again by covering up a Ukip billboard poster with his international grey paint. Read about what he’s been up to here. He’s also contributed to our new fanzine.

And last but not least, the poetry of Sister Mary Agnes, a “contemplative nun of the Poor Clare monastery at Lynton in Devon during the 70s” is one of those hidden gems that, on discovering, makes us question why it took so long to uncover the first place.

Luke Thompson describes her work in his blog as “almost nocturnal or crepuscular – night-thoughts of intimacy, loss and abandonment – melancholia of the old thermoscopic sort – with beautiful symbolic imagery and a strong sense of mystical longing…” And there’s not very much written online, but you can read more about her here

We’ll leave you with this gem;

Daffodils in Ice
Frost, moon, snow – silent fall, soul-musical.
Christ’s hand, outstretched to bless,
sheds silver over all.
His scars, his ring – his marriage band
are daffodils
in ice.

For news, updates and musings, remember to follow us on Twitter @tweetbytheriver