Queen’s Poem Recalls Massacre Of Nepal’s Royal Family in Poetry Anthology launch at Bonhams
BONHAMS HOST LAUNCH OF ‘FIRST SIXTY’ THE ACUMEN ANTHOLOGY – THE BEST POEMS FROM THE FIRST SIXTY ISSUES, PUBLISHED OVER 25 YEARS
Queen’s Poem Recalls Massacre Of Nepal’s Royal Family
Bonhams will host the launch of `First Sixty’ the Acumen Anthology, a celebration of 25 years of the best poetry featured by the magazine produced by Patricia Oxley, Danielle Hope, Glyn Pursglove, and William Oxley. At the launch event there will be a short reading, a cocktail party, and copies of the Anthology on sale at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London, on Tuesday April 13th at 6.30pm to 8.00pm. For an invitation to the launch, contact Patricia Oxley on PWOxley@aol.com or T: 01803 851098.
First published in 1985, Acumen Literary Journal is open to all and features works by everyone from the former poet laureate, winners of the Queen’s gold medal for poetry, also poetry fellows, academics and writers who simply submit works via the post. There is even a poem in this new Anthology written under a pseudonym by the murdered Queen of Nepal who wrote under the pseudonym Chandani Shah before she was married. They were broadcast on Nepali radio but she died in the massacre of the Nepalese royal family and this poem is one of her few surviving works.
Patricia Oxley says: "First Sixty is an anthology of readable, meaningful poems which cause a reader to laugh, cry, think, agree, disagree, but, above all, enjoy.” The book includes work by 195 poets over 332 pages and reads like a poetic social commentary and a brief history of changing poetic forms and concerns, at the very reasonable price of £9.99.
Over the years there has been much praise for Acumen. Dannie Abse says: “Over the years Acumen has just got better and better.” Wendy Cope offers: “Congratulations to Acumen on its 25th anniversary. Long may you continue to publish good poems and interesting articles.” Andrew Motion wishes the publication a “Happy 25th birthday.”
Editor since the inception of Acumen, Patricia Oxley was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, and educated at North Manchester Grammar School and the University of Salford where she trained as an industrial chemist. But she abandoned science for the arts, especially poetry and after a number of years associated with several literary magazines she decided in 1985 to produce a quality literary journal herself. She now lives in South Devon with her husband, the poet William Oxley, has two grown up daughters and six grandchildren.
She received a first class BA (Hons), as a mature student in English Literature from the University of London in 1992. She has edited the correspondence between William Oxley and her late father-in-law, Harry Oxley, published as ‘Letters Between a Father and a Son 1966-1970' (Salzburg 1988); 'Selected Poems of the United Kingdom' (Spiny Babbler, Kathmandu, 2000); and was co-editor with her husband of ‘Modern Poets of Europe' (Spiny Babbler, Kathmandu, 2003) an anthology of European poetry in English translation.
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com
