Othernesses by Paul Brookes
Published by Jane’s Studio Press

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Review by A.R. Williams, PhD

Paul Brookes’ Othernesses beholds the mundane with unwavering attention, unveiling the distinctiveness of the often overlooked. Utilizing the Shakespearean sonnet, Brookes shows us that some of the most exceptional subtleties in existence are veiled as the ordinary. As Andy MacGregor states in the foreword, “A key task for the poet is to restore our sense of mystery, our feeling for the world’s essential peculiarity. His or her job is, we might say, to expose the illusion of familiarity.” (13) And this is exactly what Brookes does in Othernesses—he effectively helps restore this sense of the world’s strangeness by directing the reader to relook at ordinary organisms such as the cockroach (24), earwig (34), barnacle (53), badger (79), and dustmite (89). For Brookes, nothing is too trivial to acquire significance.

In a time where un-rhymed verse holds sway, Brookes makes a deliberate choice to transport the reader into the realm of everyday peculiarity, all within the structured confines of the sonnet. He fuses imagist sensibilities with the rigidity of the sonnet form, melding two seemingly dissimilar worlds. This union allows for a unique experience for the reader, where the precision of imagery characteristic of imagism find an unexpected home within the structured elegance of the sonnet. The result is a poetic alchemy that marries the immediacy of vivid, sensory detail with the timeless structure of fourteen lines, creating a blend that both challenges and enchants the reader’s sensibilities. Jane Cornwell’s evocative illustrations serve as a visual companion to the collection, enhancing the reader’s immersion into the world of Brookes’ poetic synthesis.

Othernesses is an imaginative collection, extending an invitation to appreciate and honor the overlooked and minuscule, provoking a thoughtful consideration of our ties to the surrounding world.

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Paul Brookes is a shop assistant. Lives in a cat house full of teddy bears. He is Editor of The Wombwell Rainbow Interviews, book reviews and challenges. Had work broadcast on BBC Radio 3 The Verb and, videos of his Self Isolation sonnet sequence featured by Barnsley Museums and Hear My Voice Barnsley. He also does photography commissions His debut chapbook was The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley, (Dearne Community Arts, 1993). His collections A World Where and She Needs That Edge (Nixes Mate Press, 2017, 2018) are short stories in verse, The Spermbot Blues (OpPRESS, 2017) is Sci-Fi poetry, Please Take Change (Cyberwit.net, 2018) is shopworker poetry, As Folk Over Yonder ( Afterworld Books, 2019) poetry about neighbours.. A poetry collaboration with artworker Jane Cornwell resulted in Wonderland in Alice, plus other ways of seeing, (JCStudio Press, 2021) . Recent sonnet collections of his: As Folktaleteller (ImpSpired, 2022), “These Random Acts of Wildness, (Glass Head Press, 2023), Othernesses (JCStudio Press, 2023). He has had work broadcast on BBC Radio Three, The Verb. Recently his work has also been broadcast on BBC Radio Sheffield. He does not believe in competitions, but has been nominated for the Rhysling Prize, and twice for the Pushcart Prize. Recently, guest edited for Setumag “Some British Working Class Poets”. thewombwellrainbow.wordpress.com