The Strangest Thankyou, a debut poetry collection by Richard Thomas

The Strangest Thankyou
By Richard Thomas
Published by Cultured Llama
RRP £8 (paperback)
ISBN  978-0-9568921-5-7

The Strangest Thankyou is the refreshing debut poetry collection from Richard Thomas, published my Cultured Llama in November 2012:

‘Richard Thomas’s debut poetry collection embraces the magical and the mundane, the exotic and the everyday, the surreal rooted in reality.

Grand poetic themes of love, death and great lives are cut with surprising twists and playful use of language, shape, form and imagery. The poet seeks ‘an array of wonder’ in “Dig” and spreads his ‘riches’ throughout The Strangest Thankyou.’

Richard says of The Strangest Thankyou, ‘Strangeness is delivered daily by the edicts of life. It comes with bewilderment, intrigue and colour and it produces daily poetry. For that I feel the least I can do is say ‘thankyou’, and, at most, return the poetry to the source that inspired it in the form of my first book of poems, The Strangest Thankyou.’

And with that, the collection has been receiving high praise around the UK:

‘…Did I mention ‘journey’? This book takes me on one. It begins with a journey, in ‘Nature’, and a choice: “towering grey pylons” or the “sweet abstract of trees.” The poet longs to be part of “gentle nature… take your oath and make a grand old oak.” The poet’s affinity with Nature- or a longing for that affinity- reappears throughout the book...’ - Reflections

‘…There's a clear sense of literary tradition in his work, whether that of the 20th century, as in the obvious 'surreal connection', or with an earlier romantic mode of writing. In 'Good Reason to Die' for example, there's a strong hint of an Elizabethan influence yet this is presented with such a down-to-earth 'lack of flourish', which is both very funny and strangely moving…’ – Stride Magazine

‘…The writing here is absorbing, unpredictable and recognisable; the young poet has found his voice during the writing of these pieces and it is one you can imagine chatting to over a coffee or pontificating with about space, with both a tongue in cheek and hand on its chin; marvelous…’ – Message in a Bottle

‘…a mature and well crafted poetic voice in a well thought-out, cohesive book.  The collection comes across as a piece of work that sits well together and displays the full voice of a poet with a burning talent, through some of the imagery used in the poetry and technically…’ – Kettle and Yarn

The Strangest Thankyou is available for £8.00 from: www.culturedllama.co.uk, online retailers and your local bookshop.

Find out more about Richard and keep updated: www.richarchristopherthomas.co.uk

A Fresh Look for Symmetry Pebbles (Poetry & Art Magazine)

Symmetry Pebbles is a webzine publishing fresh, exciting and pioneering contemporary poetry and art. Founded in 2011 by editor, Richard Thomas, the publication has already made a stir, racking up an impressive following of subscribers and contributors.

Symmetry Pebbles prides itself on having published work from all corners of the globe, the standard of which has been award-winning: ‘One Winter’ by American poet Rodney Nelson was given a Poetry Kit Award for Richard’s editorial selection and publication of it.

The free publication has been solely run by Richard for over two years now, with a focused idea to expose new, experimenting talent. Originally producing free downloadable e-zines for subscribers, Symmetry Pebbles has made a few changes to its format lately.

Richard recently become a father and so has simplified his publication in order to keep it going, publishing new work on a regular basis. Now, running in a ‘webzine’ format, users can find everything within the simple website layout. Symmetry Pebbles is regularly updated with poetry, art, reviews, articles and essays. A featured poet and featured artist are appointed intermittently with a full interview and examples of their work.

Why not head over to www.symmetrypebbles.com and check it out now, you can also subscribe for free monthly updates and other exclusive subscriber-only goodies.

Symmetry Pebbles is continuously seeking new submissions. If you’re a poet and think your work would fit in with the SP vibe then send no more than three poems, along with a one-line bio to submissions@symmetrypebbles.com. Similarly, if you would like to submit artwork of any kind, send no more than three JPEG’s of your work to the address above, with your one-line bio and web address if you have one.

And Symmetry Pebbles is always welcoming new contributors of poetry book reviews and poetry related articles. If you are interested in reviewing books, or have an interesting idea for an article or essay, email editor@symmetrypebbles.com with your writer’s CV and an example of your work. Or, alternatively, should you have already written a review  (up to 850 words), article or essay (up to 1000 words) and you are looking for publication of it, send it to the above address and we’ll see if it fits in with the SP ethos.

www.symmetrypebbles.com