Alison R Reed Author of two novels, a book of short stories and several history books, Alison R Reed has been writing fiction and non-fiction for over twenty years but she didn’t find poetry until recently, and now she has embraced it with a passion. Her first poem was published in 2016 on Peace the Poet’s 100 Walsall Poets blog, and after receiving advice from Dr Paul McDonald of The University of Wolverhampton, she has since been published in several charity anthologies. She occasionally reads at the monthly ‘Yes We Cant’ poetry evenings at the Pretty Bricks and also at David Calcutt’s ‘Poetry in the Park’ events. Most recently she read at the FreeVerse poetry festival at The Lamp in Brownhills in July. She is an active member of Walsall Writers’ Circle and it is on their website walsallwriterscircle.wordpress.com that you will soon be able to find a link to her new website, which is currently being constructed. She writes about events and places that she has enjoyed or which made an impression on her and is currently working on her first poetry collection. The Chainshop The old brick hearth is empty now Except for trails of snail silver. The bellows lie silent and The tommy hammer that clanged, Shaped and shut endless chains Lies on the earthen floor, An anchor for cobwebs, An obstacle for beetles. Daylight punctuates the shadows And the gassy, burning odour has floated away On the scent of fresh grass. (C) Alison R Reed
