Pearl Diving Column
January 2020
by Ingrid Bruck
Mourning Poets We Lost in 2019
poets.org published a list of major poets who died in 2019: In Memoriam 2019 https://poets.org/text/memoriam-2019 The following list includes links to work by:
In thinking about these silenced voices, I realize how sad I am for the loss of poets who inhabited my personal writing and reading world in 2019. Until they died, we inhabited the same literary world. They won’t produce new work in 2020. What they wrote made the literary world richer. These notables—ones who inspire my art—write no more. Suddenly, we no longer occupy the same present. I stay in the present but they are thrust in the past. We, the living writers, have been left behind and feel bereft. We confront a future without our mentors’ voices singing in harmony with our work and lives. We are consigned to stand on their shoulders, as we do on those of the ancestors.
Mourning the loss of poets happens on both a global and local level. This year I grieve two special poetry friends from England who were part of my personal writing universe: Reuben Woolley and Rachel Sutcliffe
Reuben Woolley, born in England, lived in Spain, died Dec. 1, 2019. Reuben was an activist editor and modernist poet of witness. One of my poetry friends, S.E. Ingraham, wrote this about Reuben: “He was only 67 (too young by far, in my view). In any case - I know there are others that have written for his site, I Am Not A Silent Poet, so I am posting the news in a few places. I for one am deeply saddened at Reuben's loss - not only a remarkable poet and fair editor but a fine human being and advocate for social justice. He will be missed.”
For more information about this poet, his life and writing philosophy, see the Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Reuben Woolley, of 9/8/18: https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2018/09/08/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-reuben-woolley/
Here are two hot links to online memorials for Reuben Woolley:
Tributes paid to innovative poet and protest verse editor Reuben Woolleyby Greg Freeman https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=97630
A Sad Day: Rest in Peace Reuben Woolley, your voice will never be silenced…~ by Jamie Dedes https://jamiededes.com/2019/12/04/i-am-not-a-silent-poet-this-wednesday-writing-prompt-in-honor-of-reuben-woolley/
Rachel Sutcliffe was a great loss to the UK and English speaking haiku community. This gifted haijin lost her battle to illness. Below is one of Rachel’s fine haiku from a recent Tweet by MyHaikuPond:
In case you missed MyHaikuPond's Tweet
Today's Find #2:
windfall apple
another bruise
I can’t hide
Rachel Sutcliffe (1977-2019)
Prune Juice, July 2018
Rachel lived in England. Her Blog, Project Words, remains alive online and contains some of her haiku: https://projectwords11.wordpress.com/about/
Here’s a link in memory of Rachel Sutcliffe:
https://livinghaikuanthology.com/index-of-poets/livinglegacies/6699-sutcliffe,-rachel.html
May the memory of the poets we lost in 2019 live on in our words!
https://www.betweentheseshoresbooks.com/contact-us
Date Published: January 1, 2020