Not Expecting Fish

Not Expecting Fish is the title of a new anthology of poetry (see cover picture in side-bar) edited by Ink Sweat & Tears editor Charles Christian and published by the Gatehouse Press in association with IS&T. It is a collection of 46 poems by over 20 contributors (including Charles Christian) who last year attended the University of East Anglia's creative writing diploma courses. Reflecting the authors' wide range of experiences of love, loss and life, the net result is an eclectic but one hundred percent accessible collection of some of the best in modern writing.

The book (ISBN 978-0-9554770-3-4) is available both on Amazon and direct from Ink Sweat & Tears. The IS&T price is £5.00 (inc p&p) per copy for UK orders and £6.50 (inc p&p) per copy for international orders. You can order a copy by phone: +44 (0)1986 788666 - or fax: +44 (0)1986 788808 - or email:  orders@legaltechnology.com - or snail mail: Ink Sweat & Tears, Oak Lodge, Darrow Green Road, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0AY, UK. You can pay by cheque (made payable to Legal Technology Insider) or by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Amex).

The anthology takes its name from a line in this poem by contributor Debbie Arnander...


Fish

When you were eleven
you loved fishing.

When you were forty
you went out
and bought yourself the best
rods and lures
your hard-earned money could buy.
You even bought
a special fishing hat.
You sat on the bank
in your nylon chair
        waiting.
The trees dripped honeydew
onto thick water.
And there were dragonflies.
They made you think of your first kiss.

Then suddenly
a small vibration
singing on the line
and something tugging –
Quick!
Your fingers fumble at the reel
you bite your lip:
a little silver perch
with orange fins
rips twisting up into the air.

Your heart goes down
seesawing
plop.

You weren't expecting fish.