Past Tense Future Imperfect

£4.50£6.00

Winner of the 2022 International Book & Pamphlet Competition, judged by Romalyn Ante and Jonathan Edwards.

In these rich and witty poems, we encounter a gallery of characters, voices and situations in various stages of emotional undress and bewilderment, fretting at just the wrong distance from reality in railway stations, ferries, restaurants, war zones and watery dystopias. They are filmic pieces that announce the arrival of an unusually gifted poet, in a short collection much bigger than its size – entertaining, disturbing and despite the odds curiously life-affirming.

Published March 2023

What Writers and Critics Think

  • Here is poetry true to life in its capacity to touch, console and terrify. These often theatrical vignettes blend the absurd with the plangencies and pleasures of alert existence. Superb invention and superlative phrase making create a postmodern atmosphere that is often literary and philosophical without ever seeming pretentious. Welcome to his worlds.

    Donny O’Rourke

Description

Here, the poet makes the seemingly mundane scenes and interactions extraordinary, with stunning language and unforgettable images. Whether the poet talks about ‘My cousin with the sensitive ears / winces as he unbuckles his memory / listens to wallpaper peeling’ or a Nativity play where ‘Straw lies about as if someone has detonated a scarecrow’, the poet showcases remarkable skills in exploring deep, human relationships. – Romalyn Ante, co-judge of the International Book & Pamphlet Competition

Jon Miller lives near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands and has had poetry published in a wide range of literary magazines as well as being a contributor of book and exhibition reviews and literary journalism. He was formerly editor of Northwords Now, a magazine featuring writing from the north of Scotland. He was short-listed for the Wigtown Poetry Prize in 2021 and awarded joint First Place in the Neil Gunn Poetry Competition 2022.

Additional information

Weight 0.087 kg
Dimensions 21 × 0.5 × 14.8 cm
Publication Year

March 2023

ISBN

9781914914393, 9781914914409

Pages

36

Format

eBook (ePub), Pamphlet