Plain and Purl, cinematic in its imagery, psalm-like in its renditions of pain, loss and renewal, carves a unique path through contemporary poetic trends. In close-up, tightly crafted poems Alistair Stewart’s collection begins in the silence of personal tragedy and emanates outward in epic sequence around motifs of ash, sky, fatherhood and grief. It retains the widely acclaimed style of the verse narrative Frankston 281, pointing a documentary lens with intimate effect. Plain and Purl is a testament of love and a hard-eyed anitdote to the sleek inducements of contemporary life.
