One of the genres I don’t feel I feature nearly enough on Linda’s Book Bag is poetry, so I am delighted to welcome poet Katie Lewington to stay in with me today as she will be able to help me redress the balance.

Staying in with Katie Lewington

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Katie. Thanks for staying in with me. Which of your books have you brought along to share with me and why have you chosen it?

I have brought with me my travel poetry chapbook Here comes the Sun. I have chosen it because I want to share some sunshine with you, and your followers. If you’re in the UK (like I am) we don’t get a lot of the sun and it can dampen the mood somewhat, which I think is reflected in the poems in my book.

(What a smashing concept. I love the sun, poetry and travel. I think I’m going to enjoy this evening, Katie!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Here comes the Sun?

Poetic insights, from the contemplative, to the less serious elements of summer, such as ice cream, and finding strands of grass in your bath. Here’s a poem from the book, which I wrote while in Brugge, and is the story of why I write.

I Capture an Image with my Pen

in Brugge

a group of three students

perform in

front of a parade of restaurants

and as it comes to

the music draws in

and the crowds

once swollen

disperse

as a hat is passed around for

loose Euros –

in way of payment

for the performance –

and this is why

i write poetry

to capture small  moments.

(I love that. The fragmentary nature of the lines really conveys the fleeting nature of the moment. You must be so proud of Here comes the Sun.)

What else have you brought along and why?

A portion of Here comes the Sun was written while I was in Portugal, and as Portugal is a wine country, I have brought along a bottle of Mateus. I would also like, before leaving you, to share some sentiments from Here comes the Sun:

Please  remember  the  sun  does  come  out. Sometimes  you  have to  search  for  it, but  it  is  there, and worth  looking  for.

That’s just lovely Katie. I think we all need to remember that at times. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me more about Here comes the Sun. You’ve really brightened my evening.

Here comes the Sun

Experience the thrill of summer, and travel with Katie Lewington through Europe, without needing to move from your seat.

It was a summer of reinvention and discovery: from leaving home, to travelling Europe. In 2016 football, politics, and airports dominated the life of Katie Lewington. Thankfully you won’t find any poems on Brexit in Katie Lewington’s poetry collection Here Comes the Sun. You will find one on the Euro’s, and the unexpected delights found in Airport baggage queues. Some of the poems in Here comes the Sun make good use of brevity, while others, such as Wi-Fi, are written in a prose style of writing. Here comes the Sun uses simple language in the poems that were written whilst travelling in the summer of ’16. The events in the poems mirror the places of their origins, such as in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, the market forecourt of Brugge, and the Brighton Pier.

Here comes the Sun is available for purchase here.

About Katie Lewington

Born with a pen in her hand, Katie Lewington has continued to write since the year dot, and develop her unique style of writing. She has self-published several chapbooks of poetry on her travels, experiences of love, and humorous food themed pieces too. She works on her blog The Poetry Hub reviewing books, sharing poetry, and interviewing writers.

You can follow Katie on Twitter @lewingtonkatie and Instagram. If you’d like to support Katie’s writing you can do so here.