POEMS FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART
Poems for the Young at Heart was published by Leafe Press in 2016. These are the back cover blurbs:
‘Martin Stannard’s new book is a poetry bonanza, richly appealing in its variety and verve. Stannard follows Frank O’Hara’s advice to “just go on your nerve,” and his poems revel in witty associations (and dissociations), parodies of the usual ways and subjects, and just pulling the rug out from under: Have I really just said that? Well, now I’ll say this, which is partly about that but also about something you couldn’t possibly have expected. Nor do Stannard’s wit and invention preclude feeling, as in the lyrical sequence “One Week in the Life.” In the often stultifying context of the poetic tried and true, Poems for the Young at Heart is a necessary breath of fresh air.’
- Charles North
‘Here is a major book by a major British poet who dances in the ballroom where the avant-garde meets the mainstream and, more importantly, makes us all want to dance there too. In Martin Stannard's hands language is never tired, or threadbare, or past its sell-by date or begrudging or lightweight. Enjoy this book and live in Martin Stannard's amazing world!’
- Ian McMillan