Title: We Saw It All Happen
Author: Julian Bishop
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Fly on the Wall Press
Publication Date: 13/01/2023
Hello dear readers. Today, I'm pleased to be reviewing Julian Bishop's debut poetry collection 'We Saw It All Happen'. Massive thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for organising the blog tour, and for allowing me to participate, as well as for the gifted copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Synopsis:
Julian Bishop raises 'an army of stubborn weeds' in this dark but sometimes humorous Ecopoetry collection. From the bowels of Whitechapel in London, to the intricacies of jellyfish, Bishop brings to life the most important fight known to man: climate change, documenting the changes to our planet and the attitudes of humanity across the globe towards it.
Review:
For some, reading about the effects of climate change on the environment can be difficult and although we have seen how our environment has been destroyed, and how much worse it can get, we may not want to face our ignorance and inaction head on. In his collection of ecopoetry, Julian Bishop presents us with a digestible 'menu' of poems - divided into three parts: 'A Taster', 'Mains' and 'Afters'. The poems are bound to fill you up and Bishop's writing will allow you to get a taste of sadness and humour, but also of hope.
"froths with toxic sand. It took only one unguarded frack
to contaminate our lifeblood, to turn all our rivers black."
From the very first poem, I fell in love with Bishop's writing. The choice of words, the rhythm of the poems and the various poetic devices used highlight his advanced writing skill but what is also evident is his passion for the environment and for wanting to make a difference. As Bishop states in the preface of the collection, he feels that 'with collective will, change does happen' and that 'there's plenty to be done'.
I enjoyed reading all of the poems in the collection, however, some poems which stood out for me were 'Remember When Hippos Used to Swim?', 'Burning Rubber', 'We Crave a Sea Change' and 'Lyrical on Wax'. I also liked that at end of the collection, there are some notes on the poems which demonstrate Bishop's extensive research when writing, and provide further reading material on climate change.
"Plumes of smoke billow across endless desert:
a chocking canopy, ghost of a million trees."
Overall, 'We Saw It All Happen' is a heartbreaking but beautifully written debut poetry collection which highlights the damage that has been done by climate change. It is a collection that will leave you reflect on how humanity has ignored the worsening state of the environment, but also one that will inspire you to take action. Julian Bishop's talent and love for the environment oozes out of the pages of the book which has led me to give the collection a five star rating. I certainly look forward to reading more of his work in the future.
Rating: ★★★★★
If you are interested in reading 'We Saw It All Happen', then you can purchase the collection on the Fly on the Wall Press website.
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About the Author
Julian Bishop had a lifelong interest in ecology and worked for a time as an Environment Reporter for BBC Wales. He's now a member of the collective group Poets For The Planet. A former runner-up in the Ginkgo Prize for Eco Poetry, he's been shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize.
Check out the other stops on the blog tour, which you can find below, as well as on Julian Bishop's and Fly on the Wall Press' Twitter accounts.
