Poetry with Jay Ramsay

Last Friday I went to the launch of Jay Ramsay’s new poetry collection: Monuments. I’ll be reviewing the poems soon, when I’ve read, pondered and digested them a bit more. Friday was a wonderful night though, and deserves some reflection.

Firstly there’s the community aspect – there were a lot of enthusiastic people In Black Books Cafe. I’ve not known Jay that long, but it’s evident that there a great many people, drawn to him over decades, who love and respect him. The launch was not just a celebration of the poetry, but a celebration of Jay himself, and of the community that exists around him. It was a joy to be part of that. One of the things that really conveyed that community sense, was the number of people Jay had asked to contribute a poem. Friends and fellow poets, and one songwriter, who have been part of his journey. None of us write in isolation, and the acknowledgement of creative community around the launch was something I found very powerful.

I’ve not been in a place of considering myself to be a member of a defined creative community. I’m blessed with many creative friends, but not something that deliberate or self-conscious. It is fascinating to be able to sit on the edge and look at how that works, how people support and inspire each other, and how that web of conscious connectivity is so enabling.

I love Jay’s poetry. He balances the personal and the universal in ways that render big issues intimate, and that expands the intimate into something meaningfully inclusive. He balances passion with discipline, creating work that conveys a lot of soul and authenticity, without tipping over into self-indulgence, melodrama, or becoming too rigid. Able to take on the important stuff without becoming self important, his writing is blissfully accessible. Jay writes to include and draw in, not to exclude. You don’t come away feeling intimidated by how clever he is, and the ‘literary’ can so easily alienate anyone who doesn’t get its convoluted games. Jay writes poems for people, wild, beautiful poems that open to you.

His performance of poetry mirrors the writing – passionate but not melodramatic, open hearted but not self indulgent, creative, inclusive, welcoming and accessible. It was a joy to hear him read. I could happily have sat there all night, soaking up his words, vision and inspiration. There were a lot of challenges, too – to find meaning, to find ways of being, writing, reflecting and working. Into the melting pot of what has been an extraordinary weekend, Jay added the clear sense for me that there are no excuses. Time to let go of the fear and get on with the work – whatever the work is to be. On Friday night I had no idea whether I could step up to that, but having had time to reflect, what else is there?

You can find Jay’s poetry collection here – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monuments-Jay-Ramsay-ebook/dp/B00JS62KMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399964065&sr=8-1&keywords=jay+ramsay+monuments