A Journal – J. M. Walsh
A Journal by J. M. Walsh / ISBN 9781999629830 / 105-page paperback with flaps, published in 2020 by Broodcomb Press, hand-numbered (on the copyright page) edition of 200 / this one is poetry
From my first batch of books from Broodcomb Press, a UK publisher specializing in weird fiction and beyond: “Encompassing poetry, strange tales and experimental fiction, Broodcomb Press is a home for the writing that belongs here: disquieting truths about the region (“the peninsula”) – tales both eerie and shocking – together with exploring the fantastic/everyday meaning of what it means to be human.”
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Written over the course of a year, A Journal engages with worlds natural and domestic, allowing the differing voices of a human life the space to communicate. These interlinked voices – engaged, trivial, wondering, sensual – create a narrative of a year, encompassing change, illness, despair and moments of great happiness.
“I decided to limit my engagement to what might be manageable on a daily basis. The form the limitation took was to allow myself the same number of words as the date, e.g. for the first of the month, I’d have a one-word allowance for the day, for the second two words, and so on until the maximum daily engagement of thirty-one words.” – J.M. Walsh
