Mark Ward’s latest book is a nostalgic and sentimentally crafted selection of poems from his previous collections as well as new literature written during the lockdown.
Blackburn born and bred poet Mark Ward has travelled the corners of the world, from Nambia to New Zealand to Alaska as well as the well loved and hidden gems within the heart of Lancashire – marking each discovery and encounter on the pages of Night Bus to Monte Carlo.
Following his two previous collections, Thunder Alley and The Visitor’s Book, Mark captures the heritage and cultural segregation of Blackburn, from its past to present day.
Taking inspiration from 18-year-old Mark’s venture to Monte Carlo, Night Bust to Monte Carlo highlights the overlooked beauty in Blackburn’s simplicity and political mist that loomed over the town during the 60s and 70s with a thematic transition to a post-Brexit climate.
The collection of poems takes the reader on a journey, through the events and locations that shaped Mark’s formative years. Whilst it's an undeniably personal and intimate recollection, the beauty of Night Bus to Monte Carlo is in its ability to resonate with a stranger through the poet’s lyrical reminiscence.
From one of Blackburn’s most loved and missed café’s El Greco being honoured in a 29 line poem, detailing the memories of laughter and family rows to the reference of Preston New Road that connect the lives of Sangronians to the people of Blackburn, Mark’s poem collection is a nostalgic trip for the town’s locals.
The Last Supper unearths the tragedy that the North experienced during the 70s at the merciless hands of the IRA – not through any sort of sensationalist language weaved throughout the body – unlike the media in which he openly critiques; but through a raw recount of “some poor bastard’s” Irish experience.
The book bounces from heartfelt love letter type poems like ‘Oh, and by the way…’ that recreate the feeling of a first love experience, to urgent calls to action in poems like ‘MIGRANT! REFUGEE! ASYLUM SEEKER! FREELOADER!’ that mimic the slogans plastered across mainstream media.
Whether you’re a complete stranger to Lancashire or the art of poetry, Night Bus to Monte Carlo is a scrap book of memories beautifully weaved into an accessible collection of poems that welcomes any readers.
You can purchase Night Bus to Monte Carlo on Amazon.
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