Wordsmithery*

Wordsmithery is delighted to present a new collection of Rosemary's McLeish's work.

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Rosie: A Life In Colours

Full colour, 164 pages, 210mm x 210mm

£20 including postage (UK-only)

First 30 come as a numbered first edition

Plus free bookmark and card

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This beautiful new collection of Rosemary McLeish’s work celebrates both her writing and her art, which were tightly entwined.

The collection brings together never-before collected images of Rosemary’s work in different media, and some of the poems which accompanied them. This is not a complete works – Rosemary left over 1,000 poems and hundreds of artworks in many media, and this collection in particular shares some of her 'assemblages', and oil pastel works. This is a small celebration of one woman’s creative life and inspirations, and we have selected just some of our favourite art and poetry to share.

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Poems and Art: In Rosie's own words 

"I was born in December 1945 in Glasgow. I started drawing and painting when I returned to live there at the age of 40. This was a revolution in my life, as I was brought up with the idea that women were incapable of being artists. I exhibited my paintings and oil pastels in Scotland for many years, in both group and solo shows. In 1996 I studied Abstract Art in Victoria, BC, where my work appeared in three exhibitions. In 2000 I became a member and trustee of Artesian, a group of Outsider artists in Edinburgh. I co-edited several issues of our international magazine, which encouraged outsider artists to write about their own art. This experience introduced me to a whole new world of art and completely changed my work. I started to make assemblages, art works which incorporate all kinds of materials, techniques and found objects.

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As I write poetry as well as making art (I completed a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Glasgow University in 2005), I am always experimenting with new ways of exhibiting poetry and/or including poems in my art works. This has led to the idea of making ‘hommages’ or tributes to people who have inspired me, many of whom are writers.

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I moved to Kent in December 2010 when my husband retired, and discovered boot fairs, Mecca for any assemblage artist. I also get things from charity shops, antique fairs, Faversham market, and occasionally the Internet, preferring to buy things secondhand if possible. I love transforming broken, worn, unwanted items into things of beauty, and am particularly attracted to pieces that remind me of the world of my childhood."

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​Her poetry was published in magazines including Confluence, The Writer’s Cafe, Strix, Anti-Heroin Chic and in anthologies including several from Grey Hen Press, and Pendle War Poetry. She often displayed her poems along with her artworks.

 

She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2018, shortlisted in the Bedford Writing Competition 2018, shortlisted in the Saveas Writers’ International Writing Competition 2017 and was Runner-Up in the 2018 Poetry Book Society/MsLexia Women’s Poetry Competition with 'Red Rebecca' which is included in her collection, I am a field. The poem was chosen by then Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy for its 'archaic authenticity'. ​

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“Rosemary McLeish has a unique voice in British poetry. She deserves to be read and heard by a much wider audience." Bill Lewis

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It was an honour to know Rosemary and to continue to publish her poetry. 

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In conjunction with Rosemary's widower, Richard Cooper, Wordsmithery set up The Rosemary McLeish Poetry Prize in 2021 to keep her memory alive and continue her spirit of encouraging other writers.

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THE ROSEMARY MCLEISH POETRY PRIZE

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Rosemary's first collection, I am a field is a poetic memoir, and musing on a lifetime’s deep connection with nature. Rosemary said that she had "always been in love with the natural world, and feel so much part of it that these poems are where you will find me." 

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The Prize was launched in 2021 and the first winner was Sue Proffitt with 'Owl Pellet at Grey Wethers'. Sue's prize of £500 plus an original drawing by Rosemary was awarded at the Rainham Poetry Festival 2023. The Prize was judged by award-winning poet Jane Burn. The 2024 Prize was won by Connor Sansby for 'Marine Snow'. The prize was judged by Sarah Hehir.  

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The 2026 Prize was open from 20/06/26-12/09/26

Winners will be announced at Medway River Lit on 6 November 2026. The Prize was judged by Jess Mookherjee.  

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PREVIOUS COLLECTIONS - CURRENTLY NOT FOR SALE ONLINE

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I AM A FIELD (Feb 2019)

This debut full-length collection of eclogues and recollections powerfully  captures place and time. 

 

“...here, in the first and longest part of this collection especially, is a different voice altogether ... she newly reveals herself as a poet who writes with lyrical beauty about a lifetime’s deep connection with nature. The mood of the second and third parts of the book changes, and we are asked to take a look at the obverse in particular the grim prospect of a world and its species enduring climate change and the possibility of extinction...” Joy Howard (Grey Hen Press)

 

“I love the salty relish and brio of this poem, and its narrative quality. The voice of Red Rebecca is very exuberant and funny. And there’s a hint of archaic authenticity about it, as though it’s a translation of an old Gaelic song.” Carol Ann Duffy, on ‘Red Rebecca’ (MsLexia 80) 

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DEFRAGMENTATION  (April 2020) 

In her second collection, Rosemary McLeish confronts cancer straight on. Rosemary says: "This is not a misery memoir. It is not a journey. It is not a story of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. It is the record of one person’s experience as it happened. All I ever did was write down as clearly and honestly as I could what I was paying attention to on any particular day. It has no moral, no meaning, no “life lesson”. It’s just me, listening to my heart while living with this awful disease. I hope you might find it worth reading."

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"Within these poems, McLeish is open about the fear, pain (both physical and emotional), brutality, strength, weakness, anger and sadness that she feels. There is such touching beauty in this collection..." Jane Burn

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Previous collections are currently not available to purchase online but can be purchased in person at events. 

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