Ruby Street

And, my belated noting of a review of Dark Bright Doors by Chad Scheel from Jacket (belated? - yes, I have been 'away' for quite a while): The book’s enscription states “Contact/is/the art” and each poem reaches toward that contact. Some fail (intentionally — these are brilliant poems) and others begin to make their way toward a resolution in that which is beyond the poet. The difference between that self and other disconnects of identity is not that Jones delights in the disconnect and thus exploits it, nor is hers the self in denial and leaning toward simplistic linearity. The attempt becomes one of social implications — for the poet, a question of the work’s ability to make those connections beyond the poet’s life. ...

A new review of Dark Bright Doors by Scott-Patrick Mitchell has appeared, in Out in Perth . "Jones’ work is like a gathering storm: ... it is resplendent in that constraint and force, a poetry concerned with the pure distillation of ideas and intent through effortless rhythms and a wry sense of humour, the kind that comes with reflection. ... This is a dark commanding work. ..."

Dark Bright Doors review in Otago Daily Times , New Zealand, by Hamesh Wyatt - cool (well, 9 degrees in Dunedin). "In 1992, Australian poet Jill Jones released a stunning debut collection of poems The Mask and the Jagged Star (Hazard). [...] Her latest collection of poems, Dark Bright Doors , continues to explore the road less travelled. [...] Her poems can be violent. They are all haunted by the same brutal truths about love and hope and the wedges that age, distance and human frailty drive between them. Dark Bright Doors exudes wide-eyed angst and a sense of discovery that's hard to put across in prose."

Here is the first longer review of Dark Bright Doors at M/C Reviews . Obviously, it is a review to be happy about, but not just because it is positive. The reviewer, Alison Clifton, engages with the form of the work as well as the aboutness of the poems. That is one thing you hope for in a review.

Looks as though this is the first review of Dark Bright Doors . Small but pretty neat, courtesy of regional media. One thing not quite correct is that the quotes on the front and back of the book are from past reviews or articles. But maybe they still hold for this one. Hope to see some of you on Saturday at the Sydney launch .

Barry Hill does the rounds with two recent Australian poetry anthologies . A mention of JJ amongst the other new and notable.