Sally Richards

Publications - Residencies

The poems listed below were written for, and published in, Country & Border Life Magazine, which covers Wales, Herefordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and Gloc. They were part of a yearlong residency from October 2007 to October 2008, during which time I was commissioned to write poems every month (sometimes two) with a theme/s to fit with the magazine topics. I had a total of 16 poems published.

The first two poems were from the summer editions, the third was to complement an article about looking after hedgehogs during the winter and on bonfire night. The fourth poem was published to tie in with the theme of a local train journey around the festive season and the final poem was for the January 2008 edition. With A view to the Future I wanted to create a poem reflecting someone’s hope for the new year – putting the old year’s pain to rest – new year can be such a difficult time for so many people.

Many of my poems have seasonal and natural world themes woven into them. My residency poems were often very much about the natural world and local features, landscapes, and my connection to them.