Throughout New Works on Paper the reader remains curious about where the word, the association, the poem itself, will go next. There is fascination in this continuing interest, surprise, puzzlement, delight and comedy.

These effects owe much to the poet’s sketching in of detail and the sharpness of his observations; to the glissando effect evident in his use of language, and the dynamic role played by colour, texture and movement in his writing. The interplay between these elements, not only within each poem, but between them as well, encourages one to think of poetry as process, in a way which allies it to the other arts.

Music, painting and film are often invoked in this collection, but it is Beesley’s poetic technique which really explores the continuity and overlap between these different art forms.