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He says Hades, and I see Richard, wearing his welding mask
kneeling beside a stripped out Citroën, sparks from his torch
lighting one side of the garage wall. She says Zeus, and I see
Casey, framed against the sky, bloated and happy
carrying cement across a tiled roof

‘They speak of the gods’

Bevel is William Letford’s first book, but his poems have already earned him a large following thanks to his brilliant performances and through Carcanet’s New Poetries V anthology. Letford makes poems from the rhythms of speech and the stuff of daily life: work and love, seasons and cities, and his writing is alive with the wonder and comedy of the mundane. Bevel is filled with voices – ‘an he says / A love the summer / it’s hoat / ye kin wear yer shoarts...’ – and with the knowledge that becomes engrained in the body: ‘The weight of a drill. The texture of rust.’

Letford works as a roofer, a trade that gives him a particular perspective on life at ground level. ‘Be prepared,’ he writes: pay attention to the moment, know which way to fall. His poems are sure and strong, the words dance.

William Letford reads from his work at the launch of New Poetries V.

Waking for work in the winter
Becoming
For the journey
It’s aboot the labour
Be prepared
[coffee shop window]
Wit is it
By the time we met
We are
Elderly ladies and afternoon tea
This spring evening
Fusion expands
Worker
A bassline
Newsflash
Hollow words in the black dog days
Moths
Taking a headbutt
Working away
In the mountains of northern Italy
No holding back
Breakfast in Baiardo
No distractions
[it rains]
Outside the city
Sunburst
[T-shirt wrapped around my head]
The light and dark of Adeona
A bad day
Orchards
Helsinki, Finland
Mhari and Annika
Our life
Café culture
Don’t you think i know
Let’s just be
Sex poem number 1
Prowl: Sex poem number 2
Sex poem number 3
Impact theory
Thurs hunnurs a burds oan the roofs
They speak of the gods
For the spirit
Chimneys
The songs we love
Schrödinger
Sunday, with the television off
Winter in the world
A poem

William Letford has worked as a roofer, on and off, since he was fifteen years old. He has received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust and an Edwin Morgan Travel Bursary which allowed him to spend three months in the mountains of northern Italy helping to restore a ... read more

William Letford is a young Scots poet who writes about daily life, work and love. His first book, Bevel (Carcanet), includes a great diatribe against cloth-eating larvae ('fucking moths / perforated my kilt between weddings')
Helen Simpson, Times Literary Supplement, Novemeber 30, 2012
'Bevel (Carcanet) has poems that observe the world of manual labour, a world the poet both belongs to and doesn't, in a manner reminiscent of the Californian factory-worker poet Fred Voss.'
Adam Newey, Guardian, 1st December 2012
'William Letford's Bevel (Carcanet,RRP £9.95) is (for a book of poetry anyhow!) really, really hot, and deserves to be so - a terrific first collection by a brand-new voice who is popular, urban, accessible, funny, moving, confident, Scottish, brilliant and absolutely his own man.'
Liz Lochhead 'A first collection by William Letford, Bevel (Carcanet, £9.95), has the poems people loved to listen to this year: funny, unpredictable, energetic, touching.'
Robyn Marsack, Scotsman Books of the Year 2012
Praise for William Letford 'William Letford belongs in the grand - and humble - tradition of Robert Burns. He has heart, a feeling for ordinary working people and enough Scottish spark to start a fire.'
Kate Kellaway, The Observer 'While loving dirt is nothing new in poetry, Letford has his own unique take on it. Where he finds life blooming, he lives and lets live.'
The Poetry School
'very probably the next big thing in Scottish literature.'
Teddy Jamieson, Sunday Herald
'a distinct new voice making itself heard amidst the hubbub of Scottish literature.'
Alastair Mabbott, Sunday Herald

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Bevel William Letford RRP: GBP 9.95 Available from: Buy now from Amazon eBook (Kindle) ISBN: 978 1 847776 64 8 Categories: 21st Century, First Collections, Scottish Imprint: Carcanet Poetry Published: September 2012 80 pages (print version) Publisher: Carcanet Press Also available in: eBook (EPUB), Paperback Spend GBP 15 or more and receive a free Carcanet tote bag. Available internationally while stocks last. Find out more. Description Excerpt Author Contents Reviews He says Hades, and I see Richard, wearing his welding mask kneeling beside a stripped out Citroën, sparks from his torch lighting one side of the garage wall. She says Zeus, and I see Casey, framed against the sky, bloated and happy carrying cement across a tiled roof ‘They speak of the gods’ Bevel is William Letford’s first book, but his poems have already earned him a large following thanks to his brilliant performances and through Carcanet’s *New Poetries V* anthology. Letford makes poems from the rhythms of speech and the stuff of daily life: work and love, seasons and cities, and his writing is alive with the wonder and comedy of the mundane. Bevel is filled with voices – ‘an he says / A love the summer / it’s hoat / ye kin wear yer shoarts...’ – and with the knowledge that becomes engrained in the body: ‘The weight of a drill. The texture of rust.’ Letford works as a roofer, a trade that gives him a particular perspective on life at ground level. ‘Be prepared,’ he writes: pay attention to the moment, know which way to fall. His poems are sure and strong, the words dance. *William Letford reads from his work at the launch of New Poetries V.* Waking for work in the winter Becoming For the journey It’s aboot the labour Be prepared [coffee shop window] Wit is it By the time we met We are Elderly ladies and afternoon tea This spring evening Fusion expands Worker A bassline Newsflash Hollow words in the black dog days Moths Taking a headbutt Working away In the mountains of northern Italy No holding back Breakfast in Baiardo No distractions [it rains] Outside the city Sunburst [T-shirt wrapped around my head] The light and dark of Adeona A bad day Orchards Helsinki, Finland Mhari and Annika Our life Café culture Don’t you think i know Let’s just be Sex poem number 1 Prowl: Sex poem number 2 Sex poem number 3 Impact theory Thurs hunnurs a burds oan the roofs They speak of the gods For the spirit Chimneys The songs we love Schrödinger Sunday, with the television off Winter in the world A poem William Letford has worked as a roofer, on and off, since he was fifteen years old. He has received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust and an Edwin Morgan Travel Bursary which allowed him to spend three months in the mountains of northern Italy helping to restore a ... read more William Letford is a young Scots poet who writes about daily life, work and love. His first book, Bevel (Carcanet), includes a great diatribe against cloth-eating larvae ('fucking moths / perforated my kilt between weddings') *Helen Simpson, Times Literary Supplement, Novemeber 30, 2012* 'Bevel (Carcanet) has poems that observe the world of manual labour, a world the poet both belongs to and doesn't, in a manner reminiscent of the Californian factory-worker poet Fred Voss.' Adam Newey, Guardian, 1st December 2012 'William Letford's Bevel (Carcanet,RRP £9.95) is (for a book of poetry anyhow!) really, really hot, and deserves to be so - a terrific first collection by a brand-new voice who is popular, urban, accessible, funny, moving, confident, Scottish, brilliant and absolutely his own man.' Liz Lochhead 'A first collection by William Letford, Bevel (Carcanet, £9.95), has the poems people loved to listen to this year: funny, unpredictable, energetic, touching.' Robyn Marsack, Scotsman Books of the Year 2012 Praise for William Letford 'William Letford belongs in the grand - and humble - tradition of Robert Burns. He has heart, a feeling for ordinary working people and enough Scottish spark to start a fire.' Kate Kellaway, The Observer 'While loving dirt is nothing new in poetry, Letford has his own unique take on it. Where he finds life blooming, he lives and lets live.' The Poetry School 'very probably the next big thing in Scottish literature.' Teddy Jamieson, Sunday Herald 'a distinct new voice making itself heard amidst the hubbub of Scottish literature.' Alastair Mabbott, Sunday Herald	Share this... Quick Links Jubilee Bundles Carcanet Celebrates 50 Years! Anvil Press Poetry Aspects of Portugal Audio Books Carcanet Classics Carcanet Fiction Carcanet Film Carcanet Poetry FyfieldBooks Lintott Press Lives and Letters OxfordPoets PN Review Sheep Meadow Press The Carcanet Blog James Womack on Manuel Vilas read more Carcanet Staff Winter Picks 2019 read more My hand into their hands: On Editing Jennings read more On Fifty Fifty: Robyn Marsack read more PN Review's 250th Editorial read more On Smart Devices: Carol Rumens read more
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