Poetry Review: The Late Guest by Stephen Payne

Andrew Holden

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a latecomer to the poetry party, both writing and reading it. So, my first impression of Stephen Payne’s latest collection, The Late Guest, challenged my understanding of what poetry can be. Although I was aware of prose poetry as a ‘form’, so to speak, I’d not really read any. Being asked to review a collection made up of 56 examples of such and nothing else, was a baptism of fire for me, and I’m glad to say, hallelujah, I’m a believer!

Quite a Pedigree

I wasn’t acquainted with any of Payne’s previous work or background, but even the brief bio’ at the beginning of the book confirmed he’s a writer of note.

Born in Merthyr and now living in Penarth, in the wonderful Vale of Glamorgan (I’m biased), Payne has had work published in many an august publication such as The Poetry Review, The Rialto, The North, The Dark Horse, Magma, Poetry Wales and the New Welsh Review. His publications include a number of pamphlets and collections: The Probabilities of Balance, The Windmill Proof, The Wax Argument & Other Thought Experiments and Pattern Beyond Chance which was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year in 2015. 

As an academic, he has held positions at the universities of Lancaster, Cardiff and Manchester and up until September 2020, he taught and conducted research in Cognitive Science at the University of Bath, where he is currently Professor Emeritus.

Back to the Book

There is no single theme to the poems in this collection. It’s more a collection of musings, imaginings and observations.  One or two share common subjects, such as travel or contemplations on a painting or scene. It seems to be more like rambling over the mindscape of the writer’s experiences, each pithy vignette offering a wry take on the subject under observation. Some elicited a chuckle while others garnered a feeling of a shared train of thought. 

This is a book you can dip in and out of.I’ve read it three times now, each time getting a little more out of it.Lovely turns of phrase like “…hanging at the posh end of the wardrobe”, from “Wetsuit”, or from “Okinawa”, “Sake secrets, whisperings over jasmine tea”, add the poetic observation to what would otherwise be just a paragraph of plain text.

When I was talking with my wife about reviewing this book, I’d voiced my initial concerns about what constitutes a poem.  She responded with the question, ‘would you know it was a prose poem if you’d only heard it being read and not seen it written down?’. A fair point, methinks. They still paint pictures in your mind’s eye. 

“Subtitles cap the rows of serious, silent heads”, for example, is a wonderful image of watching a foreign language film in a cinema, in the poem “Breathless”.

The Psychology of Poetry

A few of the poems hint at Payne’s background in academic psychology. “Questions About Giraffes” maps out beautifully how my mind would cope with the question “How many giraffes are in the UK?”.  Some offer food for thought or conjure up a vivid scene, while others are just plain silly –  “Kidnapping McCartney” and “Off Campus” being cases in point. 

Hats off to “Hats”, though, it’s got to be one of my favourite pieces. As a man of many hats, I’ve always lived by the old adage ‘if you want to get ahead, get a hat!’ and even more so now I’m follically challenged in my dotage. But after reading this poem, I will now question where a passing smile is directed. 

For all their diverse themes and imagery, the poems in this book have a definite voice and style. Each one is satisfyingly crafted, even when some had me scratching my head a little on first reading. They’ve definitely turned me on to a style of poetry that I thought was beyond my ken.

Further Listening

By some, probably not so strange, coincidence, I heard an interview with Stephen Payne on Bro Radio’s First Draft podcast, hosted by the wonderfully talented poet Sarah Persson. Okay, I’ll ‘fess up, she’s a friend of mine. It gives a fascinating insight into how and why he’s written this collection and about writing poetry in general. Sarah also interviews Bronwen Price, CEO of Seren Books, so an all-round good listen, it is.

The Late Guest by Stephen Payne is published by Parthian and is available to purchase here.