GABRIELE NEHER draws attention to an astoundingly skilled Flemish painter who defied the notion that women cannot paint like men
NOW that the exciting race for this year’s poetry awards has begun with the shock news that the winner of the TS Eliot Prize teaches at Oxford, here are three strong new collections from Culture Matters that are not in danger of winning any prizes.
In his latest book From Aberfan t Grenfell (£9) Merthyr poet Mike Jenkins writes about poverty, unemployment and homelessness, combining bleak comedy, righteous indignation and painful wisdom in poems like Merthyr is Vietnam, Got a Season and Carn catch-a Criminals:
CHRIS MOSS joins the hunt in Argentina for the works of Poland’s most enigmatic exile
ANDY CROFT rallies poets to the impossible task of speaking truth to a tin-eared politician
The Labour Party proposal to scrap benefits for those unable to work will be debated in Parliament next Tuesday, and threatens the most vulnerable in our society. ALAN MORRISON presents some responses in poetry



