Cry of the No-No

'In the form itself, of short texts in lines, I believe absolutely. Despite its serious footprint being for now close to zero, it can never lose its inherent claim, it's one of the central expressive forms. I will never regret my life-long being stuck in it. I noted many years ago that I had 'yet to emerge into an area itself submerged ...' - Sebastian Schloessingk (from the preamble to a recent reading).

Cry of the No-no is his first substantial emergence and consists largely of work from the last fifteen years.

There was, though, an early selection published by Piccolo, This Sloped Land (which the author does not stand by). He has appeared in Verse, Oxford Poetry, Formafluens, Dedalus, Quadrant (several times), and elsewhere. He also wrote the libretto for Magma, an opera by Lamberto Coccioli. And he's the editor of Qualm, founded in 2003 (which presents previously unpublished poems, and includes contributions from Les Murray, Jamie McKendrick, Peter Reading, Kate Camp ...)

Born in Britain, of German and Irish parents, he lives in the Welsh Marches.

Jamie McKendrick: 'Schloessingk's poems all have an instantly recognizable and original voice. There's an appealing subtlety and variety of tone to them, and a syntax that mirrors the twists and turns of a very particular consciousness. They range widely over the material and the material itself is wide-ranging.'

Terese Svoboda: 'Really, really loved the potatoes.'

Don Paterson: 'Poems full of terrific things.'

Les Murray (on The Draw): 'Could be a goer.'

Roc Sandford: 'Irresistible, consistent, crafty, chancing the rescue.'