COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | No Rising of the Sheep

Poems by Bill Bradford, Illustrations by Thomas Lauterbach

Inspired by his working life, Bill Bradford publishes his first collection of poetry – poems that reflect his love of animals, his thirst for social justice, and his concern for the environment.

The shepherd has been a constant presence in folklore and religion, usually as a symbol of the struggle between the powerful and common people, or as a wise leader. References to the shepherd crop up in stories from around the world and throughout the ages.

Bill Bradford contemplates these connections as he moves from being a herder of sheep to an activist and trade unionist. These poems reflect his love of the animals he worked with, his thirst for social justice, and his concern for the environment.

Drawings by Northland artist Thomas Lauterbach vividly bring the character of animals and people to life.

I am not alone. Above me in the mountains
are sheep without wool.
A nursery flock
Summer sleek, the ewes graze or lie about in groups
Lithe lambs leap over rocks, butt heads in play

Author Note:

‘I have always enjoyed writing but when I looked at what emerged from my efforts, I was frequently confused about what exactly it was that I had produced. I was never entirely sure what poetry is but one day I sent something I had written off to a literary journal and it was published. So I wrote some more.

Once a few of my poems had been published or shortlisted in competitions I thought perhaps I am a poet and concentrated on trying to write poetry every day. After a week or two, a pattern emerged, and I realised I was writing a circle of poems drawing on images and reflections from my own life experiences.’

About the author:
BILL BRADFORD grew up in Kawhia and now lives in Wellsford. He began his working life as a shepherd, first on sheep stations in Aotearoa, then in the UK. He later worked in a variety of jobs including communications, as a community activist, and as a trade union organiser. His poems have been published in journals and anthologies in New Zealand, Ireland, and England. This is his first collection.

About the illustrator:
THOMAS LAUTERBACH lives and works as an artist in Northland since he immigrated to New Zealand from Germany with his family in 1984. The main focus of his work here is the life and work of the Māori people. He studied painting, illustrating and natural stone sculpturing in Germany where he gained a masters degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nurnberg.

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