TEN: new poets from Spread the Word

TENorder from Inpress Books
Seni is one of the ten poets featured in Bloodaxe anthology, TEN: new poets from Spread the Word, which is currently on their list of best sellers.  Here’s what the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, had to say about the book:

‘This thrilling, moving, challenging and inspiring new anthology introduces 10 sparkling new talents who demonstrate the richness, energy and confidence of the poetic voice in our multicultural country. It is a joyful and important moment in publishing.’

Featured poets are: Mir Mahfuz Ali, Rowyda Amin, Malika Booker, Roger Robinson, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Nick Makoha, Denise Saul, Seni Seneviratne, Shazea Quraishi and Janet Kofi-Tsekpo

“…the work of these writers testifies to the quality and versatility of vital writing that should not be overlooked. These new voices draw on cultural influences and multiple heritages that can only enrich and broaden the scope of contemporary British poetry. This anthology is the culmination of a much needed initiative by literature development agency Spread the Word to support talented Black and Asian poets.”

Seni Seneviratne’s poetry reflects a fascination with the nuances of literary language. ‘Sitting for the Mistress’ employs an actual painting, the Portrait of Louise Keroualle, Duchess ofPortsmouth, French Mistress of Charles II, posing with her black child servant, Pierre Mignard,1682, currently hanging in the National Portrait gallery, as a starting-point for an exploration of margins and centre. Seneviratne brilliantly re-imagines the painting from the point of view of the marginalised black child servant. Using the imagery of a blackbird seeking liberation, the poem powerfully illustrates the revisionary capacity of poetry, as it challenges received white Anglocentric master narratives. (Dr. Charlotte Beyer, Iota Magazine Issue 90)