paul summers is a writer/artist who lives by the sea in the north east of england. his work has appeared in print since the late eighties and he has performed his work in britain, europe and australia.
he was founding co-editor of the groundbreaking leftfield magazines billy liar and liar republic and a co-director of liar inc ltd, responsible for facilitating countless creative projects across the north of england in educational and community contexts.
he has also written for stage, radio, film and tv and has collaborated with many artists on mixed-media projects.
home (in 3 bits), a collaboration with musician dave hull-denholm was released in Spring 2006.
his first full collection of poetry, the last bus, was published by iron press to critical acclaim, and the title sequence was included in the forward book of poetry.
other publications include:
140195 (echo room press),
vermeer's dark parlour (echo room press),
beer & skittles (echo room press),
the rat's mirror (lapwing press)
cunawabi (cunawabi press).
his latest collection, big bella's dirty cafe was published by dogeater in 2006.
what the critics have said:
"baudelaire in a blyth spartans shirt"
andy croft, the morning star.
"bristlingly gifted"
dazed & confused.
"summers is a sharp cartographer, and one with the accuracy to pinpoint the deft detail that locates wherever the poem is, then lets it ripple out like ordnance survey contours"
matthew caley
"astute and sensitive powers of observation expressed through a straightforward but genuinely poetic use of language"
mike parker, the daily star.
"this northumbrian ovid speaks our language, its cliches nagged and jolted into classicism...big bella's dirty cafe is a book of last rites, an album of snapshots from the rim of the world."
martin mooney
"chilling and often funny, driven by love and anger,a striking testament to northern life"
sean o'brien, the northern review.
"evocative power in mundane things"
alan brownjohn, the sunday times.
"a beautiful book of poems from a poet who continues to surprise."
brendan cleary
"paul summers excels in poignantly painting the mundane"
the crack
"summers' poems pinpoint the irregularities and strangeness in the everyday...his human interiors are set against the time frame of the fossil record and cycles of nature. these deceptively informal lyrical narratives do better things than try to impress or lay down a rigid line. they are poems that make the most of your time."
tim cumming
"in this, his second collection we have him at his very best, lyrical, tender, people and places fading out, but life and the human spirit defying the ghostie talk and shadows, summers shows us at our most vulnerable and fragile, yet never broken or defeated."
david crystal
"savagely accurate without ever sacrificing an appealing ironic humour"
gordon wardman, pqr.
