Remembering Tom Leonard

Remembering Tom Leonard – a brilliant uncompromising person – here’s Fiona Karen Alexander reading his The Six O Clock News …

 

Comments (6)

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  1. david kelly says:

    Perhaps our most important legitimiser of the freedom to express yourself in your own tongue. There are spurious tests the likes of Darren McGarvey do not have to sit because of Tom’s life. Great work.

  2. Frank says:

    Really sad news. I have so many favorite poems of his but the one I keep thinking about is the ‘Liason Co-oridnator’which always make me smile – as someone who worked for years in the ‘poverty sector’, I can relate to this on so many levels:

    The Liaison Co-ordinator

    Efturryd geenuz iz speel
    iboot whut wuz right
    nwhut wuz rang
    boot this nthat
    nthi next thing
    a sayzty thi bloke
    nwhut izzit yi caw yir joab jimmy
    am a liaison co-ordinator
    hi sayz oh good ah sayz
    a liaison co-ordinator
    jist whut this erria needs
    whut wi aw thi unimploymint
    inaw thi bevvyin
    nthi boayz runnin amock nthi hoossyz fawnty bits
    nthi wummin n tranquilisers
    it last thiv sent uz
    a liaison co-ordinator.

    Sumdy wia digree
    in f*ck knows whut
    getn pyd fur no known whut thi f*ck ti day way it.

    1. Margo MacLellan says:

      I once told Tom Leonard that as a social worker I had had this poem on my wall; he responded that many social workers over the years had told him the same thing. So sad he is gone.

  3. Fay Kennedy says:

    I was fortunate to meet him a few times and spend a wee while together. So sad to hear this news. But what an honour to have spent time in conversation with such a man whose poetry will live on and how fortunate for those yet to discover him. Vale Tom

  4. ANDREW SANDERS says:

    Trenchant, witty and intelligent with a strong sense of compassion. He leaves a great body of work behind. We’ll miss him. Condolences to Sonya, who was at his side throughout.

  5. Christopher White says:

    Yes, sad to hear he’s gone. I’m quite new to his work.

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