The Flesh of the Bear
(Ek Zuban)

Buy Flesh Of The Bear

The Flesh of the Bear was a poetry exchange project between North East England and South West Finland. In June 2003 Andy Willoughby began the exchange, expanding upon his own trips to Finland and links made with Finnish poets.

How did I become involved?
My involvement with the project is extremely flukey. In 2003 I did not know any of the poets involved. Literally I was at a poetry masterclass at Newcastle University, Bob Beagrie heard my work, and asked me if I would like to go to Finland! This was an odd experience indeed since I didn’t know him whatsoever! I was then made to go to the Hydrogen Jukebox to read, which was sort of my audition for Andy and Jo Colley, who would then decide whether they liked my work enough to bring me along to Finland! Val Macgee, Bob Beagrie, Andy Willoughby, Jo Colley and myself went to Turku in Finland in June 2003 were we met Finnish poets and did a number of readings with them. The following year, the Finnish poets came to England to do readings in the North East, to plug The Flesh of the Bear bi-lingual anthology, which published both the Finn and English poets in both languages.

(The experience of having your work translated has been a very interesting process, which really makes you question choices you may have previously taken for granted in your work. When my poems were translated I only recognised the words Buddy Hollyska and Tom and Jerry!)

Andy Willoughby getting shamanic with Kevin Howard and Milo at the book cafe in Turku.

The Flesh of the Bear project was a wonderful experience for me, for several reasons. In the time before the project I was in a definite not writing phase, having been published by Iron and Diamond Twig I was in a position of feeling that I wasn’t sure what else there was for me. At the time there were no other publishers in the North East around, and I had no goal or hope that my writing would be accepted anywhere again, so I hadn’t written in about a year. The sudden exposure to lots of North East writers and Finnish writers and their work was extremely inspirational, and I returned from Finland writing again. The exchange was good for me was in getting me used to doing readings, prior to the exchange I had done very few , and seeing these poets read their work and having to read everyday whilst in Finland was like an intensive training course in doing readings. For the first and only time in my life I was surrounded by good quality writers who were very supportive of me and my work, which provided me with a great deal of encouragement.

Find yourself some writers who will encourage and support you, as a writer you will need it.

The exchange resulted in me having poetry friends for the first time, who helped me continue writing and develop my work. Prior to this, writing was an extremely isolated activity, not only in the writing itself, but in having no one to discuss it with, and having no touchstone in regards to quality or possible outlets. One of the results from meeting people on this exchange was that I was asked to read at Hydrogen Jukebox again, which is the first venue I had read at where I felt comfortable and able to take risks (Hydrogen Jukebox has never been a venue for safe or cosy poetry, and it was liberating to find an audience there for my work.) The Flesh of the Bear was a project which pushed poets, demanding the highest quality work to be presented in the most engaging and innovative way (from the beginning poets worked with musicians to perform their work, and every gig has been unique in providing poems with music which are improvised and a one off experience for both the poet and the audience.)

Esa Hirvonen reading at Voipala.

Some poems from The Flesh of the Bear

Flesh of the Bear is a wonderful overview of contemporary Finnish poetry, and poetry from the North East of England. There are few anthologies with such vigour, edge and life within each page, in any language. If you consider yourself; well-read in poetry you need this book; if this doesn’t turn you on to contemporary poetry nothing will.

Match-making

What a tall looking man,
says father coming back from lumberjacking
and there is a suitor waiting
in a suit and black tie.

Mother is ballooning with joy,
planning a wedding at the end of the pew.

I’m wearing a pink skirt,
my hair is in a bun.

They are trying to make me normal.

Marjo Isopahkala (The Flesh of the Bear)

Britt Ekland’s bottom

At eleven
the pubs close their curtains,
the workers
spew in the street.

Fish’n’chips,
Salt’n’vinegar,
the eyes of the waitress
are dead,
years ago
she was an actress:
Britt Ekland’s
bottom double.

Kalle Niinikangas (The Flesh of the Bear)

I have to turn off
the noise inside my head
to get the sandpaper
out of my mouth.

My head has a place
between your breasts.

Your heart is a hammer
my head is a block

you pound
a rusty nail into.

Henry Lehtonen (The Flesh of the Bear)

Raincoat

I teach my daughter
to ride her bicycle
among the maple leaves rich in colour.
A clap of thunder rumbles.
I take the girl under my armpit and
hurry inside with dry feet.
The tricycle gets wet.
A local football match is cancelled.
Tonight I have to
get laid.

Tapani Kinnunen (The Flesh of the Bear)

Ice Breaker

On the veranda
of the chicken leg house
in a delayed sunset
the men discuss
language
aesthetics
the difficulties of translation.

In the bedroom
lying like schoolgirls
on welcome bunks
the women discuss intestinal gas
pondering the last taboo:
farting within earshot of your man.

Later we learn about Finland
where the men kill deer
drive fast cars
swim in ice rivers
the women take off
the skins of fish
soak them in piss
till fabric is magisked
delicate as a butterfly’s wing
strong as leather.

Jo Colley (The Flesh of the Bear)

Vandals

In the old familiar bus shelter
Only one piece of glass remains

In the place where our love
Ran helter skelter

the stealthy vandals came.

Andy Willoughby (The Flesh of the Bear)

Listen to the Flesh of the Bear Poets
with musical accompaniment by Milo Thelwall, Kev Howard, and Shaun Lennox.

Angela Readman, Bob Beagrie, Jo Colley, Esa Hirvonen, Val Macgee, Kalle Ninikangangas, Andy Willoughby.

Sound Files

Click here to listen to a sound file of performances from Flesh of the bear (Opens in a new window)