Read poems from Rae Howell's latest collection This Common Uncommon, celebrating the hidden treasures of our natural world.
When a local common is threatened with development, one poet explores its secrets, discovering extraordinary natural treasures and wonderful people fighting to defend them. Can they save this uncommon common?
Using her nature poet’s eye for detail and treading in the footsteps of the original poet of the commons, John Clare, Howells brings to life the story of this threatened land. Her poems ring with passion for this wild place, recording the many rare plants and animals that will be lost if the common is developed. She asks important questions about land use, about what commons mean to us today, and about who – or what – gets to own and enjoy green spaces. Above all she takes us on a journey of discovery, into the miniature rainforest of this little, almost-forgotten place, where you’ll find the uncommon is a common sight.
'This is glorious nature writing redolent with colour, texture, smell... Howells has written something worth reading, something driven by both her intense love of this place and her understanding that once such a place is lost, there is the dreadful, empty permanence about its passing' – Pat Edwards, London Grip
'West Cross Common is an area of precious wet heathland that is packed with almost 500 species of animals, plants and fungi. Peat-based heathland like this is rarer than rainforest, and these poems capture the unique character of our wonderful common, and shine a light on why we must protect it from development.' – Susan Cole, West Cross Common campaign co-ordinator
