Email from the provinces

A number of the poems in this new collection are dedicated to Basir Kazmi, a fellow Mini Mushaira member and well known Urdu poet... These intimate pieces are amongst Fletcher's strongest work. In Dying in December Fletcher manages not only to convey a deeply personal message to his friend, but leaves the way open for all of us to reflect on what it means to lose a loved one.

Elsewhere in the collection, the sequence Euripides' women... sees the poet putting on a variety of female masks. They variously speak of disappointment, revenge, aggression, bitchiness... I'd like to see some of these spitting pieces performed live. Alcestis and Medea in conversation at the Dog and Duck, I can see it now.

Simon writes in many different styles on classical Greek heroines, medieval monks and in his own ironic, penetrating and truthful tones. the poems [ in Euripides' women ] retain the mythic grandeur of the classical characters as he transposes their ancient dilemmas into a modern context and consciousness.

The new collection includes his award winning Ockham's razor, a runner-up in the Ilkley Literature Festival poetry competition.

(The poet) manages to say a great deal without departing from an easy conversational tone—which is never force or merely a pose... The subject matter is varied, although usually loosely autobiographical. It reflects the various aspects of Fletcher's life... Here we have a few scattered fragments from a 'great confession'. There is much to relish and linger over.