Skate: The Wonderful World of Ice Skating in Prose, Poetry and Pictures (Seasonal Anthologies)

A fascinating collection of poetry, history and images dedicated to the art of ice skating. With an introduction by Jayne Torvill from Britain's most famous skating duo, Torvill and Dean, it's an ideal Christmas gift not just for novice skaters and more experienced dancers on ice but for anyone who loves elegant design and intriguing information. Skate contains articles written by curators at the Museum of London with iconic paintings and charming photographs depicting the history of this joyous pastime. From medieval ice skates made of bone to the Frost Fairs on the Thames in London, this enchanting miscellany explores the art and history of skating. It also highlights the remarkable contribution British skaters have made over the years and the impact they've had on the style of figure skating we recognise today as a graceful Olympic sport. 'Poetry on ice' by historically renowned poets such as Addison, Blunden, Goethe and Wordsworth features alongside work by contemporary poets, to create a fascinating reading experience. Whether you've never gone near the treacherous surface of the rink or you can do a Mohawk turn with the best of them, you will treasure this stylish and beautifully presented anthology.

Pauline Suett Barbieri is a Liverpool Poet shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize by Sir Andrew Motion and twice for the Exeter Poetry Prize, by Jo Shapcott and Lawrence Sail respectively. An ancestor Richard 'Dicky' Suett (1755-1805) was George III's favourite Shakespearean clown and a star at Drury Lane for 25 years. Two collections out from Waterloo Press, Hove - The Shirley Valentine Syndrome (2002) and Bringing Home the Bacon (2012). The second inspired by the life and work of Francis Bacon (1909-1992). Brendan Cleary is very widely published over the last 25 years. His most recent collection is 'Goin' Down Slow' Selected Poems (Tall Lighthouse, 2010). Meredith Collins is an Assistant Editor at Pighog Press and is currently studying for a Masters in Creative and Critical writing at the University of Sussex. She has been published in a number of poetry anthologies and literary journals in the US and UK. Tracy Davidson lives near Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, and enjoys writing poetry and flash fiction. Her work has appeared in various publications and anthologies including: Mslexia, Roundyhouse, The Right-Eyed Deer, Atlas Poetica, Modern Haiku, Simply Haiku, A Hundred Gourds and Notes from the Gean. Apart from writing, Tracy enjoys reading thrillers and crime novels, photography, travel and walking the dog. John Davies is a poet and writer based in Brighton, England, better known as Shedman www.shedman.net His pamphlet Nutter in the Shrubbery (2002) and his full collection Shedman (2007) were both published by Pighog. Anna Kisby's poems have been placed in competitions and published in magazines including Magma, Mslexia, The Interpreter's House, The Moth, Poetry News, 3AM and the Live Canon 2012 anthology. She was winner of the New Writer single poem prize 2011. She lives in Brighton and works as an archivist. John Liddy was born in Youghal, Co Cork (1954), grew up in Limerick, took a degree in the University of Wales, works as a teacher in Madrid. His poetry books include Boundaries (1974); The Angling Cot (1991); Song of the Empty Cage(1997); Wine and Hope (1999); Cast-A-Net (2003); The Well: New and Selected Poems (2007); Gleanings from the Margins (2010). A new collection, Some Light Reading, due soon from Lapwing Publications, Belfast, Ireland. He is the founding editor along with Jim Burke of The Stony Thursday Book, one of Ireland's longest running literary reviews along with Cyphers and organizes The Well/El Manantial, a weekend festival of poetry in Madrid with Matthew Loughney of The James Joyce Pub and The Embassy of Ireland. John McCullough's first collection of poems The Frost Fairs (Salt, 2011) was a summer read in The Observer and was named a Book of the Year by The Independent and The Poetry School. The Guardian described it as 'sharp yet compassionate, formal yet nimble'. He teaches creative writing at Sussex University and the Open University and lives in Hove. Susan Richardson is a poet, performer and educator based in Wales. Her most recent poetry collection, Where the Air is Rarefied (Cinnamon Press, 2011), is a collaboration with a printmaker on a range of environmental and mythological themes relating to the Far North. Susan regularly performs her work at festivals and other events throughout the UK and has been one of the resident poets of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live. She has also been poet-in-residence for BBC 2's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show and was recently invited to become a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers. For further information, please see www.susanrichardsonwriter.co.uk