Andrew Parkin

This collection of contemporary Hong Kong poems--most published here in English for the first time--reveals the heart of a city on the edge of a dramatic change of identity. Lyrical and poignant, the poems reflect the heightened emotions and apprehensions of the Hong Kong people as China's takeover nears. Writing in free verse that breaks with traditional Chinese form, the twelve modern poets retain links with the past, sometimes alluding through subject, diction, and imagery to the Chinese poetic tradition. Some of the poets express a longing for China as a homeland, while others draw on Chinese myth and folk-tales reflect on the universal themes of reincarnation, life and death, and the passage of time. Whether describing the vibrancy of Hong Kong life, examining the effects of the Tiananmen Square incident, or reflecting on love and society, each poet brings to life some part of the Hong Kong character.

Poems from Hong Kong

From the Bluest Part of the Harbour

This book contains an introduction centred on migration, exile, «the other», and the experience of multicultural communities in the modern world, followed by three sections of original poetry. In Part I, poems deal with Britain, Canada, and China (mainly Hong Kong). In Part II the focus shifts to Australia and then Europe again (mainly France). Part III, entitled «Shards» presents fragmentary lyric voices suggesting the processes of cultural fragmentation and change. In each part the poems connect with individual experience, historical events such as the French, Russian and Chinese revolutions, myth and art. Multicultural experience as a modern reality, loss, regeneration and creativity are all major concerns in the poems. Their many artistic references include, among others, Apollinaire, Bonnefoy, Michael Bullock, Rosalía de Castro, Dante, Robert Desnos, Anne Frank, Li Po, Magritte, Albert Namajira, Sidney Nolan, Bill Reid, Laura Wee Lay Laq and Zhang Ji. From the experience of living in modern multicultural societies, the writer envisages the kind of international modernity that tries to preserve the dignity of individuals and humane values. Such modernity has emerged from cultures fragmented by revolutions, globalization, and rapid change. These poems occupy both hemispheres, inhabit temperate and tropical zones, and make cultural transfers across them.

Poems of Multicultural Experience

The Rendez-vous

An incredible novel, detailing both a simple love story, and the impact of the arrival of the white man, on the Australian Aboriginals, told from the viewpoint of a native Australian, about to be married. ..."a powerful piece, written with passion and compassion. The reader can only be deeply touched...by the story, but the images it evokes, and by the impact they have on his/her perceptions of Aboriginal people and their lives....great writing. It is hard to imagine a fictional work which better imparts an understanding of the impact and implications of wiping out a race."

A Thing Apart

Nisha Dogra

Fiona Warner-Gale

Clay Frake

This handbook provides a succinct introduction to child mental health, covering the nature, prevalence, treatment and management of mental health problems in children and young people. The authors explore a range of issues surrounding the emotional needs of young people, showing how specific problems such as ADHD and learning difficulties can be targeted, while also recognising diversity issues and paying particular attention to at-risk groups. This edition is updated to reflect current direction in services, cutting edge approaches to interventions in primary health care, teaching and social service settings, as well as incorporating children's views on what mental health means to them and the impact of social media. Setting out ways in which young people can be supported by all practitioners in primary care, and covering early years through to late adolescence, the authors have created an invaluable resource for any front-line practitioner working in this area.

Andrew Parkin

Books

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