Released 31 October 2024 // Poetry Pamphlet // 59 pages
'A masterclass of emotion and craft, Searchlight Seasons sees Paul atten Ash capture worlds in crisp form and superb imagery. At once entertaining, enlightening, and transportational, this collection will move you across borders both metaphorical and emotional. It is a must-read, and a work that indeed shows a poet worth looking out for.'
– Dr Charley Barnes, author of perfume
'A sinistrous descent into an autumnal landscape, here we find ourselves slowly annihilated in an exquisitely crafted fusion of myth spilling into the nebulous fate of humanity. Paul atten Ash exposes an eerily familiar environment, etched with a voice that is stark, glimmering and unique in its exploration of life, death, history, society, climate and demise; questioning hope, healing and survival as the earth unravels "our beautiful apocalypse".'
– Louise Mather, editor of Acropolis Journal
'As a poet, Paul atten Ash wields his words as surgical tools, dissecting his surroundings and slicing into the reader with fine deep cuts. Sophisticated and subtle with beauty on every page, Searchlight Seasons is a triumph of exploration as Ash changes his environment by observing it and documenting the result.'
– Seb Reilly, editor of Seaside Gothic
'The elemental visions of Paul atten Ash form both elegy for an ancient isle and a potent reminder of human contradictions.'
– Melanie Sykes-White, editor of Shooter Literary Magazine
Searchlight Seasons - Paul atten Ash
Paul atten Ash is the pen name of Worcester-born Bristol-based writer Paul Nash. His art photography has been widely published in print and online, and he releases music as North Sea Navigator and Holmes + atten Ash.
Paul’s poetry has been published by Acid Bath Publishing, Acropolis Journal, After…, Apricot Press, BBC Radio 6 Music (Cerys Matthews), Beaver Magazine, Boudicca Press, Bristol 24/7, Broken Sleep Books, Butcher’s Dog, Dark Mountain, Deep Adaptation Forum, Dreich Magazine, Dust Poetry Magazine, Envoi, Exposed Bone, Free Verse Revolution, Full House Literary, Ghost Light Lit, Gothic Keats Press, International Library of Poetry, Luain Press, Magma Poetry, Needle Poetry, Open Shutter Press, Oscillations, Riggwelter, Salò Press, Seaside Gothic, Shooter Literary Magazine, Sídhe Press, Spelt Magazine, Swim Press, the6ress, The Hyacinth Review, The Winged Moon, Tiny Seed Literary Journal & Press, Underscore, Understanding, Under The Radar, Visual Verse, Where Meadows, Written Off Publishing, among others.
Competition placings include: Classical Association (HC, 2024).
Prize shortlistings include: Alpine Fellowship (2023); Ginkgo (2022, 2021); Hexham (2023).
Searchlight Seasons is his debut poetry pamphlet (Atomic Bohemian, 2024) and he is currently curating a contrapuntal ecopoetry project, We Dream in Green. For links to Paul’s published work visit https://campsite.bio/northseanavigator and follow him online at X: @NorthSeaNav; IG/Threads: @north_sea_navigator; Bsky: @northseanavigator.bsky.social