Sampler Av Sean Ashton

<p><i>Sampler</i> presents a selection of entries from <br>an encyclopaedia written entirely by poets. The material, assembled by Sean <br>Ashton into categories such as Fruit & Vegetables, Birdsong and Musical <br>Instruments, offers insights into a range of themes: the precise timbre of a <br>lapwing’s call, the heroic modesty of the double bass, the correct way to eat a <br>peach. There are also answers to pertinent questions. <br>What is it that makes hairdressers so special? Why is neon the noblest of <br>gases? Could rugby be improved with the addition of a harpsichord?</p><p>In his capacity as chief editor, Ashton deploys poetry as an applied art, abandoning the lyric voice for a collective register. Somewhere between the private fancy of the individual and the strictures of the social is a forest of stranger truths. Few are stranger or more truthful than <i>Sampler</i>.</p>