<p>&ldquo;Punctuations from History&rdquo; is Ian Gouge&rsquo;s latest collection of poems a volume that in various ways explores our place in and relation to history. Whilst there are similarities in theme to his collection &ldquo;Human Archaeology&rdquo; (which debuted at the 2017 Ripon Poetry Festival) the threads tying these pieces together are looser more fluid.</p><p>In an unusual departure &ldquo;Punctuations from History&rdquo; contains&nbsp;brief &lsquo;context commentaries&rsquo; that provide the reader with a foothold into the individual poems: &ldquo;an attempt to offer up a literary trowel to allow the reader to get below the surface of the poem more readily&rdquo;.</p><p>Overall the collection tries to assist with unravelling notions of &ldquo;how we were / or how we are now / or how we might yet be&rdquo;; fragments or mirrors offered up from our &lsquo;punctuated history&rsquo;.</p>