The Anabranch

<p>Each poem in this anthology is an anabranch in itself-a deviation</p><p>from the mainstream; a moment where time would seem to stand still;</p><p>a 'stay against the confusion of the world' in Robert Frost's memorable</p><p>phrasing. There something anabranch-ish about our moment as our</p><p>deviation from what life was in 2020 reconnects further down stream in</p><p>2022. Rivers moved from drought to fullness to flood. Our communities</p><p>were pushed and pulled either side of the poverty line. We oscillated</p><p>between an open world and isolation.</p><p>Aidan Coleman</p><p>Alison Whittaker</p><p>Newcastle Poetry Prize Judges 2022</p>