This book aims at your imagination. All the Selves of what you might be, are envisioned in that moment when the moon is a floatin the sky. When Reason does not rein in the Self, you are left to dream, to connect to the night-side of nature. Then the landscape that surrounds becomes a gateway to what might be. But first, let the women who were unconventional bring their case forward.

The first section, Stories, begins with poems about them. One was an astronomer of the 18th century, Marie Henriette von Sachsen Meiningen, and lived in one of the first ‘English’ landscape gardens in the German principalities. She built her own observatory and went there to bring stars closer into view—her very own science.

The writer Bettina von Arnim, the next woman I mention, was an eccentric but truthful and intriguing woman of the turn of the 18th to the 19th centuries. She was the granddaughter of Sophie von La Roche, one of the first women novelists and a friend of Christian Martin Wieland. Her great granddaughter was Gisela von Arnim, a friend of the Grimm Brothers. Gisela later married Wilhelm Grimm. Bettina, her mother, married Achim von Arnim and this turned out to be an adventure for both of them. All this inspired my poetry.

I would highly recommend this book of modern free form poetry to everyone, because it is so unusual and thought provoking. The poems deals with profound, often dark thoughts with a light whimsical turn of phrase, and a sprinkling of humour.

The author has illustrated her poems with her own water colours, which add to the dream like quality of her work. This is a document of Ms. Paterson’s thoughts and imaginative wanderings, while she is confined to bed, letting her mind roam freely while her body is earth bound in recovery.

Stuck indoors she is able to examine and see every day things that we might not even look at, with the freshness of a child, mixed with the experience of an adult. Her work invites you to be young again and find surprising new meanings in the every day.

Her thoughts revel in the darker colder months of the year, just touching on the promise of spring, making me feel that the creativity is linked to her dark suffering, and when the bright warm summer months arrive she will be too busy living life to sit down observe and write.

I love the way Ms. Paterson looks out of her window and tries to make herself at one with it, such as linking her curtains and sheets to the snow outside. She uses descriptive epic power of nature, and quietly points out that no matter how powerful or rich we are, we have no control over it. The rain falls on every one alike.

I feel the author yearning to be outside when she squeezes out jewel like colours from grey mist and drizzle. I also liked the idea that darkness is a great leveller, because you can’t see the other person to judge who they are. Natures rich imagery, and domestic activities, are used illustrate her thoughts.

The Travelling Moon is full of vivid pictures of wise birds, mighty trees, animals, glittering dew drops, and visions of moonlight dreams.

I have always enjoyed poetry; It suits my time-challenged life. A poem can give you an idea or a story in a few sentences, whereas a book might take several chapters and hours to achieve the same end.

Journal and writing coach, teaching ways to notice and capture the wonder of the everyday, through writing, poetry, and photography.

I write, primarily online, about writing, the creative process, and what happens when we remember to open our eyes, pay attention, and wonder.

www.joannapaterson.co.uk
@joannapaterson
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