Book Launch | Garth Mason’s The Promise of Ploughs
On the 24th of October David Krut Books were delighted to welcome Garth Mason to the Blue House at 151 Jan Smuts for the launch of his debut poetry collection The Promise of Ploughs. Garth Mason is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Arabic at the University of South Africa (UNISA). While this is his first published poetry collection, Mason has been writing poetry since his own days as a university student and over the years, he has had his poems published in numerous editions of New Coin and Stanza Poetry Magazine.
Published by Dye Hard Press, The Promise of Ploughs presents the reader with snapshots of a life lived, glimpses into the poets existence through days and moments that have stood out to him and been immortalised and processed in verse. His poems reflect on numerous themes, from his father, the man’s life and the lack of a photograph to remember him by, to a memory of a trip taken in Cape Town to find a bookstore but ending up in a fish and chips shop instead and wandering the wharf afterwards, with his ex-wife and their daughter. Each poem is a beautiful and curious record of moments and memories within the poets life. Though, in addition to these snippets, Mason provides the occasional paragraph of context, allowing the reader a chance to see the poem not only through their own eyes, but the poet’s as well.
The event took place on a hot, sunny Saturday outside on the veranda. As a result, the chairs were all pushed into the shade as much as possible, creating a cozy and close setting arrangement that enabled the conversation between poet and audience to flow more freely.
Before jumping into the reading, Gary Cumminsky, the publisher and owner of Dye Hard Press, spoke briefly about the book, about how it came to be and offering insight into the choice made regarding the layout and cover. Following Cumminsky’s speech, Deirdre Byrne, a Professor from the UNISA working in the English and Gender Studies departments, took over to break down Mason’s relationship to poetry over the years.
We at David Krut Books would like to thank Garth Mason for including us in this launch, and we would like to thank all the people who joined us and made the day great.
