Where do I begin with The Perseverance. Raymond Antrobus has cleverly managed to merge emotions and education in this captivating collection of poetry.
Antrobus has built on the work he did with his pamphlet - Too Sweeten Bitter, published by Out-Spoken Press.
The overarching aim of this collection is clear - to educate readers on D/deaf and British Sign Language (BSL). I must say Raymond has done this with heartfelt emotion and a sense of nostalgia.
Intertwined with the education messages were renditions of stories and memories of Raynonds personal experiences and also of family members - making it gripping and creating intrigue.
Antrobus also puts himself into the words contained in this book. He talks of his own experiences and tells tales of growing up and trying to fit-in without hearing. He does this in a masterful and disarming way.
Below Raymond performs the title poem and talks about his rationale and reasoning behind the collection and also discusses the process involved in putting together the book.
This book deserves no less than five out of five stars, as it encapsulates everything you would want from a poetry collection. Deep personal lyricism followed by a profound understanding of a much wider and topical issue that affects multitudes of people. He brings the personal and the impersonal together - seamlessly.