Poet Kenneth Steven grew up in what he calls “the only truly land-locked part of Scotland,” otherwise known as the highlands of Perthshire. He recalls hills, lochs, forests, and rivers – but no sea. His favorite childhood memories involved summer holidays to the sea, and specifically the sea of the Atlantic Coast. Many of those holidays involved the island of Iona in the Hebrides.
Iona wasn’t, and isn’t, only a beautiful island surrounded by the sea, filled with adventures for a young child. It was also the island where St. Columba (521-597) came when Irish monks were undertaking their famous missions. It was also the place where the Book of Kells was (most likely) created. And it is poems about the island that comprise the heart of Steven’s latest poetry collection, appropriately enough entitled Iona.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
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