When I think about the anthologies I go back to – like my childhood favourite, th
e gorgeously illustrated Golden Treasury of Poetry, selected by Louis Untermeyer, or Roger McGough’s Strictly Private – they are the ones where I know I can revisit old favourite poems – Elizabeth Bishop’s ‘The Fish’, May Swenson’s ‘Was Worm’ or Elizabeth Jennings’ ‘Absence’ but also the anthologies where I know I can still make new finds or rediscoveries, simply by turning to a page I haven’t looked at much before. 
Tom Pickard’s intriguing poem ‘New Body’ with its mysterious couplets caught me by surprise today, sitting there in Strictly Private next to Martin Ward’s melancholy and rather wonderful shape poem ‘The Way You Dance Is the Way I Live’. Thus the best anthologies continually reward their readers: at each reading, each dipping into the vast poetry pool, there are new discoveries to be made, new voices to be heard. As 2017 draws to a close I’d like to thank all the lovely poetry supporters who have pledged to support publication of No One You Know – an anthology of unknown poems chosen and written about by a wide range of contemporary poets. Anthony Wilson and I really want No One You Know to be published in 2018. If you haven’t pledged your support yet – whether that be for £10 or £100 – then please take a look and pledge here. No One You Know will be a gift that will keep on giving you poetic pleasure and lead you to new poetry discoveries in 2018. Hope you have a happy reading and writing New Year.
Sue Dymoke Poetry 