Complete Poems of Howard Mingham published by imprint Caparison
Waters of the Night: The Complete Poems of Howard Mingham, 1974-84
A book containing surviving works of poetry by Howard Mingham, a gifted Hackney writer who died in mysterious circumstances in 1984, has been published by Caparison, an imprint of The Recusant.
Waters of the Night: The Complete Poems of Howard Mingham, 1974-84 contains a foreword by writer Ken Worpole, who knew Mingham through a group called The Hackney Writers’ Workshop and who spoke at an event to remember the late poet at Clapton bookshop Pages of Hackney earlier this month.
Mingham, who was born into a working class family in 1952 in Norfolk, moved to Hackney at the age of 10 and was educated at Hackney Downs School and Kingsway College.
He was a socialist, and though some of his poetry contains political undertones, much of it is preoccupied with monumental forces of nature such as seas, forests and storms.
He had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was socially marginalised as a result of his condition.
In 1984 he was found dead in the vicinity of Cambridge Heath Road, having fallen from a tower block.
The inquest into his death recorded an open verdict.
In his foreword Worpole writes: “Howard Mingham was an intense, witty an formidably talented poet whose untimely and shocking death robbed us of a uniquely intelligent poetic voice. This collection only confirms the scale of our loss, but it also creates a worthy memorial to someone who deserves to be remembered with gratitude, love and respect.”
Waters of the Night: The Complete Poems of Howard Mingham, 1974-84 is published by Caparison. ISBN: 9780956754486. RRP: £8
Hi, I was at Kingsway College at the same time. We had quite a few pints together. I was not allowed to carry on with the course, I lost touch with him. He made quite an impression on me. That’s why I still remember him.
Where can I get hold of a copy?
I knew Howard at Norbury House part of the Arbours Asso. We were very close. A mutual friend sent me a notice of his death. He was a tender soul, who never put up with crap from anyone. Suddenly I thought of him and just googled his name. Oh, how i miss him. I would like to order a copy of his poetry.