The Alexandra Sequence

The Alexandra Sequence looks at contemporary life through the suggestive prism of the mummer's play. Against the background of a city recovering from a long period of decline, much of the book adopts a 'street's-eye view' of the world. The opening sequence, for instance, takes its title from an address in Liverpool, and its seven sections, which are roughly chronological, explore the psychology of moving to (and from) a new area. A frequent theme is the process of adapting to strangers and their masks, while thinking about how we measure our lives according to the contingencies of a neighbourhood. As the book progresses, many kinds of dramatic interruption are staged: from neighbourly knocks on the door and zombie drummers marching though a park to the appearance of prowlers at the back-window and Liverpool's experience of the 2012 riots. The book draws upon the two main themes of the mummer's play – combat and resurrection – often setting them against contemporary forms of anti-social behaviour. Mixing narrative and lyric, the poems deploy a diverse range of reference, from Juvenal and Tommy Cooper to Bruegel and indie-rock.