Carmelized Civilization Traein: A curated collection of poems and prose edited by Hilary Downey, John F Sherry Jr and John Schouten

This year has brought unimaginable changes to work and lifestyle,beyond our comprehension. Yet the poetic tongue has flourishedwith new blooms in the chapbook garden. This is encouraging andwe welcome emerging and fresh voices to the poetic community.We have had to adopt a new way of talking this year and we wereconscious of all who had made the effort to be part of LeicesterCCT. Rather than putting us all on hold to 2021 and lose thepoetic thread that has become synonymous to our community, wehave moved to offer poets and their supporters the opportunity totake time out and mull over this season’s catholic mix of emotionand reflection. The bringing forth of new conversations, posedthrough new lenses, offers the reader in its novel e-chapbookpresentation a companion for locked down days. The cover designdraws on an historical image of Leicester, reflective of quiet streetlife and the shuttered outlook we experience today. The title of thechapbook, Caramelized Civilization Traein, pays homage to this,signalling up the stationary position we wrestle with; yet equallyconscious of the power inherent in the human-engine, to drivefuture progress.We look forward to CCT 2021, to the physical performanceof poets and the camaraderie this session brings, to poets andnon-poets alike. The gathering in, the occasion for stepping outfrom the norm; to share with others, pieces of self. We hope youwill continue to imbibe of this golden mead.No introduction to this chapbook would be complete withoutdrawing on voices that have stirred the soul, especially needed inthese times. We leave you now in the safe hands of WilliamButler Yeats’s, The Lake Isle of Innisfree (1888). The wordsfinding resonation in our self-isolating mantles:We acknowledge and appreciate the ongoing support of the CCTBoard, over the years, in this endeavour.Thanks to Steph Wulz for her creativity and inspiration year onyear, in bringing the chapbook to life and for our e-book formatthis year.Hilary Downey, John F Sherry, John W. Schouten (editors)Belfast Basement PublicationsI will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,And live alone in the bee-loud glade.