Edward Storey: Fenland Poet and chronicler of place

I have worked in the Fenland city of Ely for the last six years - commuting in all weathers and at all times through the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Fens...

Edward Storey has died at the age of 88.
He was a chronicler of the Fens: an author and poet.
There was a lovely piece on Edward on BBC Radio Norfolk earlier tonight on the way home, which described him as 'a poet of place'.

You walk the roof of the world here.

Only the clouds are higher

And they are not permanent.

Trees are too distant for the wind to reach

And mountains hide below the horizon.

The wind labours through reed

As though they were the final barrier.

Houses and farms cling like crustations

To the black hull of the earth.

Here, you must walk with yourself,

Or share the spirits of forgotten ages.

Keith Skipper has written a lovely piece in the EDP.

More to come on Edward in a future blog post....

Image: Alan Parkinson - Fens near Manea - CC licensed

Comments

wendyfletcher said…

I would like to add a personal tribute to Edward Storey, a fellow Whittlesey resident and writer. I first contacted Edward over ten years ago when I started to write my own autobiography and continued to correspond regularly with him until this September when his health was beginning to fail. During those years he gave me so much support and guidance, encouraging me to develop and expand my writing. This gave me the confidence to set up the Whittlesey U3A Creative Writing Group which has evolved into the Whittlesey Wordsmiths. Last month we published our first book and I had signed and wrapped a copy for Edward before I heard news of his death. I would like to express gratitude for his inspiration, to Edward, A Fenland legend, who made our dreams a possibility and then a reality. Wendy Fletcher

1 December 2018 at 18:20

Alan Parkinson said…

Thanks so much for adding your comment Wendy. I'm not a Fenland resident myself, living in Norfolk and originally from Yorkshire, but the power of the landscape is undeniable, and I also try to capture it in photography and encourage students to appreciate that where they live is special. You may find other Fenland posts on the blog by searching the labels. Good luck with the book, I hope it reaches a good audience.

2 December 2018 at 18:17