Scintilla 28: The Journal of The Vaughan Association

Scintilla 28 continues the journal's tradition as the premier site not only for Vaughan scholarship but for wider discussions about poetry and prose in the traditions of metaphysical poets. Rooted in the Welsh countryside that Vaughan loved so well, the Association is dedicated to furthering this critical discussion and to promoting the best new writing that celebrates the themes and interests of this tradition. This edition of Scintilla includes an essay on the therapeutic potential of music-making in the poetry of Henry Vaughan, by Simon Jackson; an essay by Jude Willoughby considering the symbol of the coin in the poetry of Henry Vaughan; Elizabeth Siberry explores the Usk Valley during the Civil War and the early years of the Restoration, furthering our knowledge of key royalist figures in the Welsh borders; and an essay by Thomas Clifton which turns to the work of the Vaughan brothers' contemporary, Robert Herrick, to explore the language of liquefaction in Herrick's epigrammatic verse.Scintilla continues its established exploratory responsibility of publishing new poetry written ‘after’ the Vaughans alongside critical assessments of the metaphysical tradition. The poets in this issue remind us that we are the stuff that we are made of, and other bubbling alchemy besides.Alongside its poetry and prose, this edition of Scintilla is graced by a number of illustrations by the Welsh nature artist Rachel Porter. She is particularly interested in paying attention to small things, easily missed, and being ‘delighted daily by the hidden things in nature’. Read more