Rhizodont

330 million years ago, the area near Katrina Porteous's home in Northumberland was a tropical swamp. The fossil fish discovered there, known as the "rhizodont," was a lobe-finned fish that evolved to move on land and is the ancestor of all four-limbed vertebrates, including humans. The poems in Porteous' new collection, which address social and environmental change, are followed by two sequences about the latest technological revolution. The collection explores evolution, survival, and extinction in communities and languages and throughout the natural world, highlighting the powers of reinvention in life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 21 June 2024
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

Three hundred thirty million years ago, the rocky shore near Katrina Porteous's Northumberland home was a tropical swamp teeming with three-meter-long predatory fish adorned with massive tusk-like teeth. These remarkable creatures hailed from a family of lobe-finned fishes, which underwent an evolutionary transformation to become proficient in both land and water locomotion. They hold the ancestral lineage of all four-limbed vertebrates, including humans. The fossil fish discovered in Northumberland is aptly named the "rhizodont."

Porteous's new collection takes us on a captivating contemporary journey through these ancient landscapes, beginning with a poignant exploration of the former coal-mining communities along the Durham coast. Here, the coal-bearing Carboniferous strata are overlain by younger rocks. As we venture towards the Northumberland shores, where the remains of the rhizodonts were unearthed, we witness the profound geological time and the recent history of fossil-fuel burning. These poems, set against this backdrop, address pressing issues of social and environmental change.

Following these thought-provoking poems, we encounter two sequences that delve into the realm of the latest technological revolution. The first sequence explores autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, while the second sequence focuses on the remote-sensing techniques employed to explore the most inaccessible regions of our planet, Antarctica. Through these sequences, Porteous invites us to contemplate the profound implications of our technological advancements on the world we inhabit.

The poems in this collection unfold from the North-East coast of England, expanding into global questions of evolution, survival, and extinction. They delve into the complexities of human communities and languages, as well as the diverse tapestry of life across the natural world. Amidst the challenges and uncertainties, Porteous finds solace in the remarkable powers of reinvention exhibited by life itself.

Rhizodont, Katrina Porteous's fourth poetry collection from Bloodaxe, continues to expand the artistic territory explored in her previous three books. It seamlessly blends scientific themes from her earlier work, such as those explored in Edge (2019), with the ecological localism of Two Countries (2014) and The Lost Music (1996). These earlier collections were deeply rooted in the landscapes and communities of North-East England, and Porteous's latest offering continues to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the region.

In conclusion, Rhizodont is a captivating and thought-provoking collection of poetry that invites us to explore the intricate connections between our past, present, and future. Through its poetic lens, Porteous invites us to reflect on the profound impact of human actions on the environment, the challenges we face in the face of social and environmental change, and the remarkable resilience of life in the face of adversity. This collection is a testament to the power of poetry to inspire, educate, and ignite change, and it serves as a reminder of our shared responsibility to protect and preserve the world we inhabit for generations to come.

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781780377131