Books

Mild-mannered wordsmith Orion Jones has found home in Barcelona after time spent living in the UK and France. For the young American, Europe hasn’t necessarily been the catalyst for his writing but can certainly be blamed for helping channel his creativity. 25 Poems will be his first published anthology of poetry, a collection of work broad in both scope and literary technique. Orion is part of the Gràcia Arts Project network of artists, through which he has been encouraged to compile his poetry. “I’m excited and apprehensive both at the same time,” he says, “but then reaching an audience is a necessary part of doing your art, right?” Orion’s poetry switches through the full spectrum of style and pace, employing mixed rhythms and the occasional rhyme to make reading the collection in one sitting a fascinating journey through a maturing written landscape. The themes he tackles arrive on the page in an unforced and very natural way, belying the considered thought that goes into the weighting of every line. Wise beyond his years, perhaps, but there is little precociousness and a tangible humility to both the character of the man and the impact of his poetry.