Whitby Abbey at Sunset, by Ackers72 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia CommonsSet in 657AD, moving between Hartlepool and Whitby, and drawing on Old English, modern English and Northumbrian dialect, Bob Beagrie’s new epic poem,Leásungspell, takes readers on a historical, geographical and literary journey. Reviewer Jamie McKinstry enjoyed the voyage.

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees

This quotation from William Blake prefaces Part Four of Bob Beagrie’s magnificent Leásungspell, which was recently performed at Durham Book Festival. Bob Beagrie is a poet, playright, and senior lecturer in Creative Writing at Teesside University. He has published six collections of poetry, including The Seer Sung Husband and Sampo: Heading Further North.

Leásungspell is a new epic poem which tells the tale of Oswin, a monk from the monastery of Herutea (Hartlepool) travelling to Streonshalh (Whitby), carrying secret letters…