The Estuary and the Sea

Jennifer Keevill gathers together nearly 20 years of poems reflecting life in the coastal town of Exmouth, between the Exe estuary and the East Devon coast. She describes how life at sea and on land is integral to the area.

We hear about the wildlife and water sports. We see how the lifeboat crews were summoned before the advent of pagers, when the two loud bangs of rockets alerted a whole community that lives were in danger. Historic details refer to the Christmas Day swim, the artist who once painted ships in a cafe before the redevelopment of the seafront and the cruise ships that sheltered off the coast during the Covid Pandemic. Yet, despite change, the sea remains the same: loving and hostile, healing and dangerous.

"My favourites [are] the hauntingly beautiful maritime poems by Jennifer Keevill"

Sarasvati 46 referencing issue 45 (Indigo Dreams Publishing)