Courtesy Orchis
**Journey Through The Mirror** *for Courtesy Orchis* From somewhere in the void of creation evolving from crystals in insular cells a tappestry of reflections decodes your soul shatter fragility - realise your entity and free from every surface solution, you'll find your creativity You're the child in this rose of glass, its' iris clouded with false divinity beyond your muse, the futile dream decays shatter fragility - realise your entity and free from every surface - solution, you'll find your creativity follow the river, the end is never clear **David Jones, 2001** Courtesy Orchis wrote poetry and short stories and created art as part of the, largely anonymous, collective 'Nine Hearts Publishing', between 1991 and 1999. Collections of various works, 'found art' and previously lost works continued until 2007. Chapbooks were donated to libraries, women's refuges, psychiatric hospitals, prisons and they were hand distributed to the homeless; free. Many of the readers later became contributors to the collective. The works covered subjects such as teen angst, grunge, punk, love of nature, religion, suicide, depression, boredom, the lost generation, cancer, death of loved ones and love. Courtesy Orchis cited her personal inspiration as Nancy Spungen, the Sex Pistols, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Marilyn Monroe, Juliette Lewis, Babes in Toyland, Rik Mayall, Douglas Adams, Jimi Hendrix, Bonnie & Clyde, Jack the Ripper, anything Victorian, Flappers, Hippies, Punks, Buddha, Freud, Wittgenstein, James Dean, Clara Bow, Elvis, Big Bopper, Adam Ant, cats, red skies, pizza, zinger burgers, LA, New York, Paris, Egypt, Rome, Tigers, baby doll dresses, 1950s red lipstick (celuloid type), nails to match, Vivienne Westwood shoes, big red roses, London, libraries, beer, Benson & Hedges, vinyl records, church candles and British Bull Dogs and stated that this also informed upon the works. **Reviews:** New edition of previous glories from the ontological chick we all want to 'protect'. She is a genius. The book is a mistress piece. Courtesy is both revolutionary babe and obscurantist. The poverty Poet is the top babe in 'British' poetry at the moment. Courtesy breaks taboos and dangerously identifies herself with nature, as it is raped and enslaved. The honesty in these poems is direct. She knows things little girls just shouldn't and sings these lyrics, which are half in the ideal, half in horror. She is waist deep in a dream, wading through the weight of it. Makes me want to hug her all the more: **Andrew Jordan** *(Editor 10th Muse/Poet)* She continues to create deeply inspired and perplexing poems that reverberate in the mind of the reader. She expresses herself in an accomplished and wholly unforced free verse form in which her words work as abstract signifiers that seem to tackle the world of subconscious inconsistencies. This is truely innovative poetry by an author who so effectively combines introspection with linguistic versatility: **Angelina Anton** *(Editorial Editor at Minerva Press)* Nicely presented. How delightful. Found fresh and exciting: **Khayam Shakarchy** *(Poet)* Deals with human emotion and feeling: **Kevin Phillips** *(Campaigner for disability awareness)* You are in my thoughts: **Diane Simpson** *(After dinner speaker/Hand writing expert)* Someone (Stuart Home) passed me '10th Muse #10. Your poetry is ace and has the rare scent of authenticity. How the f**k did you do that writing, and what place is it from? So much of it is Jungian archetype-laden to the point of chills down the spine. The eternity explanations with crazy diagrams is still one of my favourite ones. Also the massively disturbing runaway stories in 'Never A Dull Moment', I guess the Hobs line 'the caring professions can burn in hell' was inspired by one great line in there. I really really love the time travel bit in Killer On The Road where you name the evil pubs and Billy The Kid etc. Stick at it long
