BCC Shines a Light On: Adele Evershed
Name of the piece published by BCC:
When/where was it originally published:
Selcouth Station which is now defunct.
Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?
A friend posted a photo on Facebook of pears she had bought without realizing they had been grown in Argentina but packed in Thailand and were now for sale in the UK. It led to a conversation about sustainability, especially as pears can be grown in the UK!
How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?
It was one of the first poems that I had published and I was very proud of it. It came out of considering a need to reduce our carbon footprint and how shopping locally can have a positive impact on the environment. Issues that are still close to my heart.
Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece?
Mainly to think about how and where they shop. It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by the state of our planet. At the time the poem was first published I had one friend argue that an individual can do very little and we have to rely on Governments to affect change. And we can all see how that is going! So I suppose I’d like any reader to think about one change they could make, maybe just buying produce in season, or to visit a local farmer’s market.
What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece)
I had my first flash fiction, “Bring Back the Bees” published in 2019 by Flash Flood Journal in their ‘debut flash’ feature when I was fifty-five. Since that time I have published two poetry chapbooks, a novella in flash and a collection of short stories. So I suppose what I’d tell readers is not so much about my writing, more about taking a chance, trying something new and remembering it’s never too late. So, in the words of Michelle Yeo, when she collected her Oscar, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you you are past your prime.”
Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)
X: @AdLibby1
Instagram/Threads: @ad_libby
Blue Sky: @adlibby.bsky.social
I also have a website (that needs updating!): thelithag.com
My poetry collections:
Turbulence in Small Spaces from Finishing Line Press
The Brink of Silence from Bottlecap Press
Wannabe, a novella in flash, from Alien Buddha Press
Suffer/Rage, short story collection, from Dark Myth Press
A History of Hand Thrown Walls, upcoming from Unsolicited Press in 2025
