THE Museum in the Park will soon close the doors for its annual December shutdown, when behind the scenes staff get busy cleaning the entire building and checking and cleaning all the objects on open display.

But before that happens, there’s an extra special reason to make your way to Stratford Park. A unique publication has just arrived, hot off the press – Only the Flame Remains, a collection of new poems by Adam Horovitz.

Published by Randwick-based Yew Tree Press, Only the Flame Remains was written during Adam’s time as the first ever Poet in Residence at the Museum, and are his last look at the Slad Valley through the prism of the Laurie Lee centenary, with particular reference to the poem April Rise, which is quoted on his grave.

The first edition of Only the Flame Remains, which is exclusive to the Museum in the Park, is a limited edition of 40 signed, numbered copies which are available to buy for only £6 each on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis from the Museum. All proceeds from the sale of the limited edition of Only the Flame Remains will be used to support the Museum’s Walled Garden project.

“In his new pamphlet, which Yew Tree Press is delighted to publish, Adam Horovitz collects poems written as poet-in-residence as part of the Laurie Lee centenary celebrations” explained Philip Rush from Yew Tree Press. “Laurie Lee lurks in some of the poems: he animates the woodland on a night out at The Woolpack, he lurks in the ivy on a graveside tree, and his cider leads to a night of foiled lust. But these are really Adam’s poems, about his mother, his father and his childhood amongst the woodlands of the Slad valley. He writes with rich language and musical phrasing, and he writes with honesty and balance. It’s a lovely short sequence.”

To reserve or purchase a copy of Only the Flame Remains, call the Museum on 01453 763394 or email museum@stroud.gov.uk. Copies can also be sent by mail for an additional £1 towards packaging and postage.