“Matt Gilbert’s writing marvels in the spirit of place; his poetry wanders, camera-like, along overgrown tracks through woods,
riverbanks, wastegrounds that are rewilding; he takes us on journeys to greening edgelands that spill into urban decay.
Gilbert ‘s eye pans, then zooms in, on the minutiae that most of us ignore, the neglected details of our physical environment.
Matt Gilbert is a descriptive, modern poet of nature with a scalpel-like pen and eye for the arresting image .”
Matthew M. C. Smith, Editor of Black Bough poetry, three times-nominated ‘Best of the Net’ writer
On Street Sailing:
“I keep going back to the phrase ‘life multiplied by life’ from “Undercliff”.
It seems to be the neatest encapsulation of a wonderful debut.”
Mat Riches, London Grip, March 2024
2025
DECEMBER
Interview: Talking
Walking Podcast
NOVEMBER
Bonding
Object – Liverpool Tate
The Madrid Review
A Smack in the Street’s Mouth
Full House Literary
Featured Creator
Wee Sparrow Poetry Press
Lines of Communication Anthology
‘Rites of Passage’
Millitant Thistles
This tangled, blessed plot
OCTOBER
Flights Issue 15
Three Poems: Bus Stand H,
The missed bliss of Junior Bent
Instances of Light
Downloadable PDF.
AUGUST
The Northern Gravy
Poetry Anthology
Three Poems: Signs of Life,
Previously, On the Me Show,
Peckham Cherries
JUNE
Abridged 0-106
Umbra Sumus
Stanton Drew
The Seventh Quarry
Issue 42
‘Lights Out, San Francisco’
MAY
My poem ‘When the fieldfares’
Highly Commended in The Rialto
Nature and Place Competition 2025.
Acumen 112
A Solar Diversion
Black Nore Review
‘Locked In’
APRIL
Sídhe Press
To Lay Sun Into A Forest
Poems about grief
A defining moment
Fevers of the Mind
Poetry & Art Showcase 2025
Fall of the Mayan
Auld Lang Syne
Out of Fashion
Crow & Cross Keys
You’ll find it soon enough
up there, or it finds you
Salix Magic
MARCH
Wild Court
Unfulfilled Playlist
Bristol Noir
Misjudgement,
The Night I Gave Up Smoking
I Must Salute You Mag,
Even Though You’re Dead
JANUARY
Winged Moon –
‘Hinterland’
Out of the dead wood
Dust
What larks
Ink, Sweat & Tears
If you didn’t know what a storm is
2024
NOVEMBER
Southword 47
Munster Literature Centre
Surfacing at Vauxhall
SEPTEMBER
London Grip Autumn
Poetry Selection
‘Spring gathering’
My poem ‘Hillcrest Wood’
was shortlisted for
The Bridport Prize.
JULY
Stand Vol 22(1)
Weekend in Krakow
MAY
Peckham Cherries
Previously, on the me show
Signs of Life
Northern Gravy 12
City of Horses
Context
Acumen 109
April
Dust Poetry Issue 11
Advantage Mum
On Brandon Hill
An uncertain age
Flights 12
March
Our days were
After
(Poems inspired by other art)
February
Flamed out
Drawn to the light 11
2023
December
Snowdrop’s Confession
The Wombwell Rainbow
Not Advent Calendar
of disappearance
November
Winter Glow
Black Bough Poetry
Christmas & Winter Anthology
Vol 4.
‘The Political Wing of the Weather’
Poem in the November
issue of The Lake.
October
Three poems in Authora Australis,
Issue 8: Surface Water, Face Protector
and Tulum
September
Drop-in feature with
Poet & reviewer Nigel Kent,
talking about ‘Seven Sisters’
a poem from ‘Street Sailing’.
He also gave my book
an excellent review.
July
Myth & Lore Zine
Issue 6 : Graves, Growth
& The Greenman.
‘A grave matter’
June
Eat the Storms Poetry Podcast
Episode 3, Season 7
Guest reader +
‘Street Sailing’
collection of the week
Fevers of the Mind
Poetry Showcase:
The midges in the woods,
Big Tent Politics
Unexpected Item
Flights eJournal Issue 9
Three poems:
Raw in tooth,
On first looking into Reece
Winstone’s Bristol As It Was
Try explaining green away
Tutankhamun: Wonderful Things
Three poems in Blackbough
Poetry’s Centenary edition
Time’s Witness/Lost Riches/Reckoning
May
‘Street Sailing’
My debut poetry book.
On Black Bough Poetry.
Cover by Ben Pearce
Article in Bristol 24/7 on ‘Street Sailing’.
+ two poems set in & around my hometown.
Interview with The Wombwell Rainbow
on writing Street Sailing.
Influences, inspiration and urban nature.
Acumen 106
‘Halcyon Day’
April
‘Norwood Grove’
Sound & Vision:
A Top Tweet Tuesday/Black Bough
Poetry Online only edition
‘A scrap of screaming blue’
BOLD: An Anthology
of Masculinity themed
Creative Writing
The Broken Spine
‘A Kick Out of Nowhere’
Pulp Poets Press
March
‘A Dulwich hermit’
Finished Creatures
Issue Seven
February
‘Flaming Bench’
The Storms, Issue 2
February
Atrium, a poem:
‘Flower of Bristol’
January
Spare Parts Lit Vol 4.
A poem: ‘Cold Trail’
2022
December Authora Australis
Issue 5 – The City
Three poems: On the fence,
Take the second exit and
Drowning under flowers
December Black Bough Poetry
Christmas-Winter Edition III
A poem called ‘Winter Shade’
(page 61)
November Dreich
Season 5 Number 5
Passing acquaintance, Catching up,
Calling out a plane tree, Bright sided,
Sky Pirates (pp 24-27)
October Mono Issue Three
Poem: ‘On the bench‘
September Black Bough Poetry
Silver Poets Feature
A profile, several poems
& a piece of Creative non-fiction
about my fave local cafe The Electric.
September Flight of the dragonfly,
Flights e-journal Issue 6 Three poems:
‘Rehearshing the eremocene’,
‘Spalted wood’, ‘Pollarding’.
June Broken Sleep Books,
Footprints: an anthology of new ecopoetry
Poem: ‘Goodnight Phillip Island’
May Lothlorien Poetry Journal
Two poems:
‘Beyond DIY’ & ‘An average sort of stone’
Library Stamps
Longlist of commended poems
Plough Prize 2022
March Briefly Zine 8
Poem: ‘Outside Broadcast’
March Ink Sweat and Tears
‘Afoot’ poem of the day (16 March)
March Marble Poetry Magazine
Issue 11 – Poem: ‘Domestic’
February Cerasus Magazine Winter Special
Two poems: ‘Character assassination’& ‘Screaming party’
February Patchwork Lit Mag3
A dramatic/poetic dialogue called ‘Home’
January The Broken Spine,
Angels and Dogs Poetry Project,
Poem: ‘Entrance’
2021
December Atrium
Poem: ‘Tickenham Hill’.
October Green Ink – Roots
Poem: ‘Some men and a horse’
October Fevers of the Mind
Poem: ‘Ridley Road‘
September EatTheStorms
One of the guest readers on Damien Donnelly’s
fantastic poetry podcast.
August Dreich – Season 3 #2
Four poems: ‘Like a hole in the park’, ‘Long Meadow’
‘Mighty pockets’ and ‘Of dust’
July Mono
Guest blog: “In search of the remarkably mundane’
June Green Ink Poetry
Poem: ‘Hard Loving’ in the ‘Discovery’ Issue.
June Mono
Poem: ‘A cultured voice’.
(no longer on their blog,
but you can read it here)
April The Dawntreader
Poem: ‘Mudlarking’ in issue 54.
March The BeZine
Poem: ‘Garden Be Wild’, in the SustainABILITY issue.
Jan Anthropocene
Poem: ‘How to flatten the moon’ @anthro_poetry
2020
December The Dawntreader
Poem: ‘Wood Echoes’ in issue 53 @IndigoDreamsPub
Oct Blackbough Poetry
Poem: ‘Starless’ in Deep Time Vol 2 @blackboughpoems
Sep The Dawntreader
Two poems: ‘Foxed’ and ‘Cormorant’ in issue 52
@IndigoDreamsPub
Jul Blackbough Poetry
Poem: ‘Red echoes’ – Deep Time Vol 1.
inspired by Rob Macfarlane’s Underland @blackboughpoems
2019
Picaroon Poetry
One poem in each of: Picaroon 14, Jan 2019 & Picaroon 15, March 2019
(you can download a pdf of the relevant issue by clicking the respective link).
2018
Elsewhere Journal blog, January
Guest blog: A village pond without a village
2017
Elsewhere Journal blog, May 16
Guest blog: Back down Ashley Vale
Earthlines, Issue 12, July 2015
Article: ‘Walking London back to life’
The Literary Platform, September 2012
Article: How digital is making maps personal
Originally published on The Literary Platform September 4 2012
Curiocity – E – Escaping London
Originally published September 2013 in Curiocity Magazine.
Folly
Look for an ancient monastic ruin at the heart of Sydenham Hill Wood. These trees are the last physical echo of the Great North Wood, recalled in the name of surrounding areas, such as West Norwood and Forest Hill. The ruin is in fact a Victorian folly, built in the 1860s in the grounds of a house called Fairwood, which once stood here. Every day dog owners, toddlers and walkers are drawn to the site, using it as a marker on their journey before returning to such distant realms as Crystal Palace, West Dulwich and Penge. MG
Richly Evocative 