Unwhispered Legacy is the first anthology published by The Book Bag X Write Here, Right Now. Edited by Paul Short, the anthology is raising money for Médecins Sans Frontières. It contains poems from an international group of poets including: Rishi Dastidar, Özge Lena, John Chmura, Leia Butler, Saraswati Nagpal, Samantha Terrell, Helen Laycock, Sarah Raybould,…
Brutal Blocks – a new poem of mine, you can read in Eche Poetry Issue Three.
London Underground’s Northern Line is split into two branches, where its most central stations can be found. The Charing Cross Branch and The Bank Branch. Long ago, I thought there might be a bit of poetic fun to be had with it. Now, here it is.
Shh! A tale of library based vengeance…
In the spirit of pointless, subjective artistic judgements, here’s the roundup you’ve all been waiting for. Including the MOST BRILLIANTLY DESCRIBED MESS OF A BOOK FILLED, ASHTRAY CHOKED BEDROOM AWARD.
Experimenting with poetic forms – here I have a go at a Villanelle – possibly the least ‘me’ form of all.
In praise of small things, especially a new cemetery gate.
Apparently, there’s a thing called ‘Performative Reading’ and the ‘internet’ or rather some Insta/TikTok 20-something lol-merchants don’t like it. Here’s a blog on it with a bonus new poem.
My backhanded, somewhat grudging tribute to Bath, from a Bristolian.
Ok, I didn’t win, but I’ll happily take Highly Commended in Rialto Nature and Place Competition 2025 thank you very much.
A love letter to libraries, in the form of a poem. ‘Library Stamps’ by Matt Gilbert
Some places are so famous, so iconic, it might be said that they visit you long before you return the favour…
Once upon a time in Norwood Park, there was a magic world of willows…
A while ago, I wrote a poem about the experience of buying records in shops, as a kind of post-streaming, tribute to the irreplaceable, tactile, sensory atmosphere of physical stores. The poem ‘Unfulfilled Playlist’ has now been published on Wild Court, where you can read it.
There’s a new poem below. I don’t tend to like explaining poems, but I do appreciate a bit of context. Like many others I suspect, not least in the USA itself, I feel profoundly shaken by recent events there. When I was six, I discovered Charlie Brown cartoons, encouraged by an American exchange student assistant…
The meaning of ‘meh’ or the beautiful mystery of subjectivity.
I’ve deleted my twitter account. Why? Ought to be obvious – The extreme-right owner and the wannabe dictator. This George Carlin sketch articulates the issue well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsL6mKxtOlQ I felt increasingly uncomfortable clinging on for some months now.Twitter isn’t what it was, but please look at my poems anyway… I didn’t sit right with me doing…
Dear First Name
Will you help us?
It’s getting late.
Do not ignore the horror
in your inbox. The situation’s stark.
Four new poems – October 2024.
Heron as Anglo-Saxon style warrior, a paean to a vintage alarm clock, a march, a terrible pun on an old car.
All four first appeared on Black Bough Poetry’s TopTweetTuesday.
Richly Evocative 