Shakespeare for Sociopaths is a collection of sociopathic characters commented on, caged in the Shakespearean sonnet form.  My whole life I’ve been immersed in a milieu of dark characters — in my bed, in my head, in pop culture, books.  This book represents the union of two twin passions/obsessions of mine: the Shakespearean sonnet form and villainous characters.  Shakespeare himself was certainly fascinated with these kinds of characters and housed many such in his tomes from the Macbeths to Iago in Othello.  I follow in ...

The Rhyme of the Reddleman’s Daughter  originated from a story the poet’s four-year-old daughter told him in her bath… “I’ll tell a story from my mouth …” her term for an oral story rather than one read from a book. Book-ended with the idea of the Reddleman or Raddleman (a liminal figure who would travel the chalk hills marking sheep with a red dye at pairing time), the ballad is rooted in the landscape, flora and fauna of the South Downs. The ballad form became the most fitting way of uniting form ...

The third edition of this vibrant poetry magazine showcases some of the finest and most original voices in contemporary poetry today The full line-up for the magazine is: Poetry  : Jeremy Reed Anna Saunders Christopher Levenson Mark Goodwin Raine Geoghegan Fred D’Aguiar Lucía Orellana Damacela Alison Jones Ceinwen E. Cariad Haydon John F. Deane Sheenagh Pugh Andy Brown Debjani Chatterjee Arundhathi Subramaniam Hannah Brockbank Abegail Morley C.C. Russell Scarlett Ward Kristin ...

The second edition of 'A Restricted View From Under The Hedge' again showcases some amazing poets and poetry. The full line-up for the magazine is: Poetry from : Chen Chen ' Sam Herschel Wein Rohini Kapil Tawnya Renelle Phil Hawtin Peter J. King Kristin Garth Zoe Mitchell Sophie Hannah S.A. Leavesley Bill Herbert Sarah Bigham Jane Burn Nick Toczek Rachel Burns Georgina Titmus Megan Falley Johanna Boal Moniza Alvi Beth McDonough Jonathan Jones Nigel Kent Mimi Khalvati Melissa ...

"In a pamphlet saturated in colour,  Damien Donnelly takes us on an immersive   journey through a landscape of pigments. Written with great lyricism and emotional intensity, these poems contrast darker hues with lighter tones to create a sequence of poems that will linger in the memory."

‘Apple Water’ is a small collection of poems and short prose based on Raine’s Romany family who amongst other things picked fruit, vegetables and hops in both Herefordshire and Kent. Many of these poems have been inspired by actual events, personal stories and photographs, as well as the inclusion of ‘found’ words which help to bring the characters to life. Raine uses Romani language (jib) to add authenticity to the life of the Travelling people and has woven it into the collection not only to honour these folk but to create ...

In the summer of 2018 the story broke of the mistreatment of members of the Windrush generation. As a consequence of the government’s attempts to reduce immigration, it transpired that British subjects had been wrongly deported and detained, lost their jobs and homes, and were denied benefits and medical treatment. This story precipitated a poetry conversation. Nigel Kent and Sarah Thomson took the UK Government's creation of a 'Hostile Environment' and created a poetry conversation as beautiful and it is hard hitting, shining a stark ...

The full line-up for the magazine, is: Poems from, Christopher Levenson Lucía Orellana Damacela Alison Jones Ceinwen E. Cariad Haydon John F. Deane Sheenagh Pugh Andy Brown Debjani Chatterjee Arundhathi Subramaniam C.C Russell Hannah Brockbank Pippa Little Charles Wilkinson Jen Rouse Maggie Mackay Joan Lennon Jennie E. Owen Natalie Crick Imogen Forster Andrew Greig Paul Waring Cheryl Pearson Penelope Shuttle Peter J. King Geoff Hattersley Deb Scudder Julian Turner Jacqueline Saphra Mike Ferguson Paul Stephenson Graham ...

The first half of this poetic conversation offers the people’s voice – how Hoi Polloi survive under a Tory government. The voices ramble into ridiculous scenarios concerning the fate of the planet Earth and its inhabitants. They switch to the sublime with musical meanderings as if even music would disappear...not transfer into a new world. Like any rollicking conversation, this ventures up alleyways and down theatrical stairs. Part call to arms, part wistful reverie dressed in disillusionment, this is a bizarre and at times alarming conversation ...

'What can I say about a collection featuring a singing and dancing papaya, a pesky street character known as Noman, a Vaudeville mime artist who performs in an A road lay-by and a Flat Earth advocate, to mention only a few? When people put me on the spot and ask me what my poems are about, I am usually lost for words. But then I am often lost for words. Conversation isn’t really my thing. Perhaps that’s why I write poems in the first place. Papaya Fantasia is a bus journey, it’s a variety show, a long wave broadcast, a comedy-horror ...