Drop in Margaret Royall

I’m delighted that this week Margaret Royall, author of the excellent The Road to Cleethorpes Pier, has dropped in to talk about one of the poems from her new collection, Where Flora Sings. This poem began as a figment of my imagination. I had been to the Djanogly Art Gallery in the Lakeside complex at

Review of ‘Venus in Pink Marble’ by Gaynor Kane

In the opening poem to Gaynor Kane’s ‘Venus in Pink Marble she describes her poems as being held in ‘fragile, translucent hulls’ that dissolve ‘before they reach the skyline’. In doing so she undersells her collection. ‘Venus in Pink Marble’ is packed with vibrant, resonant poetry that will live long in the consciousness of this

Drop in Gaynor Kane

This week’s Drop in welcomes, wonderful Belfast poet, Gaynor Kane, to talk about From Benin to Belfast, a poem from her stunning new collection Venus in Pink Marble, Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2020… Nigel, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about one of the poems in Venus in Pink Marble in your ‘drop

Review of ‘I Have Grown Two Hearts’ by Zoë Siobhan Howarth-Lowe

When I read ‘Morning Song’ by Sylvia Plath, I thought I would never again read a poem that so vividly and movingly captures motherhood. That was until I read Zoë Siobhan Howarth-Lowe’s second pamphlet, ‘I Have Grown Two Hearts’ from Hedgehog Poetry Press. There are so many poems here to match Plath’s classic. In her

Drop in Zoë Siobhan Howarth-Lowe

For the third ‘Drop in‘ in the series we welcome Zoë Howarth-Lowe who talks about ‘You Don’t Fit the Way You Used To‘ from her latest pamphlet, ‘I Have Grown Two Hearts‘, published by Hedgehog Poetry Press in September 2020. You Don’t Fit The Way You Used To I am unable to explain my inadequacies

Review of ‘Taxus Baccata’ by Patricia M Osborne

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the illustration for Tricia Osborne’s ‘Taxus Baccata’ provides the exception. It gives the reader the perfect insight in to this mix of fantasy, myth and vivid observation. One cannot read Osborne’s poems without sharing her sense of awe in nature. In ‘Sky Ballet’ she

Drop in Patricia M Osborne

Thanks to everyone who checked out Damien Donnelly’s ‘Drop in‘ and my review of his ‘Eat the Storms‘. The second in the series is novelist and poet, Patricia Osborne. Here’s Tricia talking about ‘Soulmates‘ from her debut collection, ‘Taxus Baccata‘. Soulmates   Last survivors, Gog and Magog lean side by side on Tor Hill’s dry

Review of ‘Eat the Storms’ by Damien B. Donnelly

Just occasionally you come across a voice in poetry that is distinctive and unique. Damien Donnelly in his first collection ‘Eat the Storms’ is exactly that. The world in Donnelly’s poems is a chaotic and turbulent place with no defining truth or reality. Life is problematic and alienating. Humankind has lost its way and the

Drop in – Damien B. Donnelly

This is the first in a planned series of ‘drop-ins’: opportunities to meet the poets whose collections will be reviewed in subsequent posts. I have some wonderful poets lined up and hope you’ll enjoy their reflections on their writing. They have been asked to choose a poem and reflect upon its conception. The first of