Review of ‘A Spark in the Darkness’ by Kate Young

Entrants to local, national and international poetry competitions may be familiar with the name, Kate Young. She has an impressive record of reaching the final stages. Most recently she was placed second in the Canterbury Poet of the Year Competition, and in 2021 she was placed third in the Vernal Equinox Competition and won the

Drop in by Kate Young

Today I have the special pleasure of welcoming the very talented poet, and fellow OUPS member, Kate Youn, to reflect on a poem from her new pamphlet, A Spark in the Darkness (Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2022). A Spark in the Darkness is my first full pamphlet published with Hedgehog Press, so I feel very fortunate

Review of ‘Who am I supposed to be driving?’ by Clare O’Brien

Regular visitors to this website will know I have a particular interest in ekphrastic poetry. Having written a collection of such poems in 2021, Unmuted, I am well aware of the challenges presented by the genre, the most important being the capacity for the poems to be able to stand alone: i.e. for me they

Blog tour review of ‘All Island No Sea’ by Christopher Campbell

An extra treat today to celebrate the publication of All Island No Sea by Christopher Campbell (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) and the 5,000th visitor to this website, an additional review! Since reading Chris Campbell’s White Eye of the Needle I have been a fan of his poetry. I therefore opened All Island No Sea with

Drop in by Clare O’Brien

As a fan of ekphrastic poetry, I’m delighted to welcome Clare O’Brien to reflect on her new pamphlet, Who am I supposed to be driving? (Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2022). Spark the Fusion is the fourth poem in this collection. I’ve always been drawn to ekphrastic poetry, but most have been written in response to something

Review of ‘Fool’s Paradise’ by Zoe Brooks

Sometimes a poetry book crosses your desk that you know instantly is very special. You don’t have to read very much of Fool’s Paradise (Black Eyes Publishing, 2022) to recognise that this is a remarkable book written by a highly-skilled poet totally at ease with her craft. I knew Zoe Brooks’ writing from her collection,

Review of ‘I call upon the witches’ by Chloe Hanks

Though this blog has only scratched the surface of the rich seam of poetic talent writing today, I hope it has helped promote some new writers that are worthy of readers’ attention.  We have much to thank the editors of small poetry presses for. They work tirelessly and often with little reward to discover and

Drop in by Chloe Hanks

This week it’s my pleasure to welcome Chloe Hanks. When her unusual collection, I call upon the witches (Sunday Mornings at the River, 2022) arrived on my desk I immediately wanted to review it! I’m fascinated to hear what she has to say. For my drop in, I will be discussing the poem The Four

Review of ‘Earthworks’ by Stewart Carswell

One of the pleasures of regularly writing reviews is the opportunity to read closely the work of some of today’s finest, young writers. Over the last two years I have been stunned by the quality of writing that some of these writers are producing. Stewart Carswell is a young writer to add to that group.

Drop in by Stewart Carswell

Today it’s my privilege to welcome rising star, Stewart Carswell, to drop in to reflect upon his collection, Earthworks (Indigo Dreams, 2021). Throughout the book there are a number of poems that all share the Earthworks title, each one exploring a different historical earthwork in England.  This poem was the first of those to be