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

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

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

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

Review of ‘Wrappings in Bespoke’ by Sanjeev Sethi

Back in August 2020 my intention was to use this blog to draw readers’ attention to debut collections, but as time went on I decided to vary the content by occasionally inviting more established poets to share insights into their new works. Well, they don’t come more established than Sanjeev Sethi. The quality of his

Drop in by Sanjeev Sethi

It is generally the practice in this blog to invite poets to reflect on their debut collections. Just occasionally, however, I have invited more established poets whose work has been recognised nationally. Today, however, I am honoured to invite a poet with an international reputation, the remarkable, Sanjeev Sethi to reflect upon his latest publication,

Review of ‘Football is Poetry’ (Tonic Sta Press, 2021)

To celebrate the imminent second anniversary of this blog something different: instead of reviewing a collection, I have chosen to review a compellingly original anthology entitled Football is Poetry (Tonic Sta Press, 2021), the brainchild of Mark Coverdale, assisted by Owen Collins. Inspired by the formats of a match day programme and a football sticker

Review of ‘Time Matters’ by Julie Anne Gilligan

Being a fellow member of the Poetry Society of the Open University, I have known the work of long-standing member, Julie Anne Gilligan, for some time. Therefore I am delighted to have the opportunity to review her new pamphlet, Time Matters(Dempsey and Windle, 2022). It displays all those qualities that I have come to know