BRIAR MOUTH

Briar Mouth is the first published collection of poems by Helen Nicholson. She has had poems published in Gutter, and Magma magazines and shortlisted in the Bridport Creative Writing Competition, 2015. She lived near Fort William as a child, spending time in Skye, and now lives in Fife. These locations are clearly reflected in her Read More

Loserville

The job of writing a jukebox musical is never easy. It is hard enough to write songs to fit into an original and engaging story but harder still to write an original story to fit around popular songs that already exist. The early 2000s pop-punk band Son of Dork only released one album, and never Read More

Bondo

Menna Elfyn was born near Swansea in 1951. She was brought up with the Welsh language at home and in Chapel and raised during a time when teaching Welsh at school was not promoted. Elfyn is a renowned professor of Poetry and Creative Writing, at the University of Wales Trinity St. David’s in Carmarthen, where Read More

a hurry of english

Mary Jean Chan has shown that being a celebrated poet with many accolades does not require the publication of a full collection. Chan is noted for her work in anthologies and competitions by many respected organisations such as The National Poetry Competition for which she secured second place in 2017. In the same year, she Read More

Juke Box Jeopardy

The first thing one notices upon picking up Brian Johnstone’s latest poetry collection, Juke Box Jeopardy, is the binding. The pamphlet comes in a brightly coloured sleeve, like a record. It’s a promise that you have picked up something unique, maybe even fun. And Johnstone delivers. As the title and sleeve suggest, this is a Read More

The Republic of Motherhood

Birmingham based Liz Berry’s most recent offering is a pamphlet of varied and relentlessly honest poems about new motherhood. At times heartbreakingly loving, at others pulling a sideways punch at the world as the new mother, this fierce yet poignant little collection is not afraid to expose the complexity of the experience, including its morally Read More

there’s no such thing

Reading Lily Blacksell’s poetry is like watching a tragic movie, going to a comedy show and listening to an album of greatest hits on vinyl, all at the same time. This description, from the blurb of Lily Blacksell’s debut pamphlet there’s no such thing, is brilliantly accurate. The British writer, currently based in New York, Read More