Tickets are now live 🫣

Chilly, sharp, bright day at West Bay.

Delighted that my poem Headspace inspired by Paul Klee has been selected for After… 2026. So many thanks to @markantonyowen.com

Such a wonderful open mic, Paul! Thank you for your warm and supportive hosting! 🌟 I'm so pleased to have been at the first Book Bag Open Mic!

At home on the Foyle…

Brilliant Book Bag open mic tonight, warmly hosted by @paulwritespoems.bsky.social. Please do another one in the new year, Paul! 😁

Thank you to all who made tonight’s first Book Bag Open Mic Session. Absolutely stellar poetry throughout with incredible support and encouragement 🙏. @gillbarr.bsky.social @alanparrywriter.co.uk @helenlaycock.bsky.social @jahshabby.bsky.social @markantonyowen.com @victoriaspires.bsky.social

November butterfly…

"a saint's eye unbuttons, / spilling bees" 👏🏼

Goodnight. 🖼️ Edna Eicke, New Yorker October 27, 1945.

I'm so thrilled to be nominated by The Chaos Section Poetry Project for my poem, "Emerging from the Penumbra." Thank you!

Holly with… apple

⚡️🥳⚡️🥳⚡️🥳⚡️ Overjoyed to see our beautiful Storms Issue V bursting into the world! It’s a real stunner and I’m so proud and grateful to have been a part of this wonderful adventure. Celebrations galore now! Thank you Damien, and all you super Stormers you are amazing! 🥳⚡️🤩 👏💖⚡️

The 5th Storm has landed, the printed journal of poetry, prose & visual art featuring 89 star Stormers & cover art by Brian Malachy Quinn is supported by @dublincityoflit.bsky.social @fingal.ie Now available to buy at our online shop eatthestorms.com/the-storm-sh...

Getting my head back into writing after the school holidays, so a quick first draft of a poem for this week's #PromptCombo #DreamLogic. Thanks @victoriaspires.bsky.social for hosting! #poem #poetry

I'm pleased that two of my poems will appear in North Coast Voices 2025: Poems of the Great Lakes, edited by Chuck Joy and M Scott Douglass for Main Street Rag Publishing. So many good poets between these covers. Advance sale discount price is only $10 at mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/nort...

Hi @victoriaspires.bsky.social and the #promptcombo team. Thank you for the prompt #DreamLogic. Here is my recollection of the febrile hours/days of malaria when I was 19. I was nursed back to health by the inimitable Sister Pat, a septuagenarian nun - and very dear friend. #poetry

Ginko to go…

Delighted to be reading at East Coker Poets this evening at 7.30 pm in the brilliant Village Café. Reading from A Wide River Divides Us #CinnamonPress @ArtsCouncilNI @PaulWritesPoems @blackbough #southwest #poetry @LitWorks

The @bridportprize.bsky.social 2025 results are officially out. Congrats to the winners & highly commended. Honoured to be shortlisted (top 3% of entrants from around the globe), & in great company too. My first time entering, so am very grateful 🙏 Full results: bridportprize.org.uk/results/2025

This is a lovely article, Gill. My heart broke at Palmer’s moon - lyrical and poignant.

It’s here. The Book Bag with @gillbarr.bsky.social collection A Wide River Divides Us published by Cinnamon Press Plus news & opps including; @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social @frazzledlit.bsky.social @eatthestorms.com

The Book Bag is here. This week we cross A Wide River Divides by Gill Barr, published by Cinnamon Press. One of the top ten books I've read this year. Read my thoughts here. Also news, opps and the regular playlist.

So delighted that A Wide River Divides Us will be featured on The Book Bag Sunday Oct 19th 8 a.m. Many thanks to @PaulWritesPoems.bsky.social @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social @rosiejackson.bsky.social @kimsquirrell.bsky.social @bethbpoet.bsky.social @matthewmcsmith.bsky.social

Today’s the day. Launching my debut poetry collection @sladersyard.bsky.social in West Bay Dorset. Couldn’t be more excited!

Archway Books setting up at Shute Lit Festival in Lyme Regis. The sun is out…

Look what landed here this morning, because, you know, I am always well ahead of the curve in my reading matter...🥰

Autumn pavement at Pall Mall Galleries

White sails and chalk cliffs

Wonderful Cinnamon Press!

In case you haven’t come across it, here’s a website about Elsi Eldridge and her work… meeldridge.com

Hello, if you like #RSThomas then you might be interested in following this Bluesky account @RSThomaspoet, also facebook.com/groups/RSThomas/ - share his poems, quotes, events, info, Q+A, etc. - and there’s a Society you can join… rsthomaspoetry.co.uk/rs-thomas-me-eldridge-society/ please re-post?

A delight to come upon this perceptive and perfectly paced radio documentary today on BBCRadio4. It illuminates the marriage of Welsh poet RS Thomas and English artist Elsie Eldridge #GwynethLewis #RSThomas #WelshPoets #MildredEldridge #WomenArtists #Artworks @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social

Sidmouth shoreline

A great delight and privilege to be in conversation with @skyarts.bsky.social nominated writer and @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social poet Gwyneth Lewis at Shute Festival on Sat 27th Sept.

Now available from Dempsey & Windle www.dempseyandwindle.com/bethbrooke.h...

Cliffs and ladder

A real blessing, this. 🙏🏼 On behalf of the 15 poets of wave twenty-two, thank you to everyone who visited, read, listened and shared. You're the reason this quarterly journal/library/archive exists. Here's to many more future waves! And if you're a poet, don't forget to audition in late September.

A reminder that Bad Lilies is currently OPEN for submissions. Our next issue will be in October and we are looking for poems both for that and for issues into 2026! badlilies.uk/submit

The wonderful Cinnamon Press in Hay on Wye…

Check this out:

Silky, milky Lough Foyle

In the Bridport News today @sladersyard.bsky.social @colfox.bsky.social

Sleek and superb

Peace Bridge from a different angle…

The best recent poetry – poetry review