Reprint City is fast approaching...!

My esteemed publisher (Nell at HappenStance) informs me that the Whatever You Do, Just Don't express train is fast approaching Reprint City. Yay! However, in the meantime, both she and I still have some copies of the first print run available for purchase. You know where to find us...!

Reprint City is fast approaching...!

My esteemed publisher (Nell at HappenStance) informs me that the Whatever You Do, Just Don't express train is fast approaching Reprint City. Yay! However, in the meantime, both she and I still have some copies of the first print run available for purchase. You know where to find us...!

Good news ar the winery today...!

Good news ar the winery today...!

Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why? This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...

I'm not a fan of "Poet Voice"...!

As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more. This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...

Want to hear @roguestrands.bsky.social reading this poem? Head over to his page in wave sixteen of @iambapoet.com. iambapoet.com/wave/16-matthew-stewart

A stellar line-up that would grace any of the top poetry festivals in the country. Except this time it's all free. We'd be delighted if you could join us in London on 22nd Oct...!

A date for your diary, four weeks today...

Why do so many poets show a clear understanding of the cadences of speech while giving an introduction to their poetry, only to demonstrate a complete disregard for them when starting to read their work to the audience?

A date for your diary, four weeks today...

I'm not a fan of "Poet Voice"...!

Why do so many poets show a clear understanding of the cadences of speech while giving an introduction to their poetry, only to demonstrate a complete disregard for them when starting to read their work to the audience?

The emotional significance of objects sends ripples through our lives, which is why this is often my final poem when I give a reading. It's taken from my second full collection, Whatever You Don't, Just Don't. If you fancy a signed copy, drop me a DM and I'll sort one out for you...

John Lucas, a fine poet and terrific editor and publisher at Shoestring Press, has died at the age of 88. Sad news and a blow for the U.K. poetry scene.

John Lucas, a fine poet and terrific editor and publisher at Shoestring Press, has died at the age of 88. Sad news and a blow for the U.K. poetry scene.

If we don't use our small poetry presses, we'll lose them. This is why I refuse to flinch or shy from asking you to purchase a copy of Whatever You Do, Just Don't, my second full collection. Here's a sample poem from the book. Just drop me a DM and I'll sort out a signed copy for you...

themadridreview.substack.com/p/whats-past... When booky stuff lifts you right back up #authorlife #writerlife #event #signings #karma #noshow

A book is an inanimate object till it finds a reader. But that's when it comes alive...!

I only want a single pair of hands to stretch my spine and open me at last...

A book is an inanimate object till it finds a reader. But that's when it comes alive...!

If you've enjoyed this poem from my second full collection, Whatever You Do, Just Don't, please do consider getting hold of the book itself. Just drop me a DM and I’ll sort out a signed copy for you! No problem to ship to the U.S., U.K., Canada or mainland Europe…

I only want a single pair of hands to stretch my spine and open me at last...

Did you still need a reason to read Whatever You Do, Just Don't?! Well, here are five excellent ones, provided very generously and with great insight by Andy Hopkins @nightjrrs.bsky.social DM me to grab your signed copy...! andyhopkinspoet.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/m...

Copy by copy, every hard-earned sale of a poetry collection is an act of trust, a contract between the poet and the reader that reaches far beyond cash. This is why I refuse to shy away from reminding you about Whatever You Do, Just Don't. Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you...

This might not be feasible for the U.S. right now, but the U.K., Ireland, Canada and mainland Europe are no problem at all...!

This is a poem of loss, taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023)...

My spacehopper's name was Lippy. He still grins out at me every time I open the attic door.

My spacehopper's name was Lippy. He still grins out at me every time I open the attic door.

No aceptar otro orden que el de las afinidades, otra cronología que la del corazón, otro horario que el de los encuentros a deshora, los verdaderos. Julio Cortázar

No aceptar otro orden que el de las afinidades, otra cronología que la del corazón, otro horario que el de los encuentros a deshora, los verdaderos. Julio Cortázar

Richard Hoyes, sadly missed, my English teacher at Farnham College, in later years my friend. The first person to back my writing. The reason why I'm a poet today...

Oh, I was back in the library, red brick, brass door handles, hush! Lovely poem, great shift in the final lines.

This might not be feasible for the U.S. right now, but the U.K., Ireland, Canada and mainland Europe are no problem at all...!

Slightly shocked to have had a poem accepted for publication by The New Criterion...

Slightly shocked to have had a poem accepted for publication by The New Criterion...

Landlines, postcodes and dates of birth. The reg on Mum's old Escort.

Landlines, postcodes and dates of birth. The reg on Mum's old Escort.

Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why? This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...

Please do share the news of this free event...!

Four years ago, I wrote an article titled Beyond the Bubble for The Friday Poem, looking at how poetry might find new readers. Much of it still feels relevant, so here's a link... thefridaypoem.com/beyond-the-b...

I might have expected the wine trade to be affected by tariffs (and it certainly has been), but I didn't bargain for their impact on my poetry sales...

This is the poetry film we made of it... youtu.be/IDfqijw3S1I?...

It was great fun, Oliver! I did guided wine tastings at poetry events, and poetry readings at wine shops! Doesn't seem long ago, but we actually launched it at Free Verse in London in 2012. The 400-copy print run of the pamphlet sold out a couple of years later.

Lots of interest in here: a pamphlet called Tasting Notes at a themed wine-tasting sounds like a *great* idea (and something that it’d be possible to imagine inviting non-poetry-concert friends to come along to: and who might buy the pamphlet as a souvenir…).

Tariffs on poetry... roguestrands.blogspot.com/2025/09/tari...

Right now, there's no way to post a book from Europe to the U.S. with any guarantee that it will arrive safely and without extra charges. A big blow for the likes of me, but also for small publishers who were already struggling enough before this extra stumbling block.