Hugely privileged that renowned poet and critic Sheenagh Pugh should have taken the time and trouble to write such a terrific review of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. You can read it here... sheenaghpugh.livejournal.com/177801.html

"Brexit and its aftermath do not crop up much in UK poetry, but then few UK poets have this perspective on it...this is an unusual collection, from a viewpoint we do not often see, and correspondingly enlightening."

It's a great review and very enlightening about you! Utterly fascinating. In general, I fail to "get" poetry but Sheenagh has piqued my interest enough, facilitated entirely by you posting her review, that I might have to buy your book. It sounds fab. Well done!

"Brexit and its aftermath do not crop up much in UK poetry, but then few UK poets have this perspective on it...this is an unusual collection, from a viewpoint we do not often see, and correspondingly enlightening."

Hugely privileged that renowned poet and critic Sheenagh Pugh should have taken the time and trouble to write such a terrific review of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. You can read it here... sheenaghpugh.livejournal.com/177801.html

I'm actively seeking guest poet slots at readings in the U.K. for the second half of 2026 and 2027. Please drop me a DM if you might be able to help...!

I'm actively seeking guest poet slots at readings in the U.K. for the second half of 2026 and 2027. Please drop me a DM if you might be able to help...!

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

Over 1500 likes on here now for The Last Carry, reaching far beyond the poetry bubble, finding new readers who feel its resonance...

I'm sure it helps that this is a wonderful poem, structurally, thematically, and tonally.

Over 1500 likes on here now for The Last Carry, reaching far beyond the poetry bubble, finding new readers who feel its resonance...

I was so lucky to call Tobias a friend. I’m so glad his work remains in the world. This is a gorgeous edition from @saltpublishing.com — you will treasure it.

Today would have been Tobias Hill's birthday – and it's publication day for his Collected Poems, out now from Salt. All four collections in one volume, introduced by Maura Dooley. 'There is no other voice today quite like this.' – A. S. Byatt bit.ly/47vxXRK #TobiasHill #Poetry #PublicationDay

My childhood home telephone number. Also the house alarm code from the same. The bin building access code from my old flat. All the past house/flat numbers I've ever lived in. The exact time my contractions started when my daughter was born.

I remember my grandfather’s phone n° (he had a builder’s business - we didn’t have a phone ourselves) changing from 775 to 5775 back in the 1960s.

107. That’s it. My parents’ landline number. Taught to answer phone and say “Hello, 107. Who’s calling, please”.

Oh, oh, oh … thought it was just me.

I still know my grandmother’s telephone number even though she died on my birthday in 2004. And my home’s old landline number even though I got rid of it years ago. I don’t quite know why.

Nov 22 1963: The day Kennedy was assassinated: The day the teachers were not mean.

💔❣️

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...

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...

Go on. It's a book of poems. You cannot lose.

Heading for the post office tomorrow to send out copies of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. Anyone up for making my trip even more worthwhile...?!

Heading for the post office tomorrow to send out copies of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. Anyone up for making my trip even more worthwhile...?!

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...

If you're up for a copy, just drop me a DM and I'll sort one out for you (U.K., Ireland, mainland Europe, Canada and Oceania)...

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...

Last four words are the killer

And you never know for certain when you've done a thing for the last time

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

Poets, if they're lucky, end up having signature poems. But they don't choose them for themselves. Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people...

Six consecutive defeats now mean nothing cos Aldershot Town finally won at Morecambe today. Just like a poet who gets a terrific acceptance after six standard rejections.

Six consecutive defeats now mean nothing cos Aldershot Town finally won at Morecambe today. Just like a poet who gets a terrific acceptance after six standard rejections.

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...

I remember the periodicals section well - at the front of the building. I was either in the children’s library or on the enquiries desk especially on wet, busy Saturdays when all the windows used to steam up 😁 So nice to hear some happy & productive memories of the place.

Hey! You may have been there for my 6th form days. I was often hunched up with the papers and periodicals. New Statesman/New Society/NewScientist/Spectator I devoured the lot. And around that time I must have read the entire drama section. Thank you for tending the oasis in the desert.

How lovely! If it was the late 1970s I was one of its librarians.

That's a terrific example of the power of libraries!

Shout out to Basildon Central Library, which was a temporary pre-fab bungalow in my youth. I'd walk through that door into manifold worlds I had no other way of knowing.

Libraries are transformative. In fact, Farnham Library saved me. Kept me afloat when I was being bullied at South Farnham Middle School in the 1980s. This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't is my homage to it...

House number from 1950’s, Phone numbers from 1960’s, staff numbers and car numbers from 1970’s, hours and minutes of births. Dates of deaths.

Where to send your poetry pamphlet open.substack.com/pub/thefrida...

This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't is for anybody who's had to clear a house, who's found objects that must have had significance for someone no longer here to tell their story....

Giving a guided wine tasting today at Vinac 2026 in Almendralejo...

Giving a guided wine tasting today at Vinac 2026 in Almendralejo...

Explaining the current state of the olive oil market to TVE...

Explaining the current state of the olive oil market to TVE...

Happy ALCS Day to any writers who publish in U.K. printed journals or who've published a book in the UK (i.e. anything with an ISSN or ISBN)! And if you fall into that category of writers but don't know what I mean, google ALCS and sign up for next year's payout. You're missing out on free cash...!

What's it like to return to your home town years after leaving? This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...