For this week's #LiftToTheSky via @thebrokenspine.co.uk my appreciation goes to @johnchmura.bsky.social for recognising that all language can be appropriate for poetry and for his independence in expressing opinions.

Poets lift each other up. That’s what this community is about. We’re running workshops, giving our time for free, and investing our own money—but we still need donations to reach £5,000. Let’s do this together. 🔗

#Submissions are now open for #Verdigris: #PoetryOfDecay. If #LiftToTheSky is about rising, Verdigris is about falling — splendour unravelled, glamour undone. Open all September:

#NotJustPretty — we don’t platform women to show them. We publish them to hear them. Poetry. Art. Defiance. Read it: thebrokenspine.co.uk...#NotJustPretty @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @jenwithwords.bsky.social @petitecreature1.bsky.social

If you know, you know: Rianne Downey’s voice hurts in all the best ways. She’s bringing her angelic grit to Jacaranda, Liverpool this October. Stripped-back. Up close. No filters. This one’s special. 🍷 🔗 thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/09/21/r...

⚠️Madchester is rising again⚠️ Happy Mondays bring their Pills ‘n’ Thrills mass to Liverpool this March & it’s looking like a full-blown reunion for the freaky faithful. We saw 'em support Oasis at Wembley back in 2000. Now it’s Liverpool’s turn. 🔗 thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/09/21/h...

🚨KATY PERRY GAYS, ASSEMBLE🚨 She’s bringing The Lifetimes Tour to the UK and it’s already giving legacy, glitter, and gay rights. We’re talking Roar, Teenage Dream, Firework—the full pop religion. 🧡💙💚💛💜 🔗 thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/09/21/k...

That time we were lucky enough to interview one of the best in the world! He read, by this point just me, a poem at the end of the interview and allowed me to share it. I give you, the great Jericho Brown! youtu.be/BqPFCulC3xc?...

Get a grip, Parry!

Another sound piece from Paul. Much thanks!

Always tell me about your new poetry, Photo or short story book. I will always buy it.

Thank you for showing up Friday—your words hold weight. This week’s theme: #PoemsAbout #NeverAgain Memory as protest. Poetry as a promise. Post this Friday. Tag your work + tag us: @alanparry83.bsky.social @brokenspinearts.bsky.social Read. Repost. Reply. Prompts: shorturl.at/oEXAM

Saturday reading from @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social ‘This Wilderness & Other Concerns’ new from @thebrokenspine.co.uk. An urban exploration of time and place

🕯️ Trilogy Wife Widow Witch — the debut from @katiejenkinspoet.bsky.social. “Once you hear it, it can’t be unheard.” (Deathwatch) Out this Halloween. #Trilogy #ComingSoon #WifeWidowWitch #PoetryCommunity

Bought it? Loved it? Say so. Tag us. Share your favourite line. Let’s show the world why poetry still matters. @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...

And on Mondays we have #LiftToTheSky and on Wednesdays we have #WednesdayWIPs - pick a day of the week, we might well come for it! 😂

🎧 Grew up on pop, survived on subtext? This book is your biography—just with better taste in icons. 👉 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/... 👤 @dukestking.bsky.social

🎤 “Representation matters” isn’t a slogan—it’s a demand. OutSkirts doesn’t just represent—it radiates. Buy it, read it, gift it. 📘 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/...

Visibility that makes a difference: For £3/month, promote your open calls, workshops, and competitions—while supporting our £5000 #BrokenSpineAward Fundraiser.

#NotJustPretty — we don’t platform women to show them. We publish them to hear them. Poetry. Art. Defiance. Read it: thebrokenspine.co.uk...#NotJustPretty @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @jenwithwords.bsky.social @petitecreature1.bsky.social

Your #PoemsAbout on chandeliers, glamour, or wax tears and beyond may already be perfect for #Verdigris: #PoetryOfDecay. Submit throughout September:

You’ve built an incredible community of poets—one that constantly gives to each other. Now, we’re asking you to help us give back in the biggest way possible. A fee-free poetry award with real cash prizes. Help us hit £5,000. 🔗

Today is #PoemsAbout #SilentPlanets Drop your poem. Tag it. Tag us. @alanparry83.bsky.social @brokenspinearts.bsky.social Then Read. Repost. Reply to 3+ poets. Even silence carries sound, if you know how to listen.

We’re halfway through the #submissions window for #Verdigris: #PoetryOfDecay. Opulence cracking. Glamour rotting. Decay made luminous. Send your poems by Sept 30:

This one’s for trans women, queer women, fat women, ageing women, ND women. All of you. #NotJustPretty is YOUR mic. 🗓 Oct 4 | 8pm GMT thebrokenspine.co.uk...#NotJustPretty@karenpgonzalez.bsky.social #PoemsAbout

Big thanks to everyone who shared a WIP yesterday. First lines. Draft doubts. Wild sparks. We saw it all. #WednesdayWIPs is back next week. Same time. Same tag. Keep writing. Keep showing up. #PoemsAbout #PoetsOfBluesky #BlueskyWriters #AmWriting

Tomorrow’s your drop for #PoemsAbout #SilentPlanets Write the void. Write the orbit. Write the unspoken. Tag your poem + tag us: @alanparry83.bsky.social @brokenspinearts.bsky.social Read. Repost. Reply. Saturday’s prompts will keep you writing: shorturl.at/oEXAM

Working on two entirely different planes at once. Two poems here for oh man and another two for working title, jerks. #WednesdayWIPs

Got a #WednesdayWIPs draft on chandeliers, glamour, wax tears or anything else related to the roaring twenties or jazz age? This is the month to polish and send it to #Verdigris: #PoetryOfDecay. We’re open all September:

It’s Wednesday. Got a WIP? Doesn’t matter if it’s raw or rolling. If it’s yours, it belongs. Drop a line. Share a note. Let us know where you’re at. #WednesdayWIPs #PoetsOfBluesky #BlueskyWriters #PoemsAbout

Missed #LiftToTheSky yesterday due to life stuff, sneaking one in now: Sylvia Plath's Zoo-Keeper's Wife. Grotesque and beautiful. What an opening! I can stay awake all night, if need be - Cold as an eel, without eyelids. @thebrokenspine.co.uk @alanparrywriter.co.uk allpoetry.com/Zoo-Keeper%2...

"We are withered grass winnowed on the wind." Not here to comfort. Here to confront. @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...

#NotJustPretty — we don’t platform women to show them. We publish them to hear them. Poetry. Art. Defiance. Read it: thebrokenspine.co.uk...#NotJustPretty @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @jenwithwords.bsky.social @petitecreature1.bsky.social

Writers of poetry, prose and everything in between—tomorrow’s your day. #WednesdayWIPs is back. Share your scraps, sparks, doubts, and drafts. One line. One photo. One step forward. #PoemsAbout #PoetsOfBluesky #BlueskyWriters #AmWriting

Aesthetic won’t save you. Only impact counts. #SpineEdicts #PoetsWhoBleed #NoMoreVibes

Working on #PoemsAbout #SilentPlanets? Let the emptiness echo. Let the distance speak. Post this Friday. Tag your poem + tag us: @alanparry83.bsky.social @brokenspinearts.bsky.social Read. Repost. Reply. Not all silence is empty. Prompts: shorturl.at/oEXAM

Today’s post arrived at the speed of light⚡️ ‘This Wilderness & Other Concerns’ @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social published @thebrokenspine.co.uk💫

Giving a #lifttothesky to @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social for all the support she provides other poets, opportunities she gives other poets and for the launch of the new initiative from @thebrokenspine.co.uk - also I’m honoured I was asked to read at an event showcasing @alanparrywriter.co.uk 🙌

That’s a wrap. #IndieLitMagGala2025 nominations are now closed. Thank you to everyone who lifted a press, shouted out a journal, or helped us catch brilliance we might’ve missed. We’ve got some features to write. 💥

Exciting! It was a joy to read so much excellent work. Thank you to everyone who submitted! 🙏🙏🙏

#Submissions are now open for #Verdigris: #PoetryOfDecay. If #LiftToTheSky is about rising, Verdigris is about falling — splendour unravelled, glamour undone. Open all September:

No pastel branding. No cleavage promo. Just power on the mic. #NotJustPretty 🗓 Oct 4 | 20:00 GMT thebrokenspine.co.uk...#NotJustPretty@karenpgonzalez.bsky.social #LiftToTheSky

We are absolutely desperate for support. We’re throwing our own funds into this, giving up our time for free, and running workshops to raise money. But without £5,000, this award won’t happen. If you can give, please do. 🔗

Indie lit doesn’t need saving. It needs structure. #PIL is that structure. Submit your book today. #PromoteIndieLit #PoetsOfBlueSky 🔗

A great initiative.

Very honored to be an upcoming part of the featured artist line up for a new @thebrokenspine.co.uk series #NotJustPretty led by the wonderful @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social. Stay tuned for more updates and events soon!

This is an amazing project by @thebrokenspine.co.uk @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social and I am excites to be a part of it. Women's voices - loud and proud. Come along in and hear us.

I’m proud of how political @thebrokenspine.co.uk is. We don’t just “represent” — we think about it. Everyone publishes women. But how do they platform them? @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social made #NotJustPretty her own. This won’t be mainstream. Who fucking cares? It matters too much to sanitise.

#NotJustPretty — we don’t platform women to show them. We publish them to hear them. Poetry. Art. Defiance. Read it: thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/09/14/notjustpretty-womens-voices-womens-power/ @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @jenwithwords.bsky.social @petitecreature1.bsky.social

All responses to submissions for #SelectedPoetry #Autumn2025 have now been sent out. The work will be published as a free downloadable PDF on The Broken Spine website in the coming weeks. Huge thanks to our Co-Poetry Editors — @katiejenkinspoet.bsky.social & @vespertine4.bsky.social