Page 1 of the notebook in which my mother recorded every Christmas present she gave, and how much it cost, 1957 to 2003 (she died the next month). The recipients included her hairdresser, the milkman, the postman, the paper boy, the dustbin-men and “Tony’s boy” (toffees, 2s. 6d). She did good.

'Telegraphy' at Burley Fisher Books, on January 15. Lara Pawson (of Spent Light) and I will be there. Come by. 6:30pm 400 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA burleyfisherbooks.com/products/lau... @cbeditions.bsky.social

2016 by Sarah Hesketh was named in the Guardian as a Poetry Book of the Year. Booksellers ordering in from Gardners are told “Publisher out of Stock”. The book's in stock both at the distributor and here, within arm’s reach – order from the CB editions website and I’ll post within 24 hours.

Random re-assembly: a wall with a fresco in a 12th-century monastery in Puglia, Italy, that collapsed after an earthquake; a local street corner, re-laid after roadworks.

On negative book reviews: "a whiff of iconoclasm, of smashing a statue in a church": sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/12/teet...

CB editions December newsletter, as archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/12/cbe-...

Last Sunday I went to a Leicester Square premiere of the new series of Landman which stars Billy Bob Thornton and I've written about why I'm a little obsessed with that man here: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/11/bill...

With a neat new bag for carrying yoga mats and cricket bats CB editions is off tomorrow to the Indie Book Fair at Bath Central Library organised by the wonderful Peirene Press.

Good piece by @john-self.bsky.social on Paul Bailey, who died a year ago, who happened to live down the road and was the best of neighbours, whose last 2 books are published by CB editions: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

10 years today since my poetry collection New Life—a companion to War Reporter—was published by @cbeditions.bsky.social in London (and not long after by @hangingloosepress.bsky.social in Brooklyn) 🙏🏻 Here’s a lovely review in The Rumpus therumpus.net/2016/01/29/n...

CB editions October newsletter, archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/10/cbe-...

My second poetry collection ‘Scarsdale’ is 11 years old today. Still available from @cbeditions.bsky.social in the UK, and Measure Press in the US. www.cbeditions.com/obrien2.html www.amazon.com/Scarsdale-Da...

Separation anxiety: books I’m fond of that might be hard or expensive to replace if I lose them – if I see another copy of the same edition in a charity shop, I often buy it. This is the most recent, bought at the weekend. Some of these duplicates I’ve given away, some I appear to have lost.

The books, yes, but also the shelves - made yesterday from stiff cardboard, they slot together when going up and fold down flat when down. If I designed for IKEA I'd give them a name like Harald.

CB editions newsletter, as archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/09/cbe-...

Many thanks to Nadia Vikulina for her thoughtful and insightful review of Sovetica in the latest issue of Tears in the Fence ed. David Caddy. The book is available here: www.cbeditions.com/clark

Pick'n'mix: CB editions July newsletter archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/07/pick...

Sheila Ramage ran this bookshed for 45 years. “The loveliest person in the trade” – Marius Kociejowski. I’ll be talking about her (5 mins) at 2pm on Saturday, 26 July in this very place, now the Bouda Gallery (W8 4RT), at an event organised by Steven Fowler: london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/p...

From the trailer for Four Letters of Love (whose plot features a poetry competition). Helena Bonham-Carter: “What are you doing?” Brooding man: “I’m writing a love poem.” HB-C: “What is the MATTER with everyone in this house?”

All the CBe covers 2007-2026 on a poster, free to takers of Season Ticket 2 (10 books of your own choice for £75) on the website www.cbeditions.com

Endings, signing off, in novels, are so often tacky. I've written about this, I've argued that 'Everyone lived happily ever after' is metafictional. Here's a good one (Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty):

Serve cool: bookshelves for another hot day

Mended. Since the bones I fractured in my neck in March have now healed, thanks to the NHS, I owed it to this giraffe to put her/him back together.

"Run up the colours" - CB editions newsletter, as archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/05/run-...

All the CB editions covers, 2007 to now, on one A1 poster.

"Umarell": see the Wiki entry: men of retirement age watching roadworks, arms akimbo or hands clasped behind back, offering unwanted advice. Here's me watching a new speed bump being put in in my street.

Short reading 🧵from last night. Book 28 of 2025 Reading: Seesaw by Carmel Doohan, from the redoubtable @cbeditions.bsky.social, where else?

Shock horror, the new pope is a man.

Blog post about THAT new publisher: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-...

Me (with ancient author photo) on style, English puritanism, advice and Invisible Dogs: auraist.substack.com/p/was-updike...

CB editions will have a stall at this fair on Saturday: do come and chat, buy or haggle.

Last call to stream — must “close” April 22! —this reading of my adaptation of The Other Jack by @cbeditions.bsky.social. Directed by James Dacre, performed by Jasmine Blackborow & Nathaniel Parker, and produced by @csvich.bsky.social for the @lorteltheatre.bsky.social 🙏🏻 lortel.org/the-other-ja...

Just a week (well, six days) left to stream this reading of The Other Jack via the @lorteltheatre.bsky.social — directed by James Dacre & produced by @csvich.bsky.social, starring Jasmine Blackborow & Nathaniel Parker, and based on the book by @cbeditions.bsky.social 🙏🏻 lortel.org/the-other-ja...

Just 6 days left to stream for free a reading on Vimeo of @bydanobrien.bsky.social's stage adaptation of these books: register here: lortel.org/the-other-ja...

Screenshot from a reading of the stage adaptation by Dan O'Brien of The Other Jack, based on the book by myself (CBe, 2021). The reading can be streamed free on Vimeo until 22 April – you’ll need to register with the Lortel Theatre (lortel.org/the-other-ja...), who will send a link.

My #Booksky #Booktube lates video, reviewing 4 novels, 4 poetry collections & a hybrid work. Authors include Robert Perisic, Bolano, Vincent Delecroix, @cbeditions.bsky.social Natalie Diaz, Fredericke Mayröcker, Nick Laird www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7e5...

Bears can be grumpy when they've just woken up. New CB editions newsletter, archived on the Sonofabook blog: sonofabook.blogspot.com/2025/04/news...

"Showing off? Remember your age": Goya's title to this drawing of me tumbling down the kitchen stairs last Friday. Back from hospital today. Normal service (posting, emails, etc) will resume gradually.

RSVP link for the free online reading April 8-22 of my adaptation of ‘The Other Jack’ by @cbeditions.bsky.social is now live via the @lorteltheatre.bsky.social — w/ actors Jasmine Blackborow & Nathaniel Parker, directed by James Dacre, and produced by @csvich.bsky.social 🙏🏻 lortel.org/the-other-ja...

Five months later, to my great surprise, I had written this (L), very much modelled on this (R). Spring Journal was published by @cbeditions.bsky.social in December of the same year, nine months from first tweet to bookshelves.

Delivery today of CBe books to the only bookshop in Shepherds Bush (the Waterstones in Westfield doesn't count): stall 64, Shepherds Bush market. Alongside the fabrics, kitchenware and the fish: I want to belong here. Guy in the pic has a great quote from Kleinzahler on his book. Local produce.

'She was recently commissioned to write two poems – one on grief, one on lust. “I found it very easy to write the erotic one. I’m having more trouble with the grief.” '

This is Ruth Fainlight, 93, in the FT today, in a piece that discusses how hard for a woman to be in the shadow. Under a headline that says that is her place. Damn them. www.ft.com/content/9286...

A decade ago Wiki renamed me as a road in the Midlands and gave me a new pseudonym. They did get my birth year right; my current entry has me 4 years younger.

This essay proved as immersive, beautifully written & quietly incisive as Charles Boyle's recent novel, Invisible Dogs. Once AI has been laid in on top of the situation he describes so well--& in which we've all been trapped since the early 1980s--who knows.

A really excellent essay - ‘Big Dogs Eat Little Dogs’ - on independent publishing in the UK from @cbeditions.bsky.social An essential primer if you’re at all involved with the book trade.

More dogs. Invisible Dogs (CB editions) is on the shortlist for the RoC Prize: readings & chat at the Deptford Lounge, SE8 4RH, tomorrow, free, come. A pdf of this piece I wrote last year on independent publishing can now be downloaded from the CBe website: www.cbeditions.com/about.html

Please join us in Deptford on Thursday for readings of this years Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. Support literary events outside city centres. @bullaunpress.bsky.social @cbeditions.bsky.social @lesfugitivespress.bsky.social @dividedpublishing

Next Thursday, 13 March: 9 Giffin Street, SE8 4RH. Free.