This is very powerful. #MentalHealth

dudes rock

An #Otwituary for cricket umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird #dickiebird The light meters are coming out, but something more than light is fading. The bails come off, the nightwatchman shakes your hand, certain in the knowledge that there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever Barnsley.

FFFFS. Heal well, sweet prince

Listen to what @petitecreature1.bsky.social is saying here. Not just the bit about how good @iambapoet.com is for poets looking to bring their words vividly to life, but also to the really important part about auditions being open RIGHT NOW (and for only the next five days). iambapoet.com/audition

Put it on the banned list with shards, gossamer, and petrichor. Immediately.

Fuck, are we all going to have to play House of Jealous Lovers all day tomorrow?

Wonderful that Arsenal have introduced facilities to ensure no-one misses out on Escape to the Country

Someone was trying to take a portrait of their two fave Chickens, and this happened.

Telephone call for unpredictable sand, a post about @gregorykearns.bsky.social's excellent podcasts, an excellent poem by Lewis Buxton, random references to EATB, The Jesus Army and Norfolk's very own The Kipper Family. matriches76.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/t...

Happy birthday mr @ianmcdougall.bsky.social

People of Canterbury and the surrounding area, it would be ace if you were free on 1st Nov at about 2pm for an hour or so to watch some ace poets read…It would be even more lovely if you could buy a ticket in advance…See you there, I hope. canterburyfestival.co.uk/whats-on/the...

My poetry pamphlet Summers Are Other is available for pre-order now from Rack Press: rackpress.blogspot.com?m=1. I also have copies available if you message me. And they're out in the very occasional wild! Official launch in London on 29 October...more info to follow. 🙏

Wake up Babe, a new euphemism for students getting drunk just dropped

A friend's post yesterday has reminded me to pull #MichaelDonaghy's collected off the shelf. So many fine poems. Here's one that grabs me: thelondonmagazine.org/archive-acts...

I'm more Robert Bedford. Oh well.

Upgraded to the new Mac Os this morning. Wow, they've made it look like 1985.

Jon klassen is one of my favourite childrens' books authors/illustrators. There is so much humour and feeling in these simple spreads.

Autumn again. Trees put on their prettiest frocks, then get more naked day by day. Everything now is poetry – and it comes in waves. Leave the chilly air outside. Light a fire, make hot chocolate. Let senses and soul dive beneath @iambapoet.com's newest wave. www.iambapoet.com/wave/23

Congratulations to Barnaby Harsent, Claire Orchard, Eric T Racher, Estelle Price, Helen Laycock, Hilary Sallick, Hilary Watson, Karan Chambers, Kate Caoimhe Arthur, Lysz Flo, Marie Isabel Matthews-Schlinzig, Michael Burton, Piero Toto, Sarah Wallis and Victoria Spires.

Your recommendations for restaurants near Lark Lane/ Smithdown Road in Liverpool please.

Friday! Lunchtime! A distraction from all the shouting (well, most of it at least)! Web Curios! Share, enjoy and at the very least please click on the album with the greatest song titles of the decade so far, hands down: webcurios.co.uk/webcurios-12...

@craigatcof.bsky.social Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but some Cure-spotting. Pictures of You is being used over the opening credits of an ITV show called I Fought The Law.

Spanish man breaks record for fastest backward 100 meters in heels

I see one of the pioneers of the use of Conjoint & Max Diff analysis has passed away…Apparently his ashes were placed in different buckets. www.mrweb.com/drno/news387...

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

Emergency podcasts incoming!

Well worth a read

Free verse. Tough on rhyme. Tough on the causes of rhyme.

**starts mapping out a villanelle that uses the phrase “spunking out the tunes** **gives up immediately**

ah yes the two types of poets

Three weeks today, at Riverhouse Barn in Walton on Thames, delighted to be reading with the wonderful Jill Abrams hosted by excellent poet, singer and tutor Katie Griffiths, plus open mic - do join us! link in comments.

My wife has just turned me down for a writing residency in my own home.

Fans of the Jazzes...Here's an ace couple of hours of jazzes. www.mixcloud.com/WindrushRadi...

Theres.... a new artist meme going around where you describe your style in detail with 3 samples and babes if that doesn't sound like training data i dont know what is

The dream

How/why is the headline not lying cunt lies? Nb I suspect I know the answer to both questions. No need to reply.

Coming this autumn from Rack Press. Poems!

Collecting The Data by Mat Riches

I was there. All the poets that were there went on to write a poem (apart from me). You could pretend you were or watch this and then go and write a poem too.

Friday! Lunchtimeish! Slightly later than usual, back after a few weeks off and REPLETE WITH LINKS! Web Curios! A rare distraction from racism, politics and the general horror! Share, enjoy, click, forget! webcurios.co.uk/webcurios-05...

Seeing as @oddthisday.bsky.social has trailed the 48th anniversary of Voyager 1's launch, I thought I'd share a poem about another attempt to communicate with the world outside ours.

Come Rayner shine Labour can be relied upon to blah, blah...Will this do?

It has to be asked: why has the Times Literary Supplement, in the year 2025, relaunched with an all-white list of star contributors on the cover? Is the UK literary world done with making an effort on representation now? I'm a big TLS fan, but this is a bad start if it's trying to reimagine itself.

Yay - a new season of ‘Schitts Creek’ must be on the way! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Nobody who voted to confirm RFK is fit to hold public office

Robert Smith has the opportunity to do the funniest thing www.stereogum.com/2321710/morr...

Steam-Powered Tennessee Gas-fuelled Ohio

Get it listened to.