-
‘Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor’: a poem by Elena Croitoru
Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor It was the way he touched his mother’s neckthat first gave him the idea. Her vocal cordstrembled under his yet-delicate fingers,& he thought of that […]
-
A Hobby of Existence: on Dastidar, Sastry, Vince, & Winn
Kevin Gardner According to the randomness of the laws of the universe, or at least of the postal service, I will occasionally receive by mail, in quick succession, review copies […]
-
Two poems by Jay Caldwell
Deceit I talk to you now more than I ever did;long chats about zen, or work, or musicwhile I walk the dog around Torside.Pausing we watch a deceit of lapwings,newly […]
-
Two poems by Nicholas Murray
Ash Wednesday The smudge of ashfrom a priest’s thumbmarked us. As we stepped awayfrom the altar steps,the forty days to come a test of our selected abstinence,giving up sweet thingsfor […]
-
Two poems from ‘Compass Light’ by Hilary Davies
Below are two poems from Compass Light, the new collection from Hilary Davies, recently published by Renard Press. River People Some of them – have you noticed? – hardly […]
-
‘Audition’: a poem by Sheila E. Murphy
Audition I got my booster shot. The roostertrots out into the yard and throats a shout.Some huge truck beep-whines its lorry line of code.I’m about to compose an odefrom bedfast […]
-
Two poems from ‘Landline’ by William Wootten
Below are two poems from William Wootten’s new collection, Landline, forthcoming from Worple Press this October. Landline is Wootten’s first full-length collection in almost a decade, since You Have a […]
-
An extract from ‘A High Calling’ by John Greening
Below are two extracts from A High Calling (or Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?) by John Greening, recently published by Renard Press. Sharing what Greening has learnt during […]
-
Six poems from ‘Scavenger’ by Lisa Kelly
Lisa writes: The Scavenger project relies on the acrostic form to record my regular walks around the Darlands Nature Reserve near where I live in north London. The garden centre […]
-
Losing ‘a sense sublime’: anosmia and poetry
William Wordsworth at 28, by William Shuter Nicola Healey Smell is arguably the poet’s sense, and the most poetic sense: it is the most mysterious, least understood sense; scent triggers […]
-
‘Not before time’: a poem by Paul Stephenson
Not before time will I climb the hillup to the Acropolis then climb down again to sit about at a bar in Psyrilistening to jazz and sipping […]
-
‘For Takamura Kotaro’: a poem by Frederick Pollack
For Takamura Kotaro When the Bombs fall, and you listento the Emperor’s speech(almost opaquely formal,about “bearing the unbearable”),you think again of Chieko –now seven years dead –and certain phrases(perhaps from […]
-
A poem from ‘Peckinpah Suite’ by Paul Munden
In 1977 Sam Peckinpah, the writer and director, bought a plot of land in a remote part of Montana and had a cabin constructed. It was more a dream than […]
-
‘Window’: a poem by Tim Cumming
Window Her hand reaches through a slim shaft ofmorning sunlight falling across a goldsmith’swindow on the corner of a 1930s blockin the centre of town eighteen monthsinto the war, double […]
-
Two poems by Kenneth Pobo
Meeting Olivia de Havilland On a perfect summer morning,Aunt Olive died. Age 96.She said her happiest daywas meeting Olivia de Havillandin 1964, “a peach.” Not her wedding to Uncle Sal,the […]
-
Cosmo Davenport-Hines Prize 2025 winner: Theo Grange
Theo Grange Study: BA English with Film, Faculty of Arts & Humanities flowers and tealights white dust sheet and a movingvan suddenly takes me from wherei called home. front step […]
-
Cosmo Davenport-Hines Prize 2025 runner up: Rongshan Sha
Rongshan Sha BA Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy Waterloo Communion My suitcase still breathes of Hangzhou tea leaves,whispers of home steeped in Confucian ghosts,now resting beneath […]
-
Cosmo Davenport-Hines Prize 2025 runner up: Zaynab Richardson
Zaynab Richardson BSc Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine tokari banane wala We’re held, guarded, by the bruised arms of the founding pillars –of the bloodline.Surrounded by […]
-
Two poems by Christine Knight
Piano tuner Your hands were the lastto stroke the dustfrom my yellowing keys,to lift my inlaid panels withlong-fingered practised ease.In dreams I feel your palms slide downmy scarred and creaking […]
-
‘One of the best Scottish poets of his generation’? – On Gerald Mangan
Matthew Stewart How many individuals really do manage to produce outstanding work in more than one medium of the arts? Very, very few is the inevitable answer – but Gerald […]
-
Two poems by Oliver Comins
Events and sudden absences Being inhabitants of older vintage,we pass on by, for the most part,and rarely meet. Any conversationis likely to be short, could be the firstfor years […]
-
Two poems by William Thompson
Saying Our Goodbyes The ward sister points us to your single room.It seems that you’re asleep as we come in but when Dad leans across and says your nameyour eyes […]
-
‘Arrival Before the Rose Dream Ends’: a poem by Yucheng Tao
Arrival Before the Rose Dream Ends He says he’ll arrive in Portland tomorrow.It’s his turn to pay—In the silence before the restaurant opens,he arrives early. A self-serve hot pot,steam rising […]
-
Two poems by Mat Riches
TFI Friday…Oh, it’s Tuesday FYI, it’s day three of a one day pow wow,via an all-hands to the pump conference call,with space and sufficient time built in as standardfor conflabs […]
-
Four poems by Sascha Akhtar
For the fifth event in the Wild Court Reading Series, we are delighted to welcome acclaimed poet Sascha A. Akhtar. Sascha is the author of seven metaphysical poetry collections, a […]
-
‘Flute Lesson’: a poem by Nicola Healey
Flute Lesson Played with real feeling,my examiner wrote. I envied cellists and pianists –they didn’t require one breath to flowfrom their lungs, up tremulous throat, to mouth,through neatly-aligned embouchure to […]
-
‘Unfulfilled Playlist’: a poem by Matt Gilbert
Unfulfilled Playlist Inside the algorithm,no ratty-looking bloke hogs the ‘just-in’ section.Index finger flicking past clear plastic-coatedLPs, one album at a time. Animated mouthexpressing experienced appraisal of eachand every record he […]
-
‘The Mountain’: a poem by Tess Jolly
The Mountain The mountain is a hostage-taker.By the time you reach the summit it may already be too late.When the path forks follow the stones and the moss,but listen to […]
-
From the shires: on Greening, Richardson, Branfoot, Self, & Nevett
Kevin Gardner Contemplating the literary significance of Huntingdonshire, that county that no longer exists outside memory and imagination, John Greening was reminded of all the poets who left their mark, […]



























