Poems by Hilary Elder

Hilary (she/her) was born, raised and lives in the Far North of England – though she has been to other places. She writes fiction and poetry for children and adults, runs workshops and does collaborative projects.

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Poems by Rob Walton

Rob Walton is a working class writer from Scunthorpe, who now lives in Whitley Bay.  His poems, flash fictions and short stories for adults and children have appeared in various anthologies and magazines in the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. 

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Poems by Jane Thorp

Jane Thorp has had many poems published in magazines. She won the Yeovil Literary Prize for Poetry in 2023. She was shortlisted in The Plough Poetry Prize 2013, children’s category, and has been commended and shortlisted in other poetry prizes.

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Angry by Bob Johnston

Lord Serriorth’s name originated on an island far to the west. It related to anger, and he embraced that without even knowing the fact. He was simply a furious person, from the moment he woke in the morning, until the last moment he fell into bed, huffing, puffing and enraged about something or other.

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Poems by Carson Wolfe

Carson Wolfe (they/she) is a Mancunian poet and winner of New Writing North’s Debut Poetry Prize (2023). Their work has appeared or is forthcoming with Rattle, The Rumpus, The North, New Welsh Review, and Evergreen Review.

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THUD! – Review

Sometimes you want one of those fancy restaurants where they serve you a dollop of something with a smear of something else on the side. Something that pushes boundaries, explores things, takes bold and provocative risks

And sometimes you just want a burger.

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An Introduction to the Tenth Edition

That’s “Editions old”, not “Years old”, by the way, but still, it’s a significant milestone and one we’re delighted to be celebrating. Ten has such a lovely ring to it, someone ought to put an album out just called Ten. It’s a pearl of a name, very catchy for some musical jams.

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Steve Ely – Fly Dream of a Casino Soul

Steve Ely’s most recent publications are Lectio Violant, The European Eel and Lives of British Shrews. A book-length poem, Eely, is imminently forthcoming from Longbarrow Press. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Huddersfield where he is also Director of the Ted Hughes Network

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Poems by Di Slaney

Di Slaney lives in Nottinghamshire where she runs livestock sanctuary Manor Farm Charitable Trust and independent publisher Candlestick Press. She was the winner of The Plough Poetry Prize 2022 and Slipstream Open Poetry Competition 2023.

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Poems by Debi Knight

Debi Knight is a Neuro-diverse poet and short story writer based in West Yorkshire who considers herself a lifelong student. She writes the life she sees and feels around her – exploring connections between humans, nature and the effects of modern life on all.

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Poems by Rosie Garland

Rosie Garland is a writer and singer with post-punk band The March Violets, Rosie Garland has a passion for language nurtured by public libraries. Her poetry collection ‘What Girls do the Dark’ (Nine Arches Press) was shortlisted for the Polari Prize.

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Poems by Sarah Ziman

Sarah Ziman is a poet from Wales who likes cats, crisps, cake, reading and rhyme. She dislikes writing bios. She won the YorkMix Poems for Children Prize 2021, and has poems in The Caterpillar, The School Magazine, The Toy, PaperBound, Paper Lanterns, Tyger Tyger, Little Thoughts Press, The Dirigible Balloon, Cricket, and anthologies by Macmillan and Pomelo Books.

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Poems by Sam Szanto

Sam Szanto lives in Durham. Her collaborative pamphlet, ‘Splashing Pink’ was recently published by Hedgehog Press and is a Poetry Book Society Winter 2023 Pamphlet Choice. Her pamphlet ‘This Was Your Mother’ was one of the winners of the 2023 Dreich Slims Contest and will be published in 2024.

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Poems by Leigh Manley

Leigh Manley is a new poet from Wales. He likes watching rugby, drinking cups of tea, acting silly, and making up fun words and sentences! He is currently part of Literature Wales’ ‘Representing Wales’ writers’ development programme for 2023/24 and he’s had work published with The Dirigible Balloon. He is working on his first poetry collection for curious children and the young at heart.

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Poems by Michael Conley

Michael Conley is a poet and prose writer from Manchester, UK. His latest collection is a pamphlet published by Nine Pens, called “These Are Not My Dreams And Anyway Nothing Here Is Purple”. He was the recipient of the 2022 Peggy Poole Prize.

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Poems by Eibhlís Carcione

Eibhlís Carcione is a bilingual poet and children’s author from Cork, Ireland. Her three poetry collections in Irish, Tonn Chlíodhna (2015), Eala Oíche (2019), and Bean Róin (2023), are published by Coiscéim. She has won numerous awards for her poetry.

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Beans on Bread

We partnered with Damien John Kelly House, managed by Vitality Homes. Damian John Kelly House is an abstinence-based recovery living centre, for adult males based in Liverpool. Their aim is to provide recovery from addiction via arts, sport and culture, with the belief that they will lead to purpose, belonging and connection.

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Poems by Yanita Georgieva

Yanita Georgieva is a Bulgarian poet and journalist living in London. She is a recipient of theOut-Spoken Prize for Poetry and a member of the Southbank New Poets Collective. You can find her work in The London Magazine, Poetry Wales, bath magg, and elsewhere.

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Trying, in French. by Beth Hunt

Sylvie said, if you want to make a baby, you have to break some eggs. It never became entirely apparent what she meant by that, but, in the manner of people desperate for a solution to an unsolvable problem, we returned to her time and again nonetheless.

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Que Será Será by Kathy Hoyle

As I push open the high wooden gate, blue paint peels off into me palm. I let the flecks fall to the ground and go into the back yard. Mrs Walker’s old tabby prowls along the wall overlooking the alley. She flops down and gives me a filthy look before closing her yellow eyes for a nap.

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Poems by Peter Pegnall

Peter has published eight collections of poetry and one book of translations. He has a new collection arriving in September. Peter has written obituaries for The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, and blogged for both. He has written reviews for The Independent and The Catholic Herald and many more for literary magazines.

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Poems by Carole Bromley

Carole Bromley lives in York. Winner of 2022 Caterpillar Prize, she also has poems in Tyger, Tyger, Paper Lanterns, The Toy, Little Thoughts Press, Paperbound, The Dirigible Balloon, in anthologies from MacMillan, Emma Press and Nosy Crow as well as in her Smith/Doorstop collection for children, Blast Off!

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Poems by Susie Wilson

Susie is an autistic Scottish poet, living in Sheffield. She has been published widely in anthologies (including for Winchester, Gloucester and Shepton Mallet’s Competitions), commended by Fresher and Poets & Players, longlisted in The Rialto Nature Competition, appearing also recently in Envoi, Monofiction and Black Bough.

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