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 enjoys annoying her own children by forcing them on nature walks or ‘dragging them into antique shops’. ‘Why did my Brain make me say it?’, her debut collection for children, is coming very soon.

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Poems by Tim Relf

Tim Relf’s work has appeared in such titles as The London Magazine, The Rialto, Under the Radar, The Interpreter’s House, Banshee, Acumen, Bad Lilies, Stand, The Spectator and The Friday Poem.

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Poems by Vicky Gatehouse

Vicky Gatehouse is a zoologist, poet, volunteer tree-planter and children’s writer based in West Yorkshire. Her children’s poems have featured in Tyger Tyger, Dirigible Balloon, The Toy and Pan Macmillan anthologies. Vicky also writes picture books and was recently shortlisted for the Searchlight Awards and runner up for the Write Mentor Picture Book Prize.

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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 Laura Theis

Laura Theis’ work appears in  Poetry, Oxford Poetry, The Caterpillar, Magma, Rattle, Tyger Tyger, Aesthetica, iamb, etc. Her Elgin-Award-nominated debut how to extricate yourself (2020), an Oxford Poetry Library Book-of-the-Month, won the Brian Dempsey Memorial Prize. A Spotter’s Guide To Invisible Things (2023) received the Live […]

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Poems by Jane Burn

Jane Burn is an award-winning poet, artist, poet and hybrid writer. She is a working-class person with autism. Her work is widely published and anthologised. Her current collection, The Apothecary of Flight, is published by Nine Arches. 

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House Anthems by Ralph Dartford

The final collection in Ralph Dartford’s ‘Recovery Trilogy’ sees the poet meditating on the tragic death of his beloved brother, Joseph, and how he lived in the mythical house of England: a nation of waving flags seen through soft focus sunlight.

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Poems by Penny Sharman

Penny Sharman started writing poetry in her fifties. She is inspired by wild landscapes and relationships between the seen and unseen. She is a published poet, photographer, artist and therapist. Penny has an MA in Creative Writing from Edge Hill University, has had poems published in The North, Mslexia, Candlestick Press and many others.

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Poems by Andrea Holland

Andrea Holland has two collections of poetry, ‘Broadcasting’, which won the Norfolk Commission for Poetry and ‘Borrowed’ (Smith/Doorstop) a first-stage winner in The Poetry Business contest. Individual poems appear in journals and anthologies.

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Poems by Wendy Dossett

Wendy Dossett lives in rural Eryri. She’s fascinated by the experiences classified in some forms of Buddhism as craving, desire and aversion. She’s drawn to earth-bound and narrative sources of healing and hope that fully acknowledge the realities of suffering and inadequacy.

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Poems by Arlette Manasseh

Arlette Manasseh likes films, novels, poetry and chocolate. Some of her favourite reads are middle grade verse novels. These poems are taken from a verse novel she is writing about a thirteen year old girl called Breeze who lives in a small coastal town, where bullying has become a big problem.

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Poems by Matt Gilbert

Matt Gilbert is a freelance copywriter. Originally from Bristol, he currently gets his fill of urban hills in South East London. He has had poems published by Acumen, Atrium, Finished Creatures and The Storms among others. He also writes a blog about place, books, poetry and other distractions at richlyevocative.net.

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Poems by Hannah Stone

Hannah Stone lives in Leeds, where she is involved in various community poetry events, including as convenor of the poet-composers forum for Leeds Lieder, compere of the monthly Wordspace open mic in Horsforth and free lance work as poet-theologian for Leeds Church Institute as well as events at East Leeds Community FM Radio.

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Poems by Sinéad Callanan

Sinéad Callanan is a teacher and poet from Limerick, Ireland. She is currently completing a Masters in Children’s Literature and Media. Her work has appeared in PaperBound Magazine, Little Thoughts Press and Paper Lanterns. Even more of her work has gone into making her friends, family and young pupils laugh.

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Poems by Steve Denehen

Steve Denehan lives in Kildare, Ireland with his wife Eimear and daughter Robin. He is the author of two chapbooks and five poetry collections. Winner of the Anthony Cronin Poetry Award and twice winner of Irish Times’ New Irish Writing, his numerous publication credits include Poetry Ireland Review and Westerly.

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Poems by Mark Bird

Mark Bird is a children’s poet and teacher. He was born in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire and now lives in London. Mark’s debut picture book, ‘Halloween Date From Hell’ came out in October 2022. Mark has featured in The Caterpillar, Gill Education’s ‘Over The Moon’ series, Brian Moses’ ‘The Best Ever Book of Funny Poems’ anthology and many magazines.

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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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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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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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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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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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Poems by David Willis

David has many voices and personalities; all of these are influenced by his dissociative identity disorder. He can assimilate voices and accents, even languages quickly. His alterscan influence the subjects chosen by them to write about.

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Poems by Charlie Bown

Charlie Bown is a children’s poet and author. She has two children’s anthologies published through Magic Daisy Publishing and two of her poems appear in the Chasing Clouds anthology from The Dirigible Balloon. Her debut children’s chapter book is due to be published by Ventorros Press in 2023.

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Poems by Susan Darlington

Susan Darlington’s poetry regularly explores the female experience through nature-based symbolism and stories of transformation. . It has been published in Dreich, Dream Catcher, One Hand Clapping, Hedgehog Press, and Ink Sweat & Tears.

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Poems by Reshma Ruia

Reshma Ruia is the author of two novels, Something Black in the Lentil Soup and Still Lives as well as a short story collection, Mrs Pinto Drives to Happiness. Her poetry collection, A Dinner Party in the Home Counties, was awarded the 2019 Word Masala Award.

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Poems by Eleanor Brown

Eleanor loved writing poetry as a child and now enjoys writing poems for others to enjoy. She is a doctor by day, working to help children with developmental difficulties. Eleanor has had poems published by The Dirigible Balloon and Tyger Tyger Magazine.

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Poems by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

Gayathiri is a Tamil poet and Sex Education facilitator. They are interested in how language shapes childhood and how we use it to queer the future. Gayathiri won the Faber & Andlyn Publisher’s Prize 2022, the Primadonna Fiction Prize 2021 and they were shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize 2022.

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