The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)

@thebrokenspine

Independent poetry press + cultural review platform. We publish narrative-led work with edge. #PoemsAbout #LiftToTheSky #WednesdayWIPs #PromoteIndieLit Edited by @alanparrywriter.co.uk www.thebrokenspine.co.uk

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The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· 16d

Today we show up for each other. That’s what #LiftToTheSky is for.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· 16d

Last week's poets brought it. This week: #PoemsAbout #LastTrain. Last chances. Missed chances. Departures you can never take back. Theme opens Friday. Use Alt Text.

Rainy train platform at night with a stationary train and two figures walking away under station lights. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #LastTrain”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· 18d

#PoemsAbout #BadHabits is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, working-class grit, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Black-and-white photograph of a person standing by a window, exhaling vapour while looking into the distance. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #BadHabits”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· 19d

A new Broken Spine workshop is in development. The Poetry of Cultural Debris will explore how mixtapes, cinema tickets, obsolete technology, childhood toys, half-remembered sitcoms & other pop-cultural remnants can become poems of memory, identity & private mythology. More soon.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· 25d

#PoemsAbout #ExitWounds is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Dark interior facing glass exit doors, with bare trees visible outside and a glowing EXIT sign above. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #ExitWounds”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Jul 10

#PoemsAbout #PowerCut is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Wooden utility pole and tangled overhead wires set against a bright blue sky. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #PowerCut”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Jul 3

#PoemsAbout #CheapMotels is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, working-class grit, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Dimly lit motel room with two single beds separated by a small table and twin lamps casting warm light. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #CheapMotels”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Jun 26

#PoemsAbout #TheLook is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, queer voices, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Soft-focus portrait of a person wearing a pearl necklace, with rainbow-coloured glitter streaked across one side of their face. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #TheLook”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Jun 19

#PoemsAbout #OutAfterMidnight is live. Post through Thursday. We favour image-driven poems, emotional honesty, queer voices, working-class grit, sharp endings, and work that avoids cliché. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Two drag performers pose on a neon-lit city street at night, one standing and one crouching, surrounded by nightlife signage. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #OutAfterMidnight”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Jun 12

#PoemsAbout #WrongBody is live. Post through Thursday. We favour vivid imagery, queer voices, emotional honesty, sharp endings, and poems that avoid cliché. Read 3+, repost, reply. Use Alt Text.

Person viewed from behind in a red-and-black striped top, arms wrapped tightly around their chest as if embracing themselves. Overlay text reads: “#PoemsAbout #WrongBody”.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· May 29

#PoemsAbout #EarnTheRight is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· May 22

#PoemsAbout #BearingWitness is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· May 15

#PoemsAbout #WhatRemains is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· May 8

#PoemsAbout #NamesNotNumbers is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· May 1

#PoemsAbout #AfterTheSirens is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 26

Thank you to everyone who joined the return of our #PoemsAbout #OpenMic, an evening shaped by generous, thoughtful, and striking work. So many talented international voices, and brilliant to welcome new faces into the fold. A reminder of what community can be.

Screenshot of a Zoom open mic titled “The Return of #PoemsAbout.” A grid of diverse participants appears on screen, each in their own home setting—bookshelves, living rooms, and study spaces visible. Names include David Birch, Caitlin Bonser-Shade, Paul Rapley, Merril Smith, and others. The host, labelled “The Broken Spine,” is highlighted. A live chat panel on the right shows attendees greeting one another and expressing appreciation for the event.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 24

#PoemsAbout #SignalLoss is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 17

#PoemsAbout #Gravity is live. Post from today through Thursday. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 12

Major announcement: #Wave3 of #TheWhiskeyTree is complete. Built on the work of #Wave1 + #Wave2 — writers like @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @markantonyowen.com @eatthestorms.com et al — who laid the foundations and built this project into what it is. This is the final wave. #TheWhiskeyTree #Wave3

A vintage typewriter with “News” typed on the page, signalling a major announcement and the release of a new wave of poets.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 10

#PoemsAbout #EdgeOfKnowing is live. Post from today through Thursday. Tag your post. Use Alt Text. #TakeRisks #EndOnAnImage #AvoidCliché. Engage—don’t ghost. Read 3+, repost, reply.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 4

#PoemsAbout #OpenMic returns this month. Bring work or stay quiet.

Bold, distressed red text reading “Bring work or stay quiet.” on a gritty black textured background, with the word “or” in white between the phrases. A worn microphone appears on the right side. Smaller white text below reads “#PoemsAbout #OpenMic.”

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 4

#PoemsAbout returns. Not revived. Not rebranded. Continued. A space built for work that holds its ground — not posts that drift past and disappear. No soft framing. Just the poem, and what it’s willing to risk. Friday, April 10. Show up with something that matters. #PoemsAbout

Bold, gritty black-and-white Instagram graphic with a distressed, textured background. Large white headline reads “#PoemsAbout returns.” with key lines of text beneath outlining the return on Friday April 10th. Phrases like “Built with intent, and it holds” and “This isn’t aesthetic. It’s practice.” are emphasised in larger, heavier type, with “Same rules. Sharper lines.” highlighted in red. The overall design is raw, punchy, and confrontational, with a worn, industrial aesthetic.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 3

Our prize matters as much as any other poetry prize. Which is to say: it doesn’t. But it was built honestly and together — and that’s enough. #TheBrokenSpineAward #ByPoetsForPoets #PoemsAbout #LiftToTheSky

Black-and-white graphic of a vintage typewriter seen from above. Torn paper strips sit in the typewriter reading “£1200 RAISED” and “WIN CASH” in bold lettering. Below, the hashtags “#TheBrokenSpineAward” and “#ByPoetsForPoets” are printed. The overall style is gritty, high-contrast, and zine-like.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Apr 1

This prize exists because we decided to make it — and you decided to help. That’s the only legitimacy we care about. Everything else is theatre. #TheBrokenSpineAward #ByPoetsForPoets #PoemsAbout #LiftToTheSky

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Mar 27

#PoemsAbout #InBloom is live. Write what opens without apology. What grows because it must. What risks being seen because staying closed would be worse. Some things bloom loudly. Let them. Post from today. Tag #PoemsAbout #InBloom to be read and shared. Use Alt Text. Take care with each other.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Mar 20

#PoemsAbout #Melt is live. Write what can’t stay sharp. What slips shape under heat. What becomes truer once it stops resisting. Some things aren’t meant to last intact. Post from today. Tag #PoemsAbout #Melt to be read and shared. Use Alt Text. Take care with each other.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Mar 12

Tomorrow: #PoemsAbout #Consent. Not mood. Not guesswork. Not entitlement. Don’t post before Friday. That spoken yes? That mutual leaning in? That’s the poem. Tag it. Use Alt Text.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Mar 6

#PoemsAbout #BeingWatched is live. Write the gaze. Wanted. Feared. Returned. Who is seen. Who consents to be seen. Who looks back. Post from today. Tag #PoemsAbout #BeingWatched to be read and shared. Use Alt Text. Take care with each other.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Feb 27

#PoemsAbout #Spent is live. Write the after. The bodies that don’t rush apart. The silence that isn’t empty. The care that follows intensity. Post from today. Tag #PoemsAbout #Spent to be read and shared. Use Alt Text. Take care with each other.

The Broken Spine (SUBS OPEN)@thebrokenspine· Feb 20

#PoemsAbout #UnderTheSkin is live. Write what embeds. What alters you quietly. What you still feel days later. Not everything leaves a mark you can point to. Post from today. Tag #PoemsAbout #UnderTheSkin to be read and shared. Use Alt Text. Take care with each other.