Matthew Stewart
@roguestrands
Weaving ways through poetry. Second full collection, ‘Whatever You Do, Just Don’t’, a Poetry Society Book of the Year 2023, available from HappenStance Press.
Here's an ace poem by Matt Merritt. It might seem a bit of fun at first, but it packs a real punch...
Time to prep another copy to be posted out tomorrow. This one's heading for Leicester...
Today's poem is by Oliver Comins. Its focus is the aftermath of loss, how we carry on with our lives, but differently...
Sometimes poetry has no interest in being enjoyable. Sometimes it sets out to capture rage or despair. This gut-wrenching poem by Gwen Harwood is one such example...
Steven Blyth was a significant name on the U.K. poetry scene back in the 1990s. These days, his star seems to have faded, maybe due to trends and fashions having changed, but I still enjoy his poems. Here's an example of his writing...
Dan Wyke is a fine poet, though his trajectory has been badly affected by his severe M.E.. This is the title poem from his first full collection..
Maggie O'Farrell might now be best known as an acclaimed novelist. However, back in the 1990s, she started off as a poet. And she was terrific...
Here's my new poem from this week's issue of The Spectator. I do hope you enjoy it...!
This is a poem of deep intimacy, yet it reaches out and touches all of us. The title poem of Tom Duddy's first pamphlet from HappenStance Press, it was also later included in The Hiding Place (Arlen House, 2011), his first full collection...
Few people are familar with Evangeline Paterson's poetry these days, though she was an excellent exponent of the genre. In this terrific example, her tone might seem conversational at first, but then the poem starts to show us its layers...
George Kendrick is a forgotten poet these days, but I love the humanity of his writing, the cadences of his lines, the subtle emotional resonance of his best poems. This is a fine example of what I mean...
Keith Douglas wrote this gorgeous poem 86 summers ago (in the midst of the Second World War). It still resonates hugely today...
Really sad to hear that Meg Cox has died. She was an fine poet with many different registers. This poem of hers remains a top-notch, acerbic critique of the scene...!
Here's my new poem from this week's issue of The Spectator. I hope you like it...!
It's 41C in Extremadura today, and pretty warm elsewhere in Europe, so here's a poem about Calor from Whatever You Do, Just Don't...
The World Cup's had its soul ripped out of it. Never fear though, proper football returns when the new National League season kicks off on 8th August...!
Here's my article from the latest issue of The Madrid Review on the exceptional poetry of Pablo García Casado...
Concerned that the nice lady at our local post office might think I'm constantly looking for excuses to visit her, but the fact is yet another batch of books are now due to head off, this time to Leicestershire. Just drop me a DM if you'd like yours to join them...
Here's my new poem from this week's issue of The Spectator. I do hope you enjoy it...
Pablo García Casado is one of the finest poets in Spain. In fact, he's just won the prestigious Premio de la Crítica, so I'm delighted to share with you a poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't that he selected to translate into Spanish himself. ¡Gracias, Pablo...!
There's already one signed copy heading to a reader in Bedford tomorrow morning. Will yours be joining it...?!
Heading for the post office tomorrow to send out copies of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. Anyone up for making my trip even more worthwhile...?!