'Mercy Fuck', from my third collection, 'Breaking Hearts and Traffic Lights' (Salmon, 2007), which collected poems written between 1994 and 2006.

[post 3 in a series revisiting my back pages before ‘The Following Year’ arrives this spring from .Salmon Poetry.]

I
CAN'T SWIM
It's LUCIDITY
SO
CLEAR

Y'all ain't ready

(and this COVER!)

Do join us on Thursday Books Upstairs 6.30 to celebrate the launch of these three fine, inspiring new titles Poetry Ireland Books Ireland RTE Arena The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon #irishpoetry #newpoetry

Two superb new collections out next month - #HighlandBoundaryFault by Emma McKervey and #BackFromAway by #DamienBDonnelly Damien Donnelly Now availanle for pre-order. Message for review copies.

We’ve opened submissions! 12th April - 3rd May. To summarise: we’re looking for your best work, for writing that resists definition for stories & poems that strain against classification. gorse.ie/submission/

This day next week we'll be heading to Dubin for the launch of THE CONVERSATION by Jo Burns and Emily Cooper. See ya there!!

The heavy sarcasm of Elliott Smith:

If you can't help it then just leave it alone
Leave it alone, yeah, just forget it
It's really easy
I believe I'll forget it too

This poem by the late John Wieners gets me every time:

Two Years Later

The hollow eyes of shock remain
Electric sockets burnt out in the skull.

The beauty of men never disappears
But drives a blue car through the stars.

The first double issue of Shearsman magazine for 2024 is here!

Contains poetry by Rizwan Akhtar, Katy Evans-Bush, Sylee Gore, Helen Tookey, Claire Crowther, Janet Sutherland, Mark Ward, Alex Wong & more.

Pick up your copy or subscribe here:
shearsman.com/shearsman-maga…

New author photo by Ross Waldron.

I'm delighted to have a poem included in Issue #15 of _Impossible Archetype_. Thanks, Impossible Archetype!
impossiblearchetype.wordpress.com/15-2/

Surprise, Issue 15 of Impossible Archetype is out a day early, i.e. now: impossiblearchetype.wordpress.com/15-2/

A lovely shout out about my poem from TheStormsJournal and my new chapbook Faultlines from the voidspace 🕳️SUBS OPEN🕳️