Read The Death of Francis Bacon yesterday. I don't know very much about Francis Bacon, so am probably not the most insightful commentator! But you can see how Porter's writing has developed, there is a greater level of complexity here and the text leans more towards a modernist style.
Reread Max Porter's Grief Is the Thing with Feathers today. I think the most impressive achievement of this book is structural - sustaining a clear narrative in a poetic form like this can be challenging. The voice of The Boys is where the book shines most for me.
Read The Death of Francis Bacon yesterday. I don't know very much about Francis Bacon, so am probably not the most insightful commentator! But you can see how Porter's writing has developed, there is a greater level of complexity here and the text leans more towards a modernist style.
The Dad is a very recognisable true to life character. A lot of strongly themed/narrative poetry books peter out after about 40 pages or are padded out with repetition, but Porter really succeeds in sustaining this, partly due to the triumvirate of voices: The Boys, Dad, and Crow.
Reread Max Porter's Grief Is the Thing with Feathers today. I think the most impressive achievement of this book is structural - sustaining a clear narrative in a poetic form like this can be challenging. The voice of The Boys is where the book shines most for me.
I've been reading/rereading Max Porter's books in preparation for attending his upcoming PEN lecture at Newcastle University. Really looking forward to the event! @newcastleuni.bsky.social @englishpen.bsky.social @newwritingnorth.bsky.social @nclanews.bsky.social
Thank you, Daniel! We're very proud to count you amongst our growing New Northern Poets community! ❤️
I read Ted Hughes's How the Whale Became and Other Stories for the first time this week. They are very much in the vein of Aesop's Fables and Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, animal stories with depth. There are some continuities with the creation stories in Crow too.
I read Ted Hughes's How the Whale Became and Other Stories for the first time this week. They are very much in the vein of Aesop's Fables and Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, animal stories with depth. There are some continuities with the creation stories in Crow too.
I read The Iron Woman this week, the sequel to The Iron Man. I don't think I had read this before; I certainly knew the plot, but likely from researching my Undergraduate dissertation on Ted Hughes. It is more of a novella than the 1st & strongly foregrounds the ecological themes.
I read The Iron Woman this week, the sequel to The Iron Man. I don't think I had read this before; I certainly knew the plot, but likely from researching my Undergraduate dissertation on Ted Hughes. It is more of a novella than the 1st & strongly foregrounds the ecological themes.
Happy Siblings Day! To celebrate my twin brother @craighinds.bsky.social and I were featured in this @newcastleuni.bsky.social article. The photos are of our 1st day of school & the last day of undergrad for our graduation (I'm on the left in both pictures in true Ant & Dec fashion!). Link below.
Happy Siblings Day! To celebrate my twin brother @craighinds.bsky.social and I were featured in this @newcastleuni.bsky.social article. The photos are of our 1st day of school & the last day of undergrad for our graduation (I'm on the left in both pictures in true Ant & Dec fashion!). Link below.
Reread The Iron Man this week, which inspired the poem Earth Giant from my collection. I think this was likely the 1st writing by Ted Hughes I encountered. I can remember reading it in Primary School but not sure if I read it or saw The Iron Giant animated film 1st. It really is a perfect fairy tale
The New Northern Poets Scheme from @thewordupnorth.bsky.social @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social is open for applications. I was a NNP a few years ago & it was a great experience, so if you are a northern poet who hasn't published a collection yet, this could be a great opportunity. Link in my reply below.
This week my debut @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social poetry collection New Famous Phrases had its book birthday. Here it is celebrating its 1 year anniversary with a Mini Eggs cake. I also had some lovely news about the collection this week, fulfilling a poetry dream of mine from my undergraduate days.
This week my debut @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social poetry collection New Famous Phrases had its book birthday. Here it is celebrating its 1 year anniversary with a Mini Eggs cake. I also had some lovely news about the collection this week, fulfilling a poetry dream of mine from my undergraduate days.
New Famous Phrases is available to order from my publisher here or contact me directly if you would like a signed copy: www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...
Delighted to have my debut @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social poetry collection New Famous Phrases as Book of the Month in The Candyman's Trumpet magazine, which features this wonderful & insightful review from @kent-nj.bsky.social & 2 poems from the collection. Thanks very much to Nigel & Jack Caradoc!
Good to see @kent-nj.bsky.social's review of @louloumach.bsky.social's collection I Am Not Light from the brilliant @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social in the issue too!
Thanks Paul!
New Famous Phrases is available to order from my publisher here or contact me directly if you would like a signed copy: www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...
Delighted to have my debut @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social poetry collection New Famous Phrases as Book of the Month in The Candyman's Trumpet magazine, which features this wonderful & insightful review from @kent-nj.bsky.social & 2 poems from the collection. Thanks very much to Nigel & Jack Caradoc!
Excellent Broken Sleep book launch for March this evening, featuring @tomsnarsky.bsky.social Alex Innocent, Joseph Persad, @nearlyoscar.bsky.social Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç/Özgecan Kesici-Ayoubi and Mirko Boncaldo. Hosted by the brilliant @godzillakent.bsky.social
@brokensleepbooks.bsky.social
today is officially the release day for MOUNTEBANK!! I’m so grateful to @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social for publishing this collection and to anyone & everyone who reads it, thank you from the bottom of my heart :) 🎭📚💜
see quoted 🧵 for some poems & art that inspired the book, & 🔗s below to…
Congratulations Tom! Happy publication day!
I just reread it recently, but I couldn't resist getting the new edition of Ted Hughes's Flowers and Insects.