Paul Celan passed away on this day in 1970. Here's the wonderful 'Sprachgitter' and its translation as 'Language Mesh' by Michael Hamburger.

#poetry

HOW NOT TO DIE Around people if I feel I’m gonna die I excuse myself telling them “I gotta go!” “Go where?” they wanna know I don’t answer I just get outa there away from them because somehow they sense something wrong and never know what to do it scares them such suddenness How awful to just sit there and they asking: “Are you okay?” “Can we get you something?” “Want to lie down?” Ye gods! people! who wants to die amongst people?! Especially when they can’t do shit To the movies—to the movies that’s where I hurry to when I feel I’m going to die So far it’s worked

Gregory Corso

anthology submissions — fifth wheel press

are you a GAY PERSON IN MY PHONE who writes about TECH, VIDEO GAMES, MEMES, MISSING VINE, or (most importantly) HATING AI?

you have until this sunday to submit to the MOTHERBOARD anthology by @fifthwheelpress.bsky.social. we would love to read your work!!

fifthwheelpress.com/anthsubs

Happy birthday, Jericho Brown. This poem still devastates.

#poetry
#blacklivesmatter

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/158648...

Angel Exhaust 24 now available to buy from www.angelexhaust.net. There's some fantastic work in here and I'm honoured to be included.

Grab yourself a copy now, or ask your library to order it for you!

#poetry

Looking forward very much to reading with this amazing group of poets - save the date! Zoom link from Sue Burge (email on poster) @michpenn.bsky.social @marcchamberlain.bsky.social @tamsinhopkins.bsky.social

Little Griefs: Book Launch and Reading with Andrew Neilson and Guests Join Andrew Neilson, Kathryn Gray, Katy Mahon and Matthew Paul for the York launch of Little Griefs

Little Griefs the mini-tour continues with a gig at the brand spanking new Poetry Pharmacy in York! Featuring @kathryngray.bsky.social @matthewpaulson.bsky.social and @katymilkman.bsky.social Hope to see anyone northwards there 🙏 @poetrypharmacy.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/little-gri...

I'll be reading with these wonderful poets on 10 May. Online and open to all.

@jcsugarman.bsky.social
@fionalarkin.bsky.social
SK Grout
@michpenn.bsky.social
Tamsin Hopkins
Sue Burge

#poetry

Derek Walcott passed away nine years ago today. Here's one of my favourites, from White Egrets (2010).

#poetry
#derekwalcott

Hey @sheelaghcaygill.bsky.social. Good to connect!

Another one of mine here from Angel Exhaust. Big thanks to editors Andrew Duncan and Charlie Baylis.

#poetry
#homophobia

Delighted to have a few poems in the esteemed and historic Angel Exhaust. Here's one of them.

#poetry

Welcome to the Institute of English Studies The Institute of English Studies

I'll be giving an online talk at the Institute of English Studies, University of London, on 25 February, 6-8pm GMT:⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐀/𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬⁣
⁣
Free and open to all. DM me for the meeting link.

#poetry
#lacan

ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Poem 'The Ideal' by James Fenton

We have no grand metaphors, just an insistence to say where we come from without shame.

The plain and direct language is the emotional core of the piece

He acknowledges facing your past is difficult and that the bravest thing is not reinvention, but recognition.

#poetry
#poemoftheday

'Cocaine' by John Wieners, read by J.H. Prynne Stream 'Cocaine' by John Wieners, read by J.H. Prynne by Bags: on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

Happy Saint Valentine's Day to all the courtly lovers. Let's listen again to the wonderful sounds of J.H. Prynne reading 'Cocaine' by John Wieners.

'For I have seen love
and his face is choice Heart of Hearts...'

m.soundcloud.com/william-25/c...

Issue twenty-three — Bad Lilies

OUT NOW. Issue twenty-three: 'Wildfires' badlilies.uk/issue-twenty-three

Contemporary Innovative Poetry Research Seminar

I'll be giving an online talk at the Institute of English Studies, University of London, on 25 February, 6-8pm GMT:⁣
⁣
‘𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐭’: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐀/𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬⁣
⁣
Free and open to all. DM me for the meeting link!

ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Great to be back in the wonderful @dadakuku.bsky.social with my short poem 'Resolve'. Big thanks to editor @petrock.bsky.social.

Kathryn Maris: “The Plumber” A poem by Kathryn Maris: “I took a class at the Freud Museum. / Later, at dinner, I felt abjection.”

So good to see – and hear – a new poem from @kathrynmaris.bsky.social

yalereview.org/article/kath...

Tonight, I'm launching my new poetry collection, Retablo for a door! The event's at 7.30 pm in the Swedenborg Hall, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London, WC1A 2TH. I'll be reading with @ianseedauthor.bsky.social, who's also published by the brilliant @shearsmanbooks.bsky.social. Please join us!

Happy Birthday, John! And thanks for thinking of me @ginsbergpoem.bsky.social! 🙂

Happy Birthday, John Wieners. Born on this day in 1934. Here's one from Asylum Poems:

@marcchamberlain.bsky.social - Remembering John Wieners on the anniversary of his birth - allenginsberg.org/2026/01/t-j-...

Magical, majestic, shattering poems from @michpenn.bsky.social. Grab a copy now from the wonderful @shearsmanbooks.bsky.social.

Resolution The new year blurs the windowpane. Soho surrenders to the rain as clouds break over Chinatown. See how the storm's resolve winds down? Its steel pins thin and mist away. Get up. Come here and see the day. Through this droplet's contact lens, the West End and the future tense look dainty, vacant, and convex. We haven't seen such weather since the morning they invented sex. And yet, baptized, by rain and gin, of last year's unoriginal sins of inattention and cliché, this looks like every other day that we will never see again. Courage. Coffee. Aspirins. Our window on the world begins to dry, the breakfast bulletins appal, the civil voices lie, our private garden cloud with doubt. So let me make this crystal clear: the rain has stopped. Your taxi's here. The New Year bells will ring you out.

Always this poem at this time of year. One of Michael Donaghy's startlers.

NEW YEAR how painfully i feel both dark and light as if my bones were boils my outer layer quite quite dead i see most art as slow ideas carrying passengers i like or notzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz * "one lincoln under god etc." * the impressionist

Tom Raworth

and a third...

The Some Flowers Soon Christmas Quiz 2025 Sixteen seasonal poetic puzzles

My Christmas Poetry Quiz is now up! Which poet embroidered a scarf as a Christmas gift? Which poet asked Santa for a chameleon? Which poet loves holly, man? All these and more here:

Great tribute. JC's approach to reviewing is an approach I share, and one which poetry needs. If your review only cements a friendship, or solicits a good review in return, or is only written for "the community", it's not doing its job.

me too!