Competition entrants beware...

#vss365
#investiture
#poem

A baby wails the ancient song
at its investiture into a body.
Later, the rattle
will serve as a sceptre
and servants will sacrifice
hours of sleep to serve their absolute monarch.

Looking forward to it.

A purple square listing with white and yellow text and golden stars, listing stallholders for the 2026 Free Verse Fair. A full list can be found in the caption of our post from Saturday 11th April.

With just one week to go until the Free Verse Fair, here's a rundown of all of the incredible presses and publishers who'll be at the event! Grab your FREE tickets at the link in our bio to come along and meet them all.

Submission opportunity for prose poets, especially women.

#seafoam
#vss365
#poem

First out, then back,
the sea seeks home
and leaves a necklace
of white foam

the necklace melts;
the shore will yearn
for its replacement -
sea's return

See you there?
@poetrysociety.bsky.social

Our Book of the Week is THE SHADOW OF THE OBJECT by Chloe Aridjis. Chloe kindly signed some copies at the event last night. Grab your copy here: www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/the-sh...

Herts Book Festival Poster with dates of 16 May 2026 10am-4pm at Hertford and 17 May 2026 10am-4pm at Ware. Author attending listed as J.S.Watts. A head and shoulders photo of J.S. Watts wearing black is displayed alongside five book covers for: Witchlight, Elderlight, A Darker Moon, Underword and Old Light. A brief bio states: J.S. Watts is a poet and novelist. Her published books (both literary and speculative) include five works of poetry and four novels. See www.jswatts.co.uk

I'll be at the Hertford event on Saturday 16 May. See you there? #Hertford #Hertfordshire

An excellent #prompt at our #poetry #workshop tonight invited us to consider and write about the ideals behind the founding of Letchworth Garden City (we gather in that town). Couplets, sonnets and blank verse came forth.

#vss365
#hammer
#poem
#limerick

The Hulk, rendered mighty by gamma,
could punch you to South Alabama,
but could not, he found,
raise up from the ground.
Mjolnir, the thunder god's hammer.

Call for Submissions: Poetry That Reaches Beyond - The Broken Spine Submissions Open Throughout April 2026 | Publication Later That Year

If your work looks outward to understand inward — send it.
#Firmament is open.
#Slimline #PoemsAbout #PoetsOfBluesky

A bright blue square. In the top left hand corner is an illustration of a group of birds flying in a point to the left. In the top right hand corner is an illustration of a group of birds flying in a point to the right. In the centre of these illustrations is the title NaPoWriMo 2026. Beneath this, in the centre of the square, is a spiky black circle with white text reading 'Prompt 15'. Beneath this is text which reads “I’ve often written about long/short journeys: a road trip the length of a car rolling down a drive, a safari on an urban bus ride. What’s the longest journey you can make in the shortest distance? Write the expedition which takes place during a quick jaunt around the block.” At the bottom of the square is the name Julia Bird.

We're now halfway through #NaPoWriMo 2026! Take a moment to reflect on the journey so far, and where it might lead you next, with Julia Bird's thoughtful prompt. Julia founded Blown Rose, a press who have a stall with us at this year's Free Verse Festival. Tickets are FREE at the link in our bio.

No thin pretence or artifice;
for those few days
we joined in praise
of unity on Artemis.

Image of a waterford printed in black on a white brick background. Love On The Bloor-Danforth Line by Jenny Cox Beneath Toronto's concrete skin mercury slides. I hate goodbyes. You disembark at Dufferin.

Every #Wednesday we'll share a #waterford. Respond with your own (4 lines; 8, 4, 4, 8 syllables; ABBA rhyming scheme). These are slices of feel-good art so keep them positive!

#waterfordrhyme #poetrysky #poetry #irishhaiku #poetrycommunity #PoetsOnBluesky #skypoets #writingcommunity #spéirghorm

Our household is going through a Francis Spufford phase presently, via printed and audio books.
@scribnerbooks.bsky.social @faberbooks.bsky.social

#vss365
#poem
#word

In the beginning, there was The Word
and ever since then, it's been misheard.

New Contexts: 8 Buy New Contexts: 8 by Gouge, Ian (ISBN: 9781919466170) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

My copy of the latest New Contexts, edited by Ian Gouge and published by Coverstory Books, arrived today. I'm delighted to have two poems in it.

#poetry #poems #writing

www.amazon.co.uk/New-Contexts...

There's nothing wrong with Suffolk. I can say this, though I don't live there. I can think of some other counties where a rapid exodus might be sensible, however.

They are. I may become addicted.

Beneath me, the lanes sliding by -
I pedal, I soar - I can fly!
Kinetically, it's
ecstatic; time flits,
suspended, the hue and the cry.

The @poetryid.bsky.social #poetry #anthology for 2026 is well on the road between Word files and a physical book. Subjects smeared with the veneer of verse include mystical baristas and friendly blacksmiths. This is a montage of previous editions.

Paying a professional visit to @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk tomorrow on behalf of a small, unsinister conglomerate of publishers. Always a fine place to visit, but I have to put a muzzle on my debit card.

A whole new form?

#vss365
#loop
#limerick
#poem

A boffin of brilliant brain
wrote software that none could disdain;
he dived with a whoop
down an infinite loop
and was never encountered again.

When I'm inclined to torture myself, I write #acrostic #limericks:

G orging gleefully all through his meal,
R amming relish on meatloaf with zeal,
E nergetically, endlessly,
E ating tremendously —
D one? Not so long as there’s veal.

#Emoetry #Greed #Humor #Humour #Poetry #MicroPoetry #LightVerse

The Astronaut's Spouse's Lament on the Launch of #Artemis2

Obscured By Clouds,
you're visiting
The Dark Side Of The Moon.
Wish You Were Here.

#vss365
#pen
#poem

The pen is much mightier than the sword -
at least that's what some people think;
watch out when you're facing a ravening horde
and your pen has just run out of ink.

We're certain of death and of tax -
it isn't a thought to relax,
but at least when we go
we can do so and know
the paperwork's not on our backs.

A man who who was once known as Sam
transitioned himself into Pam;
it's cool; it's her life -
there's no need for strife;
just keep all your toys in the pram.

#man
#vss365
#poem
#limerick