I wrote four poems made from the translated captions of Instagram profiles of cats, mainly from the original Japanese and Korean, for Minerva Platform.
You can read them - and my explanation of the project - here.
My poem ‘Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)’ was published in issue 66 in Magma in their comedy issue, edited by John Canfield & Ella Frears. You can buy the issue here.
I was asked by the excellent Prac Crit online magazine to interview Matthew Welton about a new poem ‘Hey, hey’. You can read my interview with him here.
Would also recommend reading the essay by Sam Buchan-Watts, too.
I was completely shocked to find out I received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. The Gregory is a yearly award given to a handful of poets under 30 and they’ve been going for over 50 years.
Some of my favourite poets have been the recipient of the same award, and I received it alongside two writer friends (Sam Buchan-Watts and Andrew McMillan). Also nice to have my dream collection title on a fancy bit of paper. You can read more about this year’s awards here.
The very nice people at Poetry Spotlight interviewed me recently and also published a poem of mine called 'What The Darkness Is Doing Is Always The Secondary Issue'.
This weekend I read a poem which I wrote for English Pen’s Modern Literature Festival, as part of the Enemies Project, where over 30 contemporary UK-based writers presented new works in tribute to writers at risk around the world.
The writer I was asked to write about was Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who is imprisoned for five years for allegedly taking part in a peaceful protest in Egypt.
Here is a fragment of the poem that I wrote - which goes on for 661 words which, at the time of performing the piece, was the same number of days he had spent in prison.
I was highly commended for the Faber New Poets this year, amongst some really great talent. Apparently there were over 900 submissions, so to make it to the shortlist of about 14 people has blown my mind.
Congratulations to the winners and the other poets on the shortlist, thank you to Faber & Faber, too. You can read all about the scheme here.
My poem End Space was featured in this year’s Best British Poetry, alongside some hugely talented people. You can buy the book from the publishers, Salt, here.
Massive thanks to Emily Berry for including me in the anthology.
Between 2012-2014, I wrote a series of poems collected under the title 'Lines for Her Majesty's Government'.
These poems, which started off as a writing exercise, are formed of segments of statements the UK Government provided to newspapers. These are chosen entirely at random and placed in an order on the page, which is not edited. The poems also feature unused lines from my own notebooks, again chosen at random.
Below are all of the poems, each with a title and the date in which they were written. I’m not carrying on the project anymore, and I think they would look strange if published individually/separately. Just click the ‘keep reading’ section to see them all.
I should point out these are not written as a ‘comment’ on previous or current Government policy.
Patients’ expiry (01/11/12)
We must hear and take
notice of what Parliament has said
not just its symptoms
For years, as part of their investigations
of what Jimmy Savile did, as we made clear
at the time, as stated in the Renewables Roadmap,
this is a Coalition Agreement - it means
patients are more comfortable and treated
with dignity in their final days and hours
***
It’s all right, it’s all regrettable (12/11/12)
The driving mission for the Government
is a regrettable situation but the right decision
the Government strongly disagrees with
families and businesses up and down the country
we set up the Leveson Inquiry to ensure that
we are making progress and as a condition
of having a 4G licence a broad and representative
opposition is a matter for the Conservative Party
***
Fair to Midlands (18/01/13)
we’re a trading nation
so even with plans to limit increases to benefits
severe weather will always cause some disruption.
The Transport Secretary has been considering
the possible routes
for lines north of Birmingham
where the wood soaks up the sound of older men
and they need clarity about what to do
and where to go.
***
Cash for access (21/01/13)
Access to justice and fair
representation are fundamental
the priority is now to get our people back
home from Algeria
I speak carefully on the loud speaker
there is nothing in the Report
which alters this view
the Government
has been working
***
C.R.E.A.M. Fields (22/01/13)
Redundancies are regrettable
it’s taking time
but we’re not happy
and the British public isn’t happy
with every aspect
of our relationship now
the world’s so peculiar
brownfield land and empty buildings
***
Increasing un-fares (24/01/13)
The ongoing Eurozone crisis
will put the Agency on a surer footing
soon we can realise that it all turned out okay
these are very positive figures
down eight per cent in the year ending September 2012
in the UK we’ve already committed to
dreaming about characters again
this is deeply unfair
***
Debts toupée (25/01/13)
We have a reminder today
to deal with our debts
someone talked loudly
but there are some forms of avoidance
that have become so aggressive
Marriage is a hugely important institution
in this country
These questions aren’t going away
all worming around
We are deeply concerned by the situation
***
When I stand up (28/01/13)
Linking communities and businesses across the country
he wonders what went wrong
this is where the Green Deal comes in
A further freeze offer is available to councils this year
the events of the past few days have only served
to demonstrate the ambulances opening up like ice cream vans
to deliver a credible and lasting legacy
Disabled people should have exactly the same choices
as everyone else in the world of work —
from hairdressing to engineering
and everything in between
***
The birds and bees military (29/01/13)
The children's news channel is cancelled
and too often nursery staff lack basic
literacy and numeracy skills
and invigorate our regional economies
we are considering how many
UK military trainers
will look at all serious policy ideas
to tackle this issue
***
Our relationships in the night (06/02/13)
Hundreds of people suffered
from the most appalling neglect and mistreatment
Since the issue came to light
six months ago we have been clear all along
that the status quo is not an option
Yesterday’s vote on equal marriage was
an important step forward
to give every child the chance to make the most
of their talents in school
a microchip will make it much easier to reunite a dog
with its owner
I've met real people and eaten bacon
sandwiches with them.
***
The broadest shoulders will carry the heaviest burden (07/02/13)
what a sadness
so we will argue for a cut
not just wrong it was truly dreadful
what happened at RBS and other banks
will “hit the richest households hardest”
our extradition arrangements function properly
we condemn the murder
***
Micro and macro climates (27/02/13)
Energy company profits
are a matter for them
to justify and we spend
over £120 million every
day following a hot air
balloon crash the scandal
of discards has gone
on for too long
***
From a distance, the money looks green (12/03/13)
The Falkland Islands may be thousands of miles away
but the public rightly want answers
I assure you they're there
a two-year £100,000 mortgage
As employers it is unacceptable
***
Turn off all mobile devices (02/04/13)
To help hardworking people
of tutting grandmothers
on major road building projects
our Balance of Competences Review
take this issue extremely seriously
if you can pay for a flight using your phone
where there is a demand for them
the real progress being made on the ground
in Helmand province will allow us.
***
This Woman’s Work (09/04/13)
Her voice stretches like a woman stepping
over a puddle, we lost a great leader,
a great Prime Minister and a great Briton
We have an excellent tradition
about the danger of miscalculation
by the North Korean regime
introducing reforms through the Energy Bill
seek redress through the Local Government Ombudsmen
***
Mind that child (05/06/13)
We don’t believe that the well-off
make their already horrific experiences worse
to fight the noxious extremism
A&E services are facing increased pressure from
The middle aged upright man
We have an experienced senior team in place,
Careless drivers are a menace
And we will help and support them wherever they can
***
Turn the page over and begin (14/06/13)
Finding new solutions
to some of the most pressing
global concerns
the PM discussed this with
President Obama
on his recent visit concerned
by some of the images
we have seen standing like pylons
RBS today is safer
like all Whitehall departments
we have rewritten
the ‘Life in the UK’ test this may
involve legislation.
***
Stop the World War, I’m Getting Off (27/06/13)
As a major new report estimates
more than 130,000 jobseekers have escaped
burn all the books and throw them in landfills
since the Second World War
none of us would want that for our parents or grandparents
it is essential that we manage the project carefully
during an illegal incursion by a Guardia Civil vessel
a Guardia Civil officer fired a weapon
to date, no UK prisoner has been awarded damages
***
Xenophonics (04/07/13)
to improve the life chances of millions
of young people we advise British citizens
to avoid all non-essential travel
we’re spending £370 million
on building new flood defences
we're poking this heap by the shore
We are committed to reducing the size
of all main political parties
those residing or visiting the UK
have a serious impact on UK society
***
Into the blue again, after the money's gone (11/07/13)
We don’t agree that the cost of politics should rise
the NHS is facing increasing demands
we’ve announced the next stage
but where would we be without sensibility?
The new benefit will also provide clarity
what people will get from the state which
got out of control in the last decade
and where do I place myself?
***
Paramilitary Chefs (12/07/13)
Leon restaurant founders
Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent
burst through the skylight
of the building.
This is an important decision
the Ministry of Justice
has confirmed that things
are alright today
so Britain can compete
in the global race
and there has been
a welcome reduction in
antipsychotic prescribing
***
Post Lapsarian (15/07/13)
We inherited a broken welfare system
the two servicemen’s next of kin
have been informed in a world
which is getting more dangerous
you have to be a little disturbed, don't you?
We all want our loved ones’ final hours of life
to be pain free and we are completely
and utterly opposed to the establishment
***
Joy to/from the World (23/07/13)
It’s wonderful news from St Mary’s Paddington
we are determined to back people and shout
on towers how we are existing in glee,
the single market, health, development co-operation
and humanitarian aid, foreign policy,
animal health and welfare and food safety,
and taxation and family friendly content filters
where our audits identify any drop in quality
***
Christian Bailing (17/09/13)
Bailing out the banks five years ago
was a big ask, our thoughts and prayers
sunk in and my liver managed to shrivel.
This is a tragic case.
Hundreds were gassed in the worst confirmed use,
she looks so small in the car,
empty of people. It is up to individual
public bodies.
***
The Past Inside The Precedent (04/10/13)
The Government will end the
automatic release from prison
while there is still a long way
to go I want you to know I know
who you are
The Home Office remains committed
to supporting the search for
Madeleine McCann,
or any other country,
deciding to leave the
Commonwealth
And yesterday
***
Working hard or hardly working (17/10/13)
There are now more people in work
than ever before and we are on the side
of people who work hard, tackling crime,
I can't think of anything worse than falling
down repeatedly in public and this strike will
hit hardworking people the welfare and education
systems will help people who want to work hard and
we were already investigating this school.
***
Timely Releases (24/10/13)
We estimate the time it takes.
Yesterday the Prime Minister announced
that we will roll back the green levies
but that doesn’t mean that we should ignore
the fact that we’re firmly on the side
of people with page upon page of blacked
out notes, and we are working closely
with the Scottish Government.
***
Some quality time of life (29/10/13)
Let's talk about that,
just you and me,
rail travel has doubled
over the past 20 years
we are committed to
doing all we can so
young people are capable
to remark on the pearls
on my tortoise neck,
the new Victims’ Code
will for the first time
entitle victims to any
injury or any loss of life.
***
Slaying the Global Beast (04/11/13)
Look, Grendel, Britain
is in a global race
for jobs and wealth,
to make sure children
are protected, this
Government is
committed to the
heaviest meadow for
employers to train
staff, our national
interest is best
served in flexible
adverts that play
throughout the night.
***
Risky business (14/01/14)
The biggest economic risk facing Europe
doesn’t come from those who want reform
and renegotiation, we have consistently
argued that paying anything less than
this is unacceptable, a question in
shallow water, we believe that state schools
understand the very legitimate concerns
that these papers will raise, these events
led to a tragic loss of life.
***
See-through Treaty (17/01/14)
Part of our long-term economic plan
is about creating jobs,
a mouse in the ruined mansion,
nearly three quarters of young people
reoffend within a year
which contravenes the code of conduct
set out by the Market Research Society,
all the associations we ward away
while having a broken economy,
we can act as a powerful force for good
in the world, which will make the courts
more transparent.
***
Please see Annexe A (18/03/14)
Today the PM & DPM have announced
that we are witnessing a clear attempt
to pave the way for the annexation
that’s why we will be asking hospitals
to see what can be done he is cruel
and busy in the long store room
this helps everyone but routine
screening of women under 25
does more harm than good
***
Back waters (11/06/14)
It’s welcome that there is no backlog.
What do I have to give you, water supply?
Energy suppliers need to cause
unnecessary disruption for hardworking
Londoners, it's horrible to look at
things that should not have happened
in our schools were allowed to happen
***
For the record (12/06/14)
Tonight in his Mansion House speech
I sat next to the chef's brother.
The number of people in work
has reached a new record high,
that's why from the start
of this year we left Iraq
in the hands of elected Iraqi leaders.
In the monument park there
are lots of shadows, we believe
a solution can be reached.
***
Connecting trains (24/06/14)
We are already building a new
north-south railway. This is
a simple issue of principle.
We support the living wage and
we're all quietly ruining
our institutions.
Our thoughts are with the Iraqi
people who have suffered. to address
the threat posed by returning
foreign fighters, this new website
will introduce an unprecedented level
of transparency but the news
washes over us like a mist.
***
European apologists (26/06/14)
We inherited a paralysed housing market.
The Prime Minister has always said that
love hangs over me, dripping.
Before the Prime Minister made his public apology,
the judge has also made clear that things are ordered
that don't go together.
If you want reform in Europe,
cancer will stare out at you like wild deer.
***
Ibsen in Iraq (30/06/14)
What is this face I am holding?
We are ready to move on, because
of the difficult decisions we’ve taken,
I walk through a street and see ghosts.
For example, extending the right
to request flexible working.
Iraq needs a new and inclusive government.
***
Hello I Want To Kill You (02/07/14)
A £10,000 ‘Golden Hello’ has been announced.
This is not some distant threat
but something is happening right now,
carried by the smell of buddleia.
We have given an extra £1.1 billion to
humped back children to address
the threat posed by returning foreign fighters.
Revenge pornography is clearly
becoming a bigger problem in our society.
New collaborative poem by me and Amy Key on The Bohemyth
Amy and me wrote a collaborative piece based on star signs, which was commissioned by SJ Fowler as part of the Gelynion: Welsh Enemies project. It was a joy to write and work with Amy, who has been a great friend and poetry chum ever since I started writing.
You can read our poem ‘G E M I N I’ right here, kindly published by the good people at The Bohemyth (lots of other good sutff in the issue, too).
My Simpsons poem in Clinic’s anthology Can I Borrow A Feeling?
I am so delighted that my poem Homer’s Final Speech in Harold Pinter’s ‘The Homercoming’ has been published in this beautiful Simpson’s poem anthology by Clinic.
It is full of amazing poems about Springfield from writers like Sam Riviere, Rebecca Perry, Crispin Best, Amy Blakemore, Jack Underwood and Mark Waldron.
