Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.

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I’ve had an incredibly busy week. Work is constant now but that’s what I like. I feel satisfied every day when I’m finished because I know I’ve worked hard and contributed to the team and company.

I attended an excellent open mic last Sunday evening, you can read about it here, on Friday I read at the launch of Chris Campbell’s new book ‘Why I Wear My Past To Work’ which I feel truly grateful to have been invited to take part. Somehow, I wrote a couple of good pieces too (in my opinion anyway).

At the allotment, preparing for winter in full flow. We had a ton of compost delivered on Saturday. Getting it from the drop off bay, into wheelbarrows then to our plot was exhausting.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Husband Material Vol II: Twenty-Seven Addresses

• Poet: D. L. Husband
• Press: Hidden Hand Press

Husband Material Vol II: Twenty-Seven Addresses is my first time reading D.L. ‘Dan’ Husband in a collection. He featured on the same episode of BBC Upload with me hosted by the fantastic Emma Millen. I’ve watched his Instagram of performances of spoken word at fringe events and elsewhere. I also checked out some of his published work online and I’m a fan. It’s always great to share work from Northeast poets. Let’s jump into the collection.

There is power in Dan’s poems, sometimes understated and restrained sometimes unflinching. The pieces ‘Demolition Man’ and ‘Reaper Man’ are two examples of how to add impact but in various ways. I must also mention the title poem from the collection ‘Twenty-Seven Addresses’ which is a hybrid of prose and sequence that feels like a worthwhile mandate. I relate to this piece in so many ways and is one of my favourite pieces.

Every piece in this collection teems with emotion. It deals with key themes that working-class men deal with daily: , identity, challenging stereotypes and perceptions, personal struggles with addiction and standing out from the crowd you belong to. ‘Buffet’ is a terrific example of this and uses visual spacing that mimics the movement he describes. ‘Give A What?’ is a direct address to the reader and pulls no punches. This is meaningful poetry.

I like pop culture references in poetry when they make sense which is something Dan uses, keeping the work relatable. In ‘Ghostbusters’ we are treated to a cameo from Gozer, Venkman and Spengler. In ‘3D Printed Dinosaur Bones’, Mothra and Godzilla make an appearance. One thing he doesn’t do is use a reference for the sake of it or overuse.

Imagery weaves its way through the collection. This is demonstrated in ‘The Moon Watches On’ where we are hurtled through space and time to understand what the moon has observed since it came into being.

Dan’s skill in spoken word composition is evident in the rhyming patterns and structured shifts in the pieces. Read them aloud. Another key detail is the intricate and clever wordplay he uses. The piece ‘Blameless Blaggard’ is a great demonstration of this.

This is a collection for poetry fans who want to be confronted with truth, sometimes brutal. Fans of spoken word, clever wordplay and rhyme will enjoy this book. Readers who want to explore recovery through words, this will appeal to you. A deep, dark intimate book. I’ll be grabbing a copy of volume I very soon.

Keep up with Dan here.

To buy Husband Material Vol II: Twenty-Seven Addresses, click here.

Favourite Poem:

This week I’ll go for five. I’ve already mentioned ‘Twenty-Seven Addresses’ but the following four have also stuck in my head. ‘Border War’, ‘The Old Beast’, ‘Fairy Trials’ and ‘Ananke’.

Oh, and here’s this week’s playlist, you didn’t think I’d forget:

Little Roy – Lithium
Massive Attack – Teardrop
Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol
Maximo Park – Risk to Exist
Eels – Novocaine For The Soul
Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
Underworld – Born Slippy
Fatboy Slim – Weapon Of Choice
Sam Fender – Play God
Robbie Williams – Better Man

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Before I Go…

Did you catch the details of The Book Bag X Write Here, Right Now submission window and guidelines? A terrific chance to get published and potentially be nominated for awards including BOTN, Pushcart & Forward. Details here.

One More Thing…

Alan Parry will be on hosting duties for another Broken Spine Arts ‘Write The Night’ workshop on 28 September 2025. I have attended this in the past and found it extremely useful and highly recommend it. Details here.

And Another…

If you’ve been following The Book Bag for a while, you will know that I am a massive fan of Helen Laycock. She is this month’s poet on Black Bough’s Silver Branch feature. Read it here.

And Finally…

Have you had chance to catch up with this month’s Poetic Voice? Pascale Petit has shared a piece from Beast. Keep an eye on social media for a further addition to the feature…

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Next Week’s Read

• Title: This Wilderness & Other Concerns
• Poet: Martin Kennedy Yates

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Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.

Paul