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

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Well, this has been a week. On Sunday, I attended the Black Bough open mic and read a couple of pieces. I then had a half day leave from work on Monday where we took Brody to the vets for a checkup and boosters. He’s healthy but he really doesn’t like the vets.

Yesterday, the excellent Full House Literary launched their new issue, which contains one of my poems. I’m beyond happy to share pages with incredible writers. Read the issue here.

I’ve also been lucky to announce the new Poetic Voice for November as Rebecca Goss. The feature is here and another poem will be added soon.

I did manage to send off a few submissions this week too.

It’s been Halloween; we didn’t get many trick-or-treaters and a couple we did have were in my opinion too old to be trick or treating. There were some great costumes including 2 inflatable dinosaurs. Also, I saw some excellent fireworks going off in the surrounding area. Brody likes staring out the back window watching the colours explode.

And at the allotment the fruit cage has been wired, the cold frame is ready and our green manure is growing well. There will be a big change next week though…

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Held Inside The Folds Of Time

• Poet: Merril D. Smith
• Press: Jane’s Studio Press

I’ve been a fan of Merril for a longtime, first reading her work on TopTweetTuesday some time ago. Not only is Merril a fantasy poet but is also very generous in her support to others, not just in poetry but in activism too. If you get the chance to hear her read, take it.

One of Merril’s key strengths is the ability to place so much emotion into her poetry. The pieces ‘To America’, an intimate and heartfelt poem and ‘May Morning’, a colourful landscape of sound are exquisite examples of this. ‘Sparrows’ is a breathtaking and heart-wrenching piece.

Merril is deft at crafting vivid poetry that immerses the reader in scenes that feel familiar. The poems ‘Cross-Quarter Days’ and ‘Topography’ are tremendous examples of this. One of my favourite pieces in the book ‘In Memoriam: for the Unknown Soldiers at Red Bank Battlefield’, stands out for imagery that connects multiple threads.

When Merril goes cosmic on scale in the pieces ‘Long Nights, The Stars Too Far’, ‘His Shirt’ and ‘All and After’ we are treated to wonderful interplay between scientific, delicate and romantic language.

There is a real sense of connection in the collection. This is across time and in various settings. The poem ‘Echoes’ is multi-sensory and highlights how sharing food can link people across generations. ‘Roads and Flights’ parallel the natural world and humanity and demonstrate how everything is linked.

In terms of styles, Merril makes use of free verse as well as different forms including a golden shovel in ‘That Time’, short form in ‘Daylilies’ and some ekphrasis in ‘Clasped and Cradled’ (inspired by recent Book Bag poet, Karen Pierce Gonzalez). But it’s not just poetry we are given in this book, but incredible photography taken by Merril herself. There’s also some lovely art within the pages.

This book has wide appeal, notably for the visceral, emotive and vivid poetry that lingers a while. If you want to feel a sense of connection, buy this book, if you like the thought of cosmic scale poetry that is epic and intimate simultaneously buy this book. Also, fans of photography will appreciate this book. A fantastic collection with pieces that cling to the mind like a fine November drizzle. A perfect gift for the festive season.

Favourite Poem:

I’ve already mentioned In Memoriam: for the Unknown Soldiers at Red Bank Battlefield’ but I’ve also got a few more to mention. I’ll add ‘At The Corner of First and Always’, ‘In Paris and Beyond’, ‘The Power of Gravity and Light’, ‘This Is Not—and Is’, ‘Letter From My Mom’ and ‘Horses’.

To find out more about Merril, her regular and very interesting blog is here.

To learn more about the press, click here.

To buy Held Inside The Folds Of Time, click here.

Oh, are you looking for a playlist to read along to? Well you’re in luck because I’ve curated an eclectic mix for you:

Coldplay – The Scientist
Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
The Clash – London Calling
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra – Paris Blues
Edith Piaf – La Vie En Rose
Guns ‘N’ Roses – Civil War
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not be Televised
The Honey Drippers – Impeach The President
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi
Stevie Nicks – Landslide
David Bowie – Space Oddity
Carole King – You’ve Got A Friend

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Before I Go…
Issue five of The Storms Journal launched this past week. Merril is one of the poets to have work in it. I’ve been following the artist reveals on Instagram and it’s a stellar collection. I’m just waiting for my copy to arrive. Details here.

One More Thing…
You can help support poets and presses as well as provide gift ideas for fellow poetics by submitting to the The Book Bag Christmas List. Details here.

And Another…
Matthew M.C. Smith, EIC of Black Bough Poetry is hosting another of their Crafting Your Year In Poetry workshops on November 16^th. 2025. I attended one of the workshops and it has really helped me to develop my practise. I along with others highly recommend it. Details here.

And Finally…
Just a reminder for all the poets, that the submission window for The Book Bag X Write Here, Right Now: Unwhispered Legacy Anthology opens at the end of the month, details here.

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Next Week’s Read

• Title: The Liminal Light Of The Night
• Poet: Carmella De Keyser

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

Paul