Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.
This week I’ve been able to celebrate Mrs S’ birthday with an afternoon tea, a day out and a movie night despite being lemsip cold.
The submission window for Black Bough’s Christmas/ Winter anthology opened and lots of poems are pouring in. Of my own writing, I’ve written a couple of pieces and edited them down. I was also in the audience for Iamb’s sixth birthday celebrations. A tremendously stellar lineup.
Aside from that, some unexpected news at work means I’ll be joining a new team in the next couple of weeks. I did receive a wonderful letter that raised my spirits.
On top of that, I’ve been reading;
The How In The World
- Poet: Louise Longson
- Press: Hedgehog Poetry Press
Louise Longson is an incredibly talented poet having won the inaugural Kari Ann Flickinger Memorial Literary Prize in 2023 and has released several books over the past few years. She is also a massive supporter of the poetry community hosting a monthly showcase on the Last Saturday poets (you may have caught the Iamb special yesterday evening, mentioned above). I’m a big a fan of Louise’s work.
The How In the World is an ecopoetry collection that examines the impact of humanity on nature and vice versa. It’s a book I’ve been looking forward to reading for a while.
Louise’s poetry teems with indictment and one of her strengths is getting the reader to invest immediately. The pieces ‘Hunger Stones’, ‘Prayer For The Bodies Of Those Who Died Violently’ and ‘The World Is A Mirror Of Myself Dying’ all capture environmental suffering and decline through human, industrial and agricultural expansion. ‘Dark Harvest (26 March 2022)’ is another poem that really hit me hard. These are not your typical eco poems. They have bite, purpose and importance.
Readers are immersed in vivid scenery in poems such as ‘Graveyard by the Sea’ which uses multi-sensory language to immerse the reader. The piece ‘Spirit Bear’ (one of my favourites) puts us firmly in nature with a sense of motion.
Louise plays with form in various ways throughout the collection. The use of white space in ‘The Impact of Atmospheric Change on Bird Flight’ is put to great use supported by beautiful language. The shaping of ‘How We Are Like The Moon’ is terrific and seems to shift depending on how you hold the book in your hand. The piece ‘Memories Left By Water’ (one of my favourites) is a skilled crafting of a piece that can be read as three different poems.
This book will appeal to fans of ecopoetry who like their poems to have purpose and truth. If you love a broad scope of language and imagery, this collection would be an ideal fit in your poetry library. If you want to feel, buy this book. A phenomenal read.
Favourite Poem:
I’ve already mentioned ‘Spirit Bear’ and ‘Memories Left By Water’. Another handful as I write today are ‘How We Are The Willows that Weep By The Banks of The River’, ‘Somewhere In The Shadows’, ‘How We Are Something Sharp Smoothed By The Sea’, ‘Depth of Field’ and ‘Finding A Piece of Humanity’.
To find more about Louise, click here.
To buy The How In The World, click here. You can also contact Louise directly for a signed copy.
Wondering what my playlist to enjoy with The How In The World is? Look no further…
A Winged Victory for the Sullen – Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears
Laura Marling – For You
Sigur Rós – Samskeyti
Fleetwood Mac – Songbird
Paul Desmond – Take Ten
Amy Macdonald – Caledonia
Ella Fitzgerald & Nelson Skylark
John Coltrane – After the Rain
Brian Eno – An Ending (Ascent)
Phoebe Bridgers – Scott Street
Duran Duran – Planet Earth
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
Before I Go…
The Book Bag: Poetic Voice for February 2026 goes live at Noon today. Links will be dropping on social media, keep your eyes peeled.
One More Thing…
Black Bough Poetry has an open mic on Wednesday 11th February. They are always supportive and welcoming evenings, and Matthew Smith is a great host. Tickets available here.
And Another…
Matthew is also holding another Crafting Your Year in Poetry workshop which I highly recommend. It kept me on track and accountable for my goals in 2025 and continues to do so. Tickets here.
And Finally…
I mentioned the submission window for Black Bough’s Christmas & Winter Anthology opening for entries this week. Remember, the window closes today (1st February 2026). Get your poems in.
Next Week’s Read
- Title: Through Salt-Heavy Seas
- Poet: Andy Williamson
Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 
Great post, as always. Happy birthday to Mrs. S!
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