With the festive season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of poetry collections, pamphlets and anthologies that would make excellent Christmas gifts.
To do that, I’m calling on the book bag readers to offer some advice to each other.
What I would like from you is the title, author or editor and press with a couple of lines as to why you think a particular book will make an excellent Christmas gift as well as a photograph of the cover.
I will then select and compile these into a list and share at the end of November. This is a great way to boost poets and presses alike as well as giving gift ideas to your fellow poetics.
To quote Shelley ‘Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.’ Why would you not want to share that?
How to send the information: Send an email with the subject ‘The Christmas List’ to thebookbag25@gmail.com before 23:59 on 21st November 2025.
Please attach the image of the cover as png or jpg file formats.
So on Sunday (7th September) I attended an open mic via zoom held by Black Bough Poetry. They are always excellent events and Biok Bag alumni Matthew MC Smith is always excellent on hosting duties. This time he was joined by the fabulous Polly Oliver as co-host and this was possibly one of the best Black Bough zoom open mic’s I’ve attended.
There were over 20 international poets all with various styles, subjects and voices giving the night a special feeling of anticipation as to what would come next. I read Who We Are in the encore section, my most confident reading of this piece so far. But enough about me…
Every poet brought something different and I was hypnotised by some, brought to tears by one poet, some debuts which were excellent also.
Here’s a recap of some of my favourite performances and why…
First off, I’ll mention Evie Carlyn, reading an important piece recently featured in the prestigious Madrid Review. It entranced the room and was delivered perfectly- both in pitch and pace.
Paul Connolly, who I’ve connected with over on BlueSky, has a theatrical performance style that really lent itself to the poems he read. His diction and intonation led me to make a request he read the entire Lord of The Rings trilogy on audiobook for me.
Rob McKain who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and hearing live in Neath 2024. His voice carried every bit of emotion in the poem he recited, the sorrowful quality was deepened by his immense accent. If he and Paul Connolly were to record a radio play it would be a phenomenal success.
Photo Credit: Matthew MC Smith
I was very impressed by Elizabeth Fevyer making her open mic debut. Her pitch and pace and choice of work was tremendous and there were no signs of nerves. I’m looking forward to hearing her read more.
Lauren Parker is a terrific performance poet. She has a real understanding of rhythm and flow, when to change tone and pace. It helps that her poems are always class and suit her conversational style.
Victoria Spires’ open mic and performance confidence continues to improve and impress. Vic is in the next wave of Iamb and when you get the chance, hear her read. Her poetry is prize-winning and of excellent quality. Also buy Soi-Meme.
It was a treat to hear Martin Kennedy Yates reading from his new book, (I’m looking forward to it arriving). His voice carries so much emotion making his reading mesmerising. Martins new book, This Wilderness and Other Concerns, will be making an appearance in The Book Bag soon…
At one point, I had to turn my camera off because Louise Longson read such a beautiful piece written for her friend Nick that I cried. I felt every single word and emotion. It reminded me of my Uncle.
Sarah Raybould’s poetry is top notch. As is her reading style, very composed and deliberate in her reading. I really enjoyed hearing her read and look forward to hearing more of her reading.
Daniel Hinds has a wonderful accent. He is from the North East after all. He read some of his poetry from New Famous Phrases and he always sounds so good. A pro.
Wren Wood is an impeccable performer. I really appreciated the movement and tone shifts which can be hard to portray on a zoom open mic. Exceptional poems too.
Barnaby Harsent read extremely well. But he always does. Poised and precise in his delivery that draws you in. Catch him on Iamb too.
I could go on and on because I enjoyed every single reading for different reasons. But these are the thoughts I’m having today.
A lot of readers are on the Iamb platform spearheaded by the excellent Mark Anthony Owen whose performances too were top class. His poems carry an economy of language that when combined with his tone gives real gravitas.
If you liked this quick piece let me know and I may do another at the next open mic I attend. Maybe in the future I might host one too?
Let me know your thoughts.
If you want to hear me read with a stellar line up to launch Chris Campbell’s new collection on Friday visit Parlyaree Press here for zoom tickets
If you’re visiting this page, I hope you’re considering submitting to the inaugural poetry anthology from The Book Bag X Write Here Right Now.
All the details can be found below including submission guidelines and the why behind the project.
The Concept
Unwhispered Legacy is an idea born out of the Write Here, Right Now writing group which I set up to bring poets together and and my regular blog The Book Bag, that provides a platform for emerging and established poets.
I thought wouldn’t it be great to create an anthology that showcased some of the best poetry out there and give an opportunity to poets to submit for free and potentially be nominated for awards. So here we are. Unwhispered Legacy will be a theme-free anthology published in PDF format released on the 2nd March 2026.
This will be a free anthology available via The Book Bag, with all contributors being provided a copy. I will also be setting up a charitable donation link when the anthology goes live should people wish to donate to charity.
So lets get into the important bits and pieces.
Submission Guidelines
There is no theme or style preference but it may be worthwhile to be familiar with The Book Bag and The Book Bag: Poetic Voices, my blog that features emerging and established poets including Pascale Petit, Rishi Dastidar, Rhian Elizabeth, Carson Wolfe, Rebecca Goss and more.
Please see submission guidelines below:
The submission window is for 48hours, opening on Sunday November 30th at 00:00 (GMT) closing at 00:00 (GMT) on 2nd December 2025.
****A Special Window has opened from 8am Sunday 14th December 2025 until Wednesday 17th December 2025, 9pm (GMT)***
You may submit up to 2 unpublished poems of your own work (poems shared on social media are acceptable). These should be sent as an attachment via email in doc. or docx format with a separate document per poem with the following naming convention: Your Name – Poem Title (e.g. Ann Example – A Poem).
Please also send a short bio of 50 words or less.
In the subject field of the email use Unwhispered Legacy Submission + No. Of Poems.
All poems should be in Garamond font size 11, with left alignment unless specifically shaped for the purpose of the piece. Poems should not exceed 30 lines or 200 words.
On occasion, editorial suggestions may be made.
Please do not submit work that contains extreme graphic depictions of violence of any kind.
The Book Bag is an inclusive platform therefore any pieces containing bigotry, hate or discrimination of any kind will not be accepted.
No plagiarism / ai poetry please.
You will be notified of acceptance no later than 31st January 2026.
This is not a paid opportunity, however poems will be considered for nominations to the Pushcart, Best Of The Net & Forward prizes.
All decisions are final.
Copyright remains with you.
If your work is printed elsewhere following publication, a mention would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions please drop me a message on social media.
I can’t wait to read your pieces. Send me your best.
I took a breath and uploaded a poem to the BBC Upload portal after hearing Helen Laycock and Chris Campbell had appeared on their respective BBC Upload shows previously. It felt like a big step for me in getting my poetry out there to a new audience…
First though, I searched BBC Sounds for BBC Upload, found the North East programme and listened to a lot of episodes over one weekend. Then I had to find out how BBC Upload works. Well it’s a platform to upload poetry, comedy, stories and other content (not music) to the BBC Upload service region your work links to. In total I listened to about 10 episodes over a weekend on BBC Sounds . I loved the clowns/cabaret act interview.
Then I realised I had to make a video to upload. I used some footage from a recent trip to Alnwick Garden and recorded a voiceover of my poems ‘Taihaku Joypiloting at Alnwick Garden’. I did my best to make it presentable using my mobile phone which was just a case of trial and error. And back to taking the the breath and the uploading of the file from the beginning of this post. Confirming I want to proceed then waiting on tenterhooks to see if I could catch the attention of the producers.
A few days later, I got a very warm and friendly email from Emma Millen at BBC North East & Cumbria who curates the BBC Upload for Newcastle and Tees stations for BBC Sounds. Emma offered me an opportunity to go into the studio for a chat about my poetry, and to record some of my work.
On a sunny Friday, I put on one of my best shirts and pair of jeans, shook off some nervous excitement and made my way to BBC Newcastle Studios with the book bag in tow.
When I arrived I was a bit slapstick trying to open every entry door until I buzzed the receptionist who let me in and sorted my visitor badge out. I got to see a TARDIS in the foyer while I waited. Emma collected me and I was taken for my interview in one of the radio station studios. It felt a bit surreal at first, I won’t lie.
Emma and I had a chat where she made me feel really comfortable talking and sharing my work. Then in a flash I’d had been recorded and I was headed home to enjoy the rest of the sunshine.
The episode aired on Saturday 14th June on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Tees. Here is a clip of me reading a couple of poems. I’m chuffed to bits with the edit, not to mention Sam Fender – People Watching was the song after my final piece on the radio. I was buzzing. I celebrated with a pink gin and tonic.
The whole process from start to finish was handled so well and I will (hopefully if they’ll have me back) share more work on the platform. It’s a great way to showcase your work and reach a broader audience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and am truly grateful for the opportunity. Stepping out of the comfort zone every now and then is worthwhile and I would recommend more people try it.
For next time (if there is a next time) I’ll be a bit more organised and stick with the pieces I had originally planned to read because I changed my mind at the last minute.
Huge thanks to Emma for having me on and making me feel calm and relaxed as I could be. Her energy is infectious and that really helped.
I’m going to be opening the Concealed Pockets of The Book Bag every now and then. First up, my thoughts on Sonnet Restaurant.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I visited Sonnet Restaurant, a 14-seater restaurant that serves a 14-course tasting menu across a few hours in Alnwick, Northumberland where all diners eat at the same time. Food x Poetry = a dream for me. This was a belated promotion / early anniversary celebration.
I could go on and on about the food however, I will simply state it was excellent, (Michelin and Conde Naste both agree) and we’ll be visiting again for a smaller lunch soon.
The experience was incredible, from the service which was friendly and attentive without being over the top and the wine flight paired perfectly with the courses.
This is a perfect place to eat when visiting Northumberland and I highly recommend if you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion. The space is intimate and bright and ends itself perfectly to relaxed fine dining.
A great finishing touch was the song ‘Sonnet’ by The Verve playing at the end of the meal. Another great detail was the course guide that was rolled into a scroll.
As sonnets go, the restaurant is comparable to Shakespeare’s 18th Sonnet. A marvel.
Hope you enjoyed this 14-line ( as it appears on laptop) response.
Stay tuned for more bits and pieces as I open more of The Book Bag’s Concealed Pockets.
Paul Writes Poems 