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The Book Bag: After Party by Dean Browne

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

This week has been fun and fast.

I started the week with taking the dog to a secure field and woodland so he could run free and explore. He slept well on Sunday evening.

I received a letter with some beautiful poetry, followed closely by ‘the taro as deer’ by Caroline Harris.

Work has been busy and I am learning more in my new role daily. It was our company conference and hearing from the guest speakers was inspiring on the topic and approach to education.

It was another wonderful Write Here, Right Now. I set a rather complex prompt which was different to my previous prompts. I think it worked well. I am very proud of the small community that makes up Write Here, Right Now. Everyone has a different perspective which helps tremendously when reflecting on your writing and taking editorial suggestions.

I got to catch the Last Saturday Poets which was a showcase of Hedgehog Press poets. The readings were perfect as was the artwork shared by Karen Pierce Gonzalez.

It was also great to see Paul Connolly announce his debut book, coming out with Broken Sleep in 2027.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

After Party

  • Poet: Dean Browne
  • Press: Picador Poetry

After Party is the debut collection from Dean Browne. And what a debut it is. This is a book that takes you with it as it explores multiple themes from different perspectives and angles. I now need to get a copy of his chapbook, Kitchens at Night.

Vivid, textured imagery jumps from the page in many of the poems in this book giving an immersive feeling. ‘Listening To Joni Mitchell’s Blue While Cooking Peposo’ is fantastic and one of my favourites in the collection. ‘Scuttle’ is another excellent example as is ‘Fascinators’.

Several of the pieces use surrealism with great effect. It’s an excellent skill to connect with readers at a subconscious level using weird and unexpected language and images. The poems ‘Quiche’ and ‘Notes Toward an Epithalamium’ are both excellent examples in my opinion.

Excerpt of Quiche

We are treated to deep emotion in multiple ways across the collection. The poem ‘Percy French’ is a swathe of emotion, mostly regret and unexpected grief. The piece ‘Pinball’ (one of my favourites) moved me considerably. A dark humour fills ‘Parachuting Into The Volcano’ and ‘Prayer For Buster Keaton’ compared to ‘Butternut Squash’.

Fans of poets exploring different form are in luck in this book. Micro ‘The Infinite’ is tightly packed and appears in your mind and stays almost immediately. The piece ‘Horse Chestnuts’ (one of my favourites) uses excellent repetition to convey the atmosphere. The use of couplets in ‘The Pineapple Massage’ adds to the quirky feel of the piece.

After Party is an absolute corker of a book. It will appeal to readers who appreciate vivid imagery, humour and surrealism. Fans of form will love the variation. As debut collections go, this is one of the best I’ve read and i highly recommend you add it to your poetry library.

Favourite Poem
I’ve already mentioned ‘Listening To Joni Mitchell’s Blue While Cooking Peposo’, ‘Horse Chestnuts’ and ‘Pinball’ so I’ll add another seven. ‘The Triangle’, ‘Days Of The Brindled Cow’, ‘Synastry Chart’, ‘The Cup’, ‘Aide-Mémoire’, ‘Spacer’ and ‘Oink’ are still sticking in my mind.

To read more on Dean Browne click here.

To buy After Party, click here.

An After Party and The Book Bag wouldn’t be complete without the playlist. This week I have a special mix of music across genres;

Groove Armada – At The River
David Bowie – Life on Mars
Tiësto – Adagio for Strings
Dua Lipa – Levitating
Queen – Flash
The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
Roger Sanchez – Another Chance
Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You
The Cranberries – Linger
Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love
Jay-Z Featuring Mr Hudson – Young Forever
Joni Mitchell – California

Before I Go…

Unwhispered Legacy is launching on Tuesday. Hopefully it can raise some money for Médecins Sans Frontières. Keep an eye on social media for when the anthology goes live. My handle is @PaulWritesPoems across Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X and BlueSky.

One More Thing…

Remember to check out Vikki C’s March Poetic Voice feature here. It includes the Forward prize nominated ‘Morningfall’.

And Another…

Evie Carlyn has created a new space for poetry on BlueSky using the hashtag PoemsAloud. All you need to do is upload audio or video files of your poems.

And Finally…

Congratulations to all who had success in the National Poetry Competition especially the overall winner, Partridge Boswell. The Gathering is a wonderful poem.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Strike
  • Poet: Sarah Wimbush

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

Paul

The Book Bag: Cupid, Grown by Adam Panichi

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

This week has been very busy, a bit tiring but exhilarating. A late-night reading on Tuesday at the North Bay Poetics showcase of Alan Parrys work on the theme of masculinity, it was an honour to be asked. On Wednesday I attended an excellent event featuring Len Pennie reading from Poyums and forthcoming Poyums Annaw with an open mic section in Jesmond. I read three poems and felt I done okay. On Thursday it was another instalment of Write Here, Right Now which was very insightful and collaborative. I’ve also had chance to work on some of my own writing and editing.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Cupid, Grown

  • Poet: Adam Panichi
  • Press: Broken Sleep Books


I picked up a copy of Cupid, Grown at an event held at my work where local independent sellers were, well, selling. I was lucky to buy the last poetry book from the indie bookseller who said they’d sold more pamphlets and collections than expected which is always a good thing. So without further ado, let’s dive in, also another playlist at the end of this post.

Evocative imagery is a major highlight of this collection displayed throughout. Poems including ‘Bathhouse’ and ‘Concrete Quarterly’ are both vivid, physical and philosophical. ‘Following A Mild Electric Shock I Think Of England’ is a very clever piece also.

Throughout the collection, there are many visceral pieces. The poem ‘Cotton-Collared Mafiosi’ is stark, raw and unflinching. It made me reflect and revisit things I endured and reconcile myself. ‘Snow’ is an exquisite piece of writing on self and masculinity. ‘The Boys Are Killing Their Sims On The Family PC’ (after Andrew McMillan) is a tour de force in referencing and subverting pop-culture through poetry.

Talking of references, the poem ‘Lilac Bushes’ gets a special mention here. Once I read it, and read it again, I looked up the subject then reread it again. A really sharply crafted piece.

There are some truly delicate moments in this book. Pieces including ‘Carciofi’ and ‘Cloth Mother’ give a glimpse into maternal security and admiration. They are resonant, and, in ‘Carciofi’ the use of Italian and the rich depiction of the kitchen and produce is exceptional. I must also mention the intimacy of ‘Tender’, a beautiful poem.

For fans of styles and forms, there are a multitude used in the book. In the poem ‘Slow Erasure of the Author’ there is the blacking out of words mid-line followed by a tremendous and large scale use of white space. The found piece ‘The Interior Of A Heart’ uses text from The Scarlet Letter by Nigel Hawthorne and is printed in original form which adds to the style of the piece and quality of the book itself. The piece ‘White Soft Paraffin’ uses a / in line breaks elevating the emphasis of the language.

Favourite Poem:

A few to choose from this week so in no order; ‘Flight Feathers’, ‘Lilac Bushes’, ‘Carciofi’, and ‘Cupid, Grown’.

This book will appeal to readers who like raw, honest and unflinching poetry that explores identity and love and relationships. If you like sharp observations and excellent use of language, this will be for you also. A gem of a book.

To find out more about Adam Panichi  and to buy Cupid, Grown click here.

As promised, here’s a small playlist to go with this weeks pamphlet;

Amy Winehouse – Cupid
David Guetta & Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over
Pet Shop Boys – Love Comes Quickly
Bruce Springsteen – Dancing In The Dark
Mario Lanza & Constantine Callinicos – Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
Fatboy Slim – Weapon Of Choice
Years & Years – Shine
Verna Felton – Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
Ludovica Einaudi  – Eros

One More Thing…

Not long to go until August’s Poetic Voice is announced and I am tremendously happy to be featuring this poet. The feature will drop at Noon on August 1st. Unfortunately issues outside of my control meant July’s feature did not land.

And Another…

On 5th August 2025, come along to the launch of Beautiful Little Fools on Zoom with Open Mic. Will I be drinking cocktails? Maybe. Will I be wearing a velvet jacket? Maybe. Will there be glitzy poetry to hear? Definitely. Details here.

And Finally…

I’ll be taking a plunge this week and posting a reading on Instagram. Find me using @paulwritespoems. Give me a watch, even if its to laugh at my amateurishness!

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Dark Skies Die Starless
  • Poet: Jamie Miller

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

Paul

The Book Bag: Poetic Voices – June 2025

Welcome to the first instalment of a new feature as part of The Book Bag. Poetic Voices will feature a different poet every month. This feature aims to platform and showcase exemplary work from writers I admire across the poetic landscape and will run concurrently with the regular weekly episodes of The Book Bag where I’ll still be sharing thoughts on books I’ve read in the week.

So without further ado, our featured Poetic Voice for June 2025 is Matthew M.C. Smith. A man who does so much for poets across the world and an incredible poet in his own right. If you’ve read The Keeper Of Aeons Book Bag article, you’ll know I’m a big fan.

Matthew M. C. Smith is a writer from the east of Swansea, the industrial heartland of the city.  He has a PhD on Robert Graves and Celticism. He is widely published and his work can be read in Poetry Wales, Arachne Press, These Pages Sing, The Gower Society Journal, Atrium Poetry and Acropolis Journal. Matthew is writing his own novel of The Odyssey, hoping to complete a final draft in 2025. He is campaigning for the return of the “Welsh Elgin Marbles” – the Red Lady of Paviland – back to Swansea from Oxford. 

Matthew loves everything Star Wars, Welsh Rugby, collecting signed poetry books and 60s/ 70s vinyl. He can be found on long time-travelling walks in Gower and the Welsh hills and coastline. 

His last poetry collection was The Keeper of Aeons (Broken Spine, 2022). In 2024, he read with Owen Sheers and Matthew Hollis.

Matthew edits Black Bough, the Silver Branch project and TopTweetTuesday. He is on Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Insta/ Threads.

Not a Mirror

and its flat, flipped impression,
not the containing frame. 
Not the predictable form of self,
presented, out there,
thinned in depth.

She wants to hold her hologram,
through passages of gold
out into the uncaring city:
through mindless mountains,
the ocean's unthinking, frayed edge,
bearing its fierce blue flicker
like a bust of Nefertiti,
unflipped, uncontained,
filling heart-sized height and depth.

She wants to hold its crackle
like an offering to be placed
at the sanctuary 
of a future self.
Green Man 

Mist drifts through webs, 
rain-flecked. 

From the house, 
from the ivy way, 
all paths spiral, shadowed 
by green ruins, 
unravelled to the sky 
and beyond, 
the forest is ghost. 

Walk through the night, 
walk to your rest, kneel 
under the beat moon 
and the pitiless stars
and look upon
the Green Man, 
moss-cheeked, 
ivy-bearded, 
who stares, 
deathless, 
through you.

Today, I’m sharing the following poignant and important piece by Matthew. 

Colouring the Birds of Gaza

In a gallery in Swansea
children are colouring in paper birds,
each one a symbol
of a child killed in Gaza.

Crayons are clenched, 
tiny fists of protest,
pencils propped 
in the pressing triangle of 
fingers and thumb.

Ask them,
the children always know the truth.

It's about power.
Violence breeds hatred.
No-one can ever win.
Everyone should be free.
Stop the War.

This is not the poem. This is almost 
nothing. Look, instead at the paper birds,
the children fixing wings on the glass
that crinkle in the sunlight.

I am delighted to share another poem from Matthew MC Smith today (30/06/2025).

Your Sundown is Electric
 
Tonight, I will imagine one sky
and your hand reaching up,
your fingers touching the shimmer
with whatever’s left in you.
 
You give the remains
of your palette’s freedom, 
watching it trail
through the sky,
like a comet’s
sinking tail.
 
Your heart is as long as the earth,
it could be forever, it cannot go –
a shock of joy before the low hum
of earth things 
and the stars’ iron wheel,
so distant from the wild streak of your wide eyes,
the intake of your breath.
 
Tonight, I will imagine one sky
and that you are that outstretched finger,
as you sit on that step, in a hallway
flooded by light,
looking upwards,
 
your sundown is electric.


Thanks for reading, keep up with my socials to find out when the next poem goes live. Username is @paulwritespoems on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X. You can also sign up to receive updates direct to your inbox when a new post goes live. Currently there is a delay in July’s Poetic Voice going live.

Take it easy and stay poetic.

Paul

The Book Bag: Scattered Snows, To The North by Carl Phillips

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

This week I’ve enjoyed some tremendous walks in the countryside, wrote a couple of pieces, one for a submission and one definitely for the pamphlet, entered into phase 2 of a secret project and a couple of opportunities came my way. More details on those in the coming weeks.

I also observed the anniversary of VE Day and wrote a poem for it based on personal stories of those who experienced it (you can read that here).

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Scattered Snows, To The North

  • Poet: Carl Phillips
  • Press: Carcanet Poetry

Scattered Snows, To The North is Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Phillips 17th collection (this is my first time reading a collection of his) and reads like a memoir where past choices and experiences and are examined with a focus on how memories often create a version of believed facts. A great example of this is in ‘Stop Shaking’.

The use of water recurs through the book. ‘Troubadours’, ‘Sunlight in Fog’ and  ‘Regime’ play with water in different ways but all to maximum effect. Phillips is deft at creating vivid, visceral images throughout the book. Poems such as ‘When We Get There’, ‘Fall Colors’ and ‘Record of Where a Wind Was’.


Relationships are intricately and intimately observed in a variety of different ways. These include ‘Mechanics’, ‘Why So This Quiet’ ‘Western Edge’ and ‘Artillery’. A standout poem in this regard had to be ‘Surfers’ which deals with longing, infatuation and how a person acts.

When I was reading this, I was intrigued by the way that Phillips ends lines in unusual places, giving extra emphasis to the message he is delivering. The poem ‘Fist and Palm’ is exceptional in giving pause but making you want to get to the next line soon rather than later, heightening anticipation.

There are some fun quirks in the book such as the fact that the title poems from each section are in other parts of the book. In terms of form, there are various styles used in the book including pieces that are more prose such as ‘Searchlights’ compared to a poem like ‘Like So’ that plays with space on the page.


Use of language in Scattered Snows to The North is never laboured or overcooked which is something that poets can wrestle with when crafting work. Poems have a lyrical quality to them , demonstrated throughout. I’ve picked out the pieces ‘Back Soon; Driving-‘, ‘Career‘ and ‘If Grief Is Mostly Private And Always Various’ as examples but I could list so many more.

I could go on about how much I appreciate this book. I’ve read Scattered Snows To The North thrice in the week. I’m going to be re-reading more, hopefully absorbing some methods to improve my line breaks especially.

This is an introspective collection that will appeal to readers who like exceptional use of language and crafted poems that explore relationships and the role memory plays in our lives.


Favourite Poem:

I’m picking three this week. ‘This Is The Light’, ‘Somewhere It’s Still Summer’ and ‘Scattered Snows, To The North’.

To learn more about Carl Phillips, his website is here.

To buy Scattered Snows, To The North directly from Carcanet click here.

One More Thing…

I’m sharing more things on Instagram and Threads these days. I’d love for you to join me over there. As on every other site, my handle is @paulwritespoems. (I cringed slightly when I wrote handle!)

And Another…

If you’re a fan of the Emerald Isle and haven’t been listened to the Eat The Storms May Day Special featuring 32 poets from the 32 counties of Ireland then you need to. Available where you get your podcasts from normally. Also the Storms Journal is now open for submissions with the delightful Rhona Greene being sub-editor for this issue.More details on everything Storms related here.

And Finally…

A reminder that a couple of Book Bag alumni are appearing at Cheltenham Poetry Festival this coming week. Lesley Curwen who wrote ‘Rescue Lines’ will be appearing on Wednesday 14th May 2025, Chris Campbell, author of All Island No Sea will be appearing on Saturday 17th May 2025. Details on all events here.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Soi-Même
  • Poet: Victoria Spires

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

Paul




Advent Calendar Haiku #12

Welcome to Sunday and day twelve of the Haiku Advent Calendar. I hope you’re having a lovely, relaxed weekend.

I’ve finished my Christmas read early and would love a Christmas murder mystery recommendation that I can finish before Christmas Eve. Please leave one below or tweet me at @PaulWritesPoems.

Sunday’s haiku is …

gilded pinecones,
add bling to the Christmas tree;
wrapping paper drought.

Remember to come back tomorrow for day thirteen as we gallop towards Christmas Eve.

Thanks and Take It Easy

Paul

Advent Calendar Haiku #6

Welcome to day 6 of the Haiku Advent Calendar, I hope you have been enjoying my efforts so far.

I’ve been receiving some lovely comments on twitter (@PaulWritesPoems); I have really appreciate the support.

Today’s Haiku is…

Nearby chimneys
wheeze grey in the winter wind;
candlelit reading.

Remember, come back tomorrow for another festive/winter haiku. Thanks again for the support.

Take It Easy

Paul