books

The Book Bag: Poetic Voices – Echoes From The Past Year

Welcome to The Book Bag Poetic Voices. As this month marks the first year anniversary of the Poetic Voices feature, I thought I’d do a small retrospective and share of one poem per poet from the past year.

Echoes if you will.

To say I am delighted how the first year has gone would be an understatement. Reading, sharing and nominating poems to be recognised has been a massive highlight for me. The fact that I have been able to spotlight poetry icons who have been so kind and forthcoming with their work has been an absolute joy. The variety of work has been broad but the quality has been consistently excellent. My thanks go to all those who have trusted me with their work from poets to presses and everyone in between.

In June, I featured Matthew MC Smith as the inaugural Poetic Voice. I am sharing this poem from his feature, which was also nominated for a Forward prize.

In August 2025, I was thrilled to celebrate and share pages from A Hobby of Mine by one of my poetry heroes Rishi Dastidar (available here). This is from page 9. The book is a list poem, underpinned by subversive humour.

Credit: Naomi Woodis

In September I was honoured to spotlight work from Beast by the tremendously talented and kind icon of poetry Pascale Petit. The following piece is The Lammergeier Daughter. You can buy Beast from Bloodaxe Books here.

Credit: Derrick Kakembo

I’ve ordered Carson Wolfe’s latest book and will be reading it for my regular Book Bag series soon. I was chuffed to have a selection of poems from Carson in October. I am re-sharing this piece which was first published in the Best New Poets Anthology 2024. This is While Wishing She Was Dancing To Kate Bush.

Back in November, I was delighted to share work by the excellent Rebecca Goss from her incredible collection Latch (available here). It is a masterclass on place and identity. I selected Weir as the echo from Rebecca’s feature.

Credit: Natalie J Watts

In December, I shared work from Sculling by Sophie Dumont (available here). One of the main themes in Sculling is how one can live on through a selfless act of organ donation by saving others. Because of this, I wanted to raise some awareness for Organ Donation, which is a vital service that can help save lives. In the UK, information can be accessed here: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/.

Credit: Jae Frederick

In February, I was lucky to be able to share some original work from the jocular and charming Paul Connolly. One of his pieces, I nominated for a Forward prize, which I am echoing today, I am always struck by Paul’s use of language.

In March, I shared original work from the exemplary Vikki C which resulted in a Forward nomination for her poem Morningfall. So, yes you guessed it…

In April, I was elated to be able to share work from #MOTH by Eleanor Holmes (available here) and an original piece of writing. #MOTH is a stunning book and I highly recommend people buy a copy, it is exquisitely produced. For Eleanor’s echo, I am sharing one of my favourites from the book…

And that brings us to our most recent Poetic Voice, the enigmatic and super busy Rachel Turney who shared original work and pieces from Retired Wannabe Club Kid (available here). Her original pieces were After poems of my work. My ego isn’t that big to share one of those even though they are fantastic. I am echoing this piece which warmed my heart…

So there we have it. If you haven’t read all the Poetic Voices, you can find them here. I can’t wait to share more Poetic Voices from July.

Stay tuned…

There’s lots more to come.

Stay Poetic & Be Kind

Paul

The Book Bag X Write Here, Right Now: Unwhispered Legacy Anthology

Welcome to The Unwhispered Legacy Anthology page.

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 48 hours, 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.

The submission email address is: thebookbagsubmissions@gmail.com.

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.

Stay Poetic,
Paul

The Book Bag: Midden Witch by Fiona Benson

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

This week has been busy. An open mic on Thursday, was a highlight although I could only stay for the first half. I submitted a couple of pieces to some really good magazines, had a tussle with Submittable and had a lovely rejection. I finished an audiobook that felt like it was unfolding in real time in places. Work is busy, and enjoyable and I’ve been able to work on a new project. I did find some time to get a long overdue haircut. On Sunday evening (tonight, 6th July), I’ll be reading at the Black Bough open mic.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Midden Witch

  • Poet: Fiona Benson
  • Press: Cape Poetry

Let me address something. This is the first time I’d read a collection by Fiona Benson in full, so I came into this review with only my appreciation for her work that I’d read in anthologies and online.

Midden Witch is divided into sections each titled with links to witchery, for example, ‘Discovery of Witchcraft’ and ‘Familiars’. There are micropoems on each division page, which feel like bonus material.

Language is a major strength of Fiona Benson. As this is a collection steeped in witchcraft and magic and the perception of it, this is no major surprise but poems such as ‘Robin Goodfellow’ and ‘North Berwick Witch Trials’ are incredibly rich. In fact, some of the pieces felt like spells, especially ‘Song of The Riparian Zone’ (part ii of ‘Beaver Trial’).  

A key theme throughout the book is how those in power have mistreated people, especially women in medieval times. Famous witches (yes I did my research and was shocked, SHOCKED by the accounts!) are referred to throughout such as ‘Jenny Greenteeth’. Poems including ‘Defamatio‘ showcase persecution. The reference to the church and the antaganost in the piece ‘Matthew Hopkins (Persecutor)’ is forthright and unapologetic.

There are some moments where I felt my heart crush and I had to pause reading, the impact was so intense. This was the case with ‘Charm For An Ailing Child’ . When you have such a strong emotional response when reading, you know a collection will stay with you.

Nature plays a major role in this collection. Fiona Benson creates exceptional imagery in pieces such as  The symbiotic relationship between humans and nature is explored also. The poems ‘Lark Ascending’ and ‘Lilac Chaste-Tree’ are great examples of this and show completely opposite approaches. However, ‘Moss’ for me is the standout in this theme, partly as I am partial to it but mostly because it is exquisite.


There is plenty of wit and humour in the collection in different shades. ‘The Bill Against Conjurations And Wichecrafts And Sorcery And Enchantments, Henry VIII, 1541-2 Cut Up, Rearranged’ feels like a dark satire reimagining a law against Witchcraft signed by Henry VIII, a King known for his treatment of women.

Fiona Benson plays with form throughout. We have chaptered poems in ‘Babushka’. ‘Amy Duny’ reads like biographical prose with a great shift in the closing line. Tercets appear throughout, including in ‘Wisp’. Alignment and spacing is played with in the poem ‘Exorcism: Wild Horses’ adding further emphasis to the writing.

Favourite Poem:

There’s a few in Midden Witch that I returned to time and again this week. I’m picking five six seven today, but it could be a lot more.  ‘Midden Witch’, ‘Patrick Swayze’, ‘Invention Of Opium’, ‘Leddy Lister’, ‘Accusatio’, ‘Charm For An Ailing Child’ and ‘Transformation: Galinthis’.

This collection will appeal to many. Witchcraft enthusiasts for one. Oh and people who agree that rules aren’t applied evenly to all genders, sexes and classes. It will appeal to poetry readers who love rich language, nature, various forms, myth, metaphor and realism. A bewitching collection.

To read Fiona Benson’s bio, click here.

Buy Midden Witch here.

What’s your favourite Fiona Benson poem or collection? Let me know in the comments.

I’m sharing another playlist today to accompany the reading;

Kate Bush – Babooshka
Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell on You
Frank Sinatra – Witchcraft
Donovan – Season of The Witch
Stevie Nicks – Rhiannon
Wardruna – Helvegen
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Spellbound
Aurora – Running With The Wolves
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – The Time of My Life

One More Thing…
It was great to see an exciting opportunity for poets who had attended or plan on attending one of the Black Bough Poetry ‘Crafting Your Year in Poetry’ workshops. I found this opportunity through subscribing to their newsletter. A terrific source of information including details of Louise Machen’s forthcoming online launch of I Am Not Light, a link to the new Silver Branch feature for July which celebrates a tremendously talented poet and artist, Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad and details of their next ‘Crafting Your Year in Poetry’ workshop. Sign up to their newsletter here.

And Another…
There is a new resource available to writers to get their work in front of new audiences through the Promote Indie Lit platform. If you know any writers who are looking to get their name out there for free, definitely direct them to https://promoteindielit.com. There are multiple opportunities and mediums for writers to have work shared including reviews (some will appear on The Book Bag), interviews, features and more.

And Another…
The Broken Spine are launching a new workshop. Cut To The Bone is all about editing your poetry to its sharpest. Details here.

And Finally…
Beautiful Little Fools is released on Monday July 7th 2025 exploring and responding to The Gilded Age. I’m very happy to have two pieces in the collection, sharing pages with some incredible poets. On Monday, go to Amazon and search Beautiful Little Fools. I’m sure Broken Spine will be sharing a link on Monday via their BlueSky social media.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Modern Poetry
  • Poet: Dianne Seuss

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

Paul