Well the week started well and continued in the same vein. Sunday saw us head back to the allotment (and me saw down a rosemary tree that was starting to push onto the greenhouse) while the weather held off, then I attended the online launch of Merril D. Smith’s new collection, I signed a contract extension at work, saw some meteor action and I harvested our garden crop of Jack-be-little pumpkins.
I also found time to write what I think is one of my best pieces of the year, sent off a submission, and realised I’d lost edits my on a poem I really like. I’ve also started planning for 2026.
On top of that, I’ve been reading;
Wonderful
- Poet: Harry Baker
- Press: Burning Eye Books
Harry Baker feels like a poet who doesn’t need an introduction, a superstar poetry performer and previous champion of the World Poetry slam, with a huge following and profile who is a genuinely decent human being.
One of Harry’s superpowers is his ability to inject humour and heart into his poetry. The collection is filled with upbeat, warm and funny poems. I found myself smiling while reading pieces including ‘An Ode To Postcodes’ especially the line on NE1 (a Newcastle postcode) and ‘Things I Learned from Interrailing’.
The book balances the joy and happiness with reflections on serious matters. The poem, ‘Trying’ really hit me hard and in my opinion is such an important piece from a males perspective. Beneath the humour and metaphor, the book explores themes including masculinity in the piece ‘Wellies’ and coming to terms with mortality in the excellent ‘Sunflowers’.
Another of Harry’s strengths is his wordplay and punnery. One of my favourite poems of the collection, ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’ does this incredibly well. As a performance poet, Harry can identify and incorporate language that will both work well with live audiences and on the page itself.
In terms of form, there are rhyme pieces, free verse, list poems and a few interesting styles, one that I had not encountered before which I may attempt. ‘As’ which is written with the Macao constraint, the poem ‘Ingrid’ (another of my favourites) is a univocalic using only the letter ‘I’. A very impressive piece.
The variety in this collection gives it a wide appeal to readers who are or aren’t already familiar with Harry Baker. If you like a poetry collection that makes you feel happy and warm inside, this is a book for you. If you like clever wordplay, this is a book for you. Wonderful is a charming, engaging book that brought me joy (I wrote that in the section of the book that allows you to record what brings you joy).
Favourite Poem:
I’ve mentioned ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’ and ‘Ingrid’ as favourites already but I’ll also add in ‘Home’, ‘Trying’, ‘A Bed Shop Called Dreamland’ and ‘Wonderful’. To be fair the poems in this book are all exceptional.
If you want to learn more about Harry Baker click here. Also, I would recommend following his Instagram account.
You can buy Wonderful here.
Are you looking for the playlist? You are, aren’t you? Well, here it is, a happy eclectic mix to listen to alongside reading Wonderful.
Pharrell Williams – Happy
OutKast – Hey Ya
Len – Steal My Sunshine
The Cardigans – Lovefool
Björk – It’s Oh So Quiet
Eminem – Mockingbird
P!nk – Get The Party Started
Will Smith – Getting Jiggy With It
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
Michael Giacchino – Theme From Mission Impossible
Marcus Mumford & Tom Howe – Ted Lasso Theme
Before I Go…
There’s less than a week left to submit to After poetry. Details here. An excellent opportunity to be published on a highly respected platform.
One More Thing…
There’s still time to submit your gothic pieces to Broken Spine Art’s callout for an anthology being published in 2026. Details here.
And Another…
Remember to help boost your favourite poets and presses this festive season by sending over details for the Christmas Gifts Guide that will be published at the end of November. Details here.
And Another…
Ice Floe Press are now open for submissions until November 18th on the areas of Process / Marginalia / Otherworld. Full details here.
And Another…
A new Poetic Voice will be coming to The Book Bag from Saturday. Catch up with October’s Poetic Voice, the exceptional Carson Wolfe here.
And Finally…
I’m enjoying reading for Frazzled Lit, a reminder that the submission window is still open until Friday October 31st 2025. Details are here, send your best work.
Next Week’s Read
- Title: Held Inside The Folds Of Time
- Poet: Merril D. Smith
Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.
Paul
Paul Writes Poems 