poetry features

The Book Bag: Poetic Voices – August 2025

Welcome to the second 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.

This month, I am delighted to share this writer’s work. Someone who I have enjoyed following since I began writing poetry (‘The Craft’ was one of the first books I read to help my style and approach), I am delighted to announce that the featured poetic voice for August 2025 is … Rishi Dastidar.

Credit: Naomi Woodis

Rishi Dastidar’s poetry has been published by the Financial Times, New Scientist and the BBC, amongst many others. His third collection, Neptune’s Projects (Nine Arches Press), was longlisted for the Laurel Prize, and a poem from it was included in The Forward Book of Poetry 2024. He is also editor of The Craft: A Guide to Making Poetry Happen in the 21st Century (Nine Arches Press), and co-editor of Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different: Poems from Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (Corsair). He reviews poetry for The Guardian and is chair of Wasafiri. His latest publication is A hobby of mine (Broken Sleep Books).

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing pages from Rishi’s latest book ‘A Hobby Of Mine’ available from Broken Sleep here. Our first instalment is from page 9.

The next instalment of Rishi’s hobbies will be added on August 10th 2025.

Here we are as promised, taking in some more of Rishi’s hobbies from his book A Hobby Of Mine. You can find more on Rishi at his website here which includes links to his socials including Instagram, which is consistently great to follow. Without further ado….

So here I am a day late (due to technical issues) to share a third list of Rishi’s hobbies as part of this months Poetic Voice from his latest collection ‘A Hobby Of Mine’ available from Broken Sleep here. This list comes from page 37.

I have laughed so hard at some of these hobbies that ‘a hobby of mine’ is reading Rishi’s book and pointing out similar hobbies! Thanks Rishi!

Take it Easy and Stay Poetic,

Paul

The Book Bag: I Am Not Light by Louise Machen

Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic couple of weeks.

What a couple of weeks I’ve had. A trip to the Lakes including taking in Sizergh Castle, Levens Hall and Hill Top, home of Beatrix Potter. Also, my better half and I, celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary, I’ve hosted Top Tweet Tuesday, launched The Book Bag: Concealed Pockets, hosted Write Here, Right Now and submitted a couple of pieces and attended Regine Ebner’s online launch of Mountains That See In The Dark that was a delight and had some incredible guest readers. Oh, I was invited to read at a forthcoming launch as well which I’m very excited about and a little shocked.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

I Am Not Light

  • Poet: Louise Machen
  • Press: Black Bough Poetry


I have been a fan of Louise Machen’s work for quite some time after seeing a few pieces online as part of Top Tweet Tuesday. I was especially drawn to the emotion she can weave throughout her poetry. When I found out Louise was slated for a full collection, I kept looking out for the release date. It arrived at the end of May and I ordered immediately. Again I’ve popped an eclectic playlist to listen to further down the page…

Evocative, emotive poetry is Louise’s poetic superpower. The book is filled with strong currents of defiance, conflict and resilience that energise the collection. The pieces ‘A Burnt Child Dreads the Fire’, ‘Becoming An Arborist’ ‘Familial Obligation’ and ‘Dirt’ are just some of the pieces full of impact that make you pause for breath.

Grief is a recurring theme. Not just for the dead but for the living and self. Poems such as ‘A Disremembering’, ‘People Disappear’ and ‘And Then, We Never Spoke Again’ are heartfelt pieces that land with every reading.

Poems throughout the book are relatable, with scenes set so vividly that they feel tangible and immersive. While reading ‘The Queen of Sheba’ I was there, watching the events unfold from the narrator’s perspective, synapses and senses working in unison.  

Aside from the poems grounded in life, readers are treated to broader settings. ‘El Corazon’ transports to the cosmos and back again.

Imagery sets the scene perfectly throughout. Urban reality is displayed sharply and keenly in the pieces ‘1989’ and ‘The Playground’. Then we have pieces such as ‘Dawning’ and ‘A Defunct Radio Station on A Cliff Edge’ which contain stark, rugged coastal beauty.

Nature is in integral throughout but used in various ways and depictions. ‘Moss’, ‘Truth-Telling’ ‘Nightingale’ and ‘Amazonite’ are all great examples.

Form is played with throughout. Contemporary haiku makes an appearance in the piece ‘Shore-bound’. ‘In Pursuit Of Edges’ uses double column formatting to accentuate the delivery. ‘Words Never Spoken’ is a piece that uses space on the page to great effect. I should also mention ‘Splinters’ that discusses the role of narrator in Louise’s work. A tremendous piece.

This is a collection that is intimate drawing you into a swell of emotion and poetic mastery. It has broad appeal for lovers of evocative poetry who appreciate expert use of language and vivid imagery. It’s already been nominated by Black Bough for a Forward Prize. A cracking collection that overflows with quality. Buy it here.

Find out more about Louise Machen including other publications here.

Playlist

Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol
Ocean Colour Scene – The Riverboat Song
Massive Attack – Teardrop
Fleetwood Mac – Landslide
Cher – Just Like Jesse James
Salt + Pepa – Push It
Deacon Blue – Dignity
Madonna – Who’s That Girl
The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
Garbage – Special
Blondie – Maria
Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen
Queen – The Show Must Go On
Elton John – I’m Still Standing
Taylor Dayne – Tell It To My Heart
Sam Fender – People Watching


Favourite Poem:

Again a collection this packed, I have to choose more than one. ‘I Am Not Light’, followed by ‘The Tenth Muse’, ‘Rebel Glow’ and ‘Cherry Bakewell For The Fire Gods’.

One More Thing…

Louise Machen recently hosted Top Tweet Tuesday with a prompt to respond to the title poem from I Am Not Light. You can read my response here.

And Another…

A busy week for Louise. On Sunday she has an audiobook being released alongside Shakquile, Noor Iman & Culain Wood called ‘Which Way The Words Grow’. Available on all major platforms.

And Another…

Vikki C. is the current featured Silver Branch Writer on Black Bough Poetry. Read her captivating work here where you can also learn how she crafts her writing.

And Another…

A couple of weeks ago, I visited BBC Newcastle and recorded some poetry for BBC Upload. I’ll be sharing my experience next weekend. In the meantime you can listen here.

And Finally…

Have you been keeping up to date with The Book Bag: Poetic Voices? A new poem from Matthew MC Smith was added yesterday and is poignant and highly relevant. Read the poem here.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Lode
  • Poet: Gillian Allnutt

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

Paul