writers

The Book Bag: Poetic Voices – September Takeover Special

Welcome to this month’s special edition of Poetic Voices, featuring several of the members of Write Here, Right Now poetry writing group.

Write Here, Right Now holds a special place in my heart. Thanks to the group, my work has improved vastly over the past year and a bit. It’s even more gratifying to see members flourish in their own writing projects.

The group meets on Thursday evenings every 6 weeks or so via zoom and is formatted to help poets on their WiPs or spark new ideas through prompts and feedback. A challenging and thoughtful prompt is given at the start of the session followed by time to work on WIP with the creative part of the brain already engaged followed by time for poets to read pieces and gain constructive feedback from the the group. We also have a WhatsApp community where members can share more.

If you’d like to know more, reach out on Social Media.

This is the first takeover featuring several members who are sharing a poem, recommending a poet to read and offering some writing advice.

This month I am proud to share the voices of;

GP Hyde
Jenevieve Carlyn
Leia Butler
Merril D. Smith
Penny Dedman
Andrew Williamson

GP Hyde was born on the Wirral and now lives in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, UK. He studied fine art at Goldsmith’s College and at the Royal Academy Schools. He has worked in theatres, art centres and community arts as a performer, writer and production manager for 14 years before working as a lecturer and senior manager in creative arts for 25 years.

His fiction has been extensively published by Pure Slush. His poetry has been published by Broken Spine, Black Bough Press, Underbelly Press, Hedgehog Press, voidspacezine, the Dark Poets, Bent Key, Lincs & Ink, Underbelly, the Starbeck Orion and Full House Literary.

He has been nominated for a Best of the Net award and longlisted for the Bath Novella-in-Flash award. His radio drama ‘Michael and John go to England’ was longlisted for the BBC’s Alfred Bradley Prize.

Links:
Phil has published a pamphlet A Gracious Month, available Amazon at A Gracious Month: Amazon.co.uk: Hyde, G.P.: 9798715707567: Books

He reviews books at (3) GP Hyde’s Book Reviews | Substack

Social Media:
@gphydeauthor

Writing Advice:

It’s all about application – apply backside to chair and fingers to keyboard.

Poetry Recommendation:

John Hollander’s Rhyme’s Reason, a guide to English verse – Yale University Press Fourth Edition 2014

Jenevieve Carlyn is a poet and historical writer in New England. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in The Examined Life, Parabola, River Heron’s “Poems, for Now,” Sage Magazine from Yale’s School of the Environment, The Madrid Review, Relief, and elsewhere, including the anthology In the Garden: Community Storytelling on Food, Ecology, & Place (Torrey House Press).

She won the 2023 Thomas Merton Prize in Poetry of the Sacred and the Connecticut Poet Laureate Award for Eco-Poetry, was a finalist for Palette Poetry’s 2025 Love & Eros Prize, was shortlisted in the Artemesia Arts Contest, and highly commended in Mist & Mountain’s Competition on the 2025 theme of Peace.

Links:
website: jenevievecarlyn.com

Social Media:
Bluesky: @coastalpoet
Substack: @coastalpoet
IG: @coastal_poet

Writing Advice:

Whether on the page or in everyday life, let yourself move between silence and self-expression. They both have something to offer.

Poetry Recommendation:

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo. When my mind feels distracted or I am lost in abstraction, the immediacy of Joy Harjo’s poetry brings me back to sensory engagement. Words come alive again.

Leia Butler is a writer and creator from London. Her poetry can be found in Streetcake Magazine, Permeable Barrier, Atrium, Aswirl, Fawn Press, The Unwhispered Legacy Anthology, and After Poetry.

She has poetry collections published with Broken Sleep Books, Stanchion, and Steel Incisors.

She is the editor of Full House Literary.

Links:
website: https://leiabutler.com/

Writing Advice:

It’s always worth experimenting and playing around with your language, form, and spacing. Even if you have a few different variations, you might discover something special! 

Poetry Recommendation: One of the first poets I read was Nikki Dudley, who is an amazing champion for experimental and bold writing. Her poetry is incredible and has forever shaped the way I write. 

Merril D. Smith is a Pushcart and Best of the Net nominated poet. Her second collection, Held Inside the Folds of Time (Jane’s Studio Press) was published in 2025.

Her first full-length poetry collection, River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press) was Black Bough Poetry’s December 2022 Book of the Month. 

 She writes from southern New Jersey.

Links:
website: merrildsmith.org
Held Inside the Folds of Time: https://a.co/d/01WJhVTA
Merril’s Publisher https://www.janecornwell.co.uk/janesstudiopress-poetry

Social Media:
Bluesky: @merrildsmith.bsky.social;
IG: mdsmithnj

Writing Advice:

I think it’s very important to read widely and to interact with other poets/writers to see how they approach topics, forms, syntax, vocabulary, and space on a page simply to open your own mind to possibilities.

Poetry Recommendation:

 I can’t speak for everyone, but I return again and again to Sarah Connor’s work. I wrote the book blurb for her Always Fire, her final book, published by Sidhe Press.  ” . . .the poems sneak up on you, gently grazing your skin and grasping your heart.”

Penny Dedman lives in Edmonton Green with 2 cats 3 Masdevallias and 6 Pungas.

Poems published: Broken Spine’s ‘Glow’ anthology 2025, Urban Tree Festival poetry 2022, Fresher Publishing’s ‘Waves of Change’ and ‘Glean and Graft’ 2021. Artemesia shortlisted 2023, Bridport longlisted 2021 and ’22. … and there’s something coming which I can’t mention yet!

Links: 
https://thebrokenspine.co.uk/product/glow-cityatnight/

Social Media
Bluesky: @spanishtom.bsky.social
IG: @pennydedman
Substack currently under construction!

Writing Advice:

Even poems have internal logic.

Poetry Recommendation:

Bex Hainsworth – in particular  ‘Walrussey’. (published by Black Cat poetry press)

Andrew Williamson’s writing crosses emotional geographies, drawing on relationships, coastlines, landscapes and cities.

From Aotearoa New Zealand and based in the Isle of Skye, he has published three collections, the latest, Through Salt-Heavy Seas, in 2025. His work has appeared in journals and anthologies in Aotearoa, the UK and the US.

Links:
Projects: https://urbanbadgercollective.com  

Social Media:
Bluesky: @andywilliamson.com
IG: @drandywilliamson

Writing Advice:

Don’t be afraid to delete your favourite word/line/stanza.

Poetry Recommendation:

People should be reading Glenn Colquhoun (https://www.glenncolquhoun.net)

Thanks for reading, another takeover is coming in early 2027!

The Book Bag: Concealed Pockets – Reflections on The Weekend’s Open Mic

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

Stay Poetic,

Paul.