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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 21

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‘The Vessel of the Now’
by Ink

always agape / its mouth / never yawns;

Ink is a US poet and the editor-in-chief of Stanza Cannon, an online literary magazine for audio poetry. He published four chapbooks before his first collection, Miserable with Fire. He has also had work produced by Piscataway House Publications and Finishing Line Press.

This is a chapbook with no list of poems, simply a first page that reads:

Contents of The Vessel

The Now

This isn’t a story, or indeed a narrative per se. It is a set of statements and situations, wrapped around a central conceit: you are the poetry, it and you are both an indivisible part of experience. The Vessel is both present and absent, concrete and ephemeral, and as such my traditional approach to reviewing wasn’t going to work here.

What’s in it for Me?

As a reviewer, you realize quite early on in the unconventional narratives that pointing at stuff and extolling its virtues only works to a point. Ink’s use of the phrase The Vessel of the Now is what joins every point in this journey to every other. At least, that’s how I think this works, after several readings. The unassuming chapbook contains all the intricacy and fiendish complexity of a Chinese Puzzle Box, which means I could have this all wrong…

The Vessel is many things: self-aware, yet without memory. It won’t judge you, and it seems to have multiple splinters… or maybe they are portals, taking you from one Vessel to the next. They are full and simultaneously too thin to manipulate, some are larger than others… and then, as you look closer, the clues appear and vanish. They grow with us: are they a manifestation of our own selves made as objects? However, hold two of them together and one of them becomes a deception…

If you are one of those people who believe in the idea of time as a flat circle, where we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes time and again, perhaps the Vessel is a means of escaping our own nightmare of tyranny. Or maybe, as the last stanza on the last page suggests, it is the means by which we can escape time and space all together and become immortal. I am sure Ink is well aware of what he has done here, and must be applauded for the beauty and complexity of his work.

It’s taken longer than usual to write this review for one reason, and one alone. I am so utterly enamoured with the brilliance and simplicity of this beautiful set of words that it has taken a whole extra week to distil my thoughts into a workable form. Every time I looked at the review and then back to the work, my ideas altered. I think this is the trick inside the pages that is most satisfying of all. To have created such hidden complexity and thoughtfulness with so few stanzas is an object lesson in poetic ability.

This chapbook is whatever you need it to be, and still won’t give you what you want. It will provide what you need, however, and that’s a genius use of words, and a superb final product. Bravo, Sir. Bravo.

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 20

‘New European Art’
by Mark Coverdale

5. Is a diorama of instructions on how to dismantle a Lego concentration camp.

Mark Coverdale was born in Darlington, and now lives and works in North London. He is the founder of Tonic Sta Press, and has had work published by Magma, Nymphs and Thugs, Culture Matters and Burning Housepress. When he’s not writing, he’s restoring furniture or being a shonky drummer.

Mark’s inclusion as a Flight of the Dragonfly Press author brings me great satisfaction, not simply because he was picked up about the same time as they ‘discovered’ me. Mark is part of a dying breed: the honest, earnest poetic voice whose heart and soul has been poured into every single word of this pamphlet. It’s several worlds away from anything I have read from anybody else, and massively affecting as a result.

What’s in it for Me?

Once you’re past the superlative New European Art Exhibition Guide, it’s time to dive into the work proper. Coat is absolutely the poem to start things off here, because it’s the vital link between narrator and the journey: across Europe, through brutal wars and terrible events, highlighting the importance of the Vyshyvanka in Ukranian cultural identity and a love of football that transcends just about everything.

Except, Penalties isn’t about football. Jam Sandwich is a narrative that covers decades, and i am a photograph i am is the perfect endpoint, except you don’t want it to stop. You want none of this to end because it’s a world you knew nothing about until the pamphlet was opened and now the imagery is so damning and precise and the horror is very real and inescapable and… you remember to breathe, and step back.

This is a pamphlet that demands your attention and respect, from a poet with the most righteous of political hearts and a soul we should all aspire to emulate. At its core are the things that matter most to this man, and it is a privilege to be allowed to share those items, the way they are presented and then delivered on the page. If you can take the time to find your way deep into these poems’ structures, I guarantee you will not be left wanting.

Personal Favourites

i am a photograph i am for the imagery
absolutely after the belarus free theatre for the inference
White Cat Black Roof for the impact

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 19

‘Scenes of Silent Horror’
by Lauren Ruddock

I’ve stopped being that person / The pain is just a niggle, no more a stab.

Lauren Ruddock lives and works in York. She has poems published in the ‘Creative Expressions’ anthology, and has authored a poem used in a nationwide video campaign by the organization Time to Change during Mental Health Awareness Week in 2020.

This selection of twelve poems tells a story about abuse and its consequences, something that resonates very strongly with me. Watching someone have the courage to write about these experiences is the reminder of how words are powerful not just as instigators, but as a means of repairing damage.

What’s in it for Me?

This story begins with Boundary Lines: how being trusting and open has its disadvantages, and how people can and often do take advantage. As we travel through each poem, Lauren makes it very clear how one relationship can have two sides, and that duality can be dangerous and painful over time. These are strong words, neatly woven and with an undoubted confidence in the process.

When we arrive at New Chapter, it is with an undoubted sense of optimism. The story doesn’t end here, of course, there is the possibility of so much yet to come in Lauren’s work and I hope that there is more poetry forthcoming in the future. Having seen some of the work produced in their advocacy role for York Ending Stigma, it would be wonderful to see more.

Don’t let the simplicity of this slim volume deceive you: these are powerful, significant pieces with genuine and heartfelt emotional resonance. As a great believer of poetry as a tool for therapy, this pamphlet is very much a shining example of what can happen if you listen to your heart and let that be recorded on the page. Everybody can learn something new from reading new work. Lauren’s illuminate a journey to both peace and enlightenment.

Personal Favourites

intertidal for the imagery
(H)ours for the inference
Salt and Rice for the impact

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 17

‘Tapping at Glass’
by Tim Tim Cheng

The poet baths in the tonal spectrum / where brilliance and sadness / are not far.

Tim Tim Cheng is a poet and a teacher from Hong Kong, currently based in the UK. Their poems are published or anthologized in POETRY, The Rialto, Ambit and elsewhere. Their latest appearances include the Hidden Door festival, Singapore Writers Festival, and BBC Scotland. They are a WrICE fellow, an Ignite fellow, plus a member of Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective 2022/23.

This pamphlet possesses both a maturity and depth which is frankly staggering. There is so much presented, and an equal amount to learn. I’d say it’s one of the best pamphlets I’ve ever read since I began my journey as a poet.

What’s in it for Me?

From time to time, you are lucky enough as a reader to encounter something so utterly unique and compelling that your words will never do it real justice. Such it is with Tapping at Glass, which is the reminder that not all poets upbringings are alike, and many have to balance uncertainty and change along with the business of writing. There are centuries of history in the white spaces here, a life that the poetry only hints at but that I want, need to discover more context for. How Memory Works sent me scurrying for Wikipedia: Icarus, a girl, talks to interviewers made me wish I could combine ancestry and reality with even a fraction of Cheng’s artistry.

The music of these poems, their effortless construction and uninhibited openness, is the reminder of how balance in narrative and observation always makes for the most compelling work. Notes to impossibility, Salt and Rice are outstanding examples, an easy tone with the deepest of depths, but it is Field Notes that takes that conceit then delivers it with a series of gut punches. This is a life I am grateful to be shown, that is shared with a very specific intent.

In the end, however, it is the honesty that pervades every line which elevates this work to outstanding, and I am in awe of both the quality of the narrative and the depth of its consequence. This is a superlative debut, and hints at magnificence to come.

Personal Favourites

intertidal for the imagery
(H)ours for the inference
Salt and Rice for the impact

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 16

‘Mortal Veins’
by Rhianna Levi

the woodland swamped calling / They are the warning…

Rhianna Levi is a writer, teacher and academic based in Worcester. She holds the title of Worcestershire Poet Laureate 22/23, being the youngest poet ever to have the role.

Rhianna has been published in numerous anthologies and literature mags. She also holds degrees from both the University of Worcester and Birmingham City University. This also remains another triumph using Amazon fore distribution: don’t let people tell you that the self-publishing route is any less validating than a third party approach. I’ve done it myself and the sense of satisfaction is immense, especially when content exceeds expectation as it does here.

What’s in it for Me?

This is a powerhouse of a pamphlet, and it was a joyful challenge for me to complete. Rhianna’s style is economical, intellectual, and as a result sits at a density that demanded an undivided attention… and when you encounter someone who thinks completely differently to you as a poet, you should find yourself obliged to work harder, ensuring the text you’re reading is given extra examination. These poems offer education, and an exercise in comprehension on multiple levels.

It is easy to see why Levi was chosen to be the Laureate for Worcestershire. Whether it’s the eloquent economy of Limbo or the dense, disturbing wordplay of Permission, I Think Not, there are a huge range of topics discussed and an incredibly interesting and complex use of wordplay. Once I’d found a starting point with Keys are of Importance, a vivid sense of individuality and intellect began to unlock, and that makes this journey all the more satisfying.

Sometimes it can be hard when you encounter work that approaches the business of poetry in a manner that you struggle to initially understand. However, with time and patience a huge amount has been learnt from this experience, the relationship of poet to the craft, and how that translates into a larger body of work. It’s an impressive debut, and I look forward to seeing how Levi’s work progresses from this point onwards.

Personal Favourites

Rose Person for the imagery
Soul Departed for the inference
Human-made tarmac for the impact

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 15

‘The fall of the repetitive mix tape’
by Darren J. Beaney

Frustrating fruit trees are ignored / as a figure walks / researching the dead, dressed for business.

Darren J. Beaney is a writer and poet, who lives and works in Sussex. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Brighton, and is one half of the hugely successful Flight of the Dragonflies, whose spoken word events have been nominated for a Saboteur Award. He’s a punk rock lover, who has had three pamphlets published over the last few years.

Darren’s also a mate whose poetry has had a pretty significant effect on my own journey as a writer. His approach is unlike anyone else’s I have read, his voice is undoubtedly and beautifully his alone. This is a poet who knows exactly what that means and how to use this to maximize impact: this chapbook sees him at the absolute top of his game.

What’s in it for Me?

It all starts innocently enough, with Put away offering powerful imagery and opening oomph. Muzorewi’s daughter however is the clue, if you needed it, that every poem’s title is also a song by The Fall, who were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. Suddenly, poems have secondary resonances when interleaved with the history of Mark. E Smith, one of the most influential individuals of the post punk scene worldwide. Mr B does love burning the script to suit his own fiendish imagination.

My knowledge of The Fall is not as encyclopedic as I know Darren’s will be, so I can’t tell you just how well he starts with the titles and then does them his way. What I can tell you is that the imagery, the settings and the impact of each of these poems is a different diorama for countless situations. No two works are ever comparable, and every single poem will have a line, somewhere, that surprises you with its honesty. My favourite right now (and they change regularly) comes from English scheme: ‘The future is as tantalising as / a curly 11th hour spam sandwich‘ and there is absolutely no argument here.

There is physical wordplay too (Bingo-Master), the oddness of random encounter in A figure walks, the economical brilliance of Rebellious Jukebox… honestly, every single one of these poems is fucking with your brain in absolutely the best way possible. I am reminded of other punk bands, of the fringes where poems could be rebellion but end up being made safe and digestible because it is easier… but when I read Darren’s work, I don’t want that. I want to pogo through the entire chapbook and come out the other side exhausted and smelling of lager and sweat, because these poems MADE ME MOVE.

I’ll keep throwing myself into this for months and still be happy.

Personal Favourites

In my area for the imagery
Crap rap 2 for the inference
Printhead for the impact

Any Other Business

I try not to get carried away with these reviews, but honestly, this has to be said: why is more poetry not this joyously bonkers? So much can be learned here about how a single mind can create the powerful and the unique without the need to compromise one iota on professional and personal integrity.

THIS CHAPBOOK IS SUPERB.

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 14

‘twelve ways to occupy my body’
by Sloane Angelou

i swear / my god wishes everything in my mouth was fluid…

Sloane Angelou is a storyteller and writer of West African origin, who lives and works in Canada. They are passionate about learning from human existence through the process of interrogating the same. They are also the second poet to contact me for a review via the Portal, which initially involved a little Internet magic to achieve. However, I am very glad to have gotten a copy of this for myself.

One of the main reasons for setting up this series of reviews was to open one mind and heart to poets and forms that would not normally have been explored. Sloane’s work is a superb example of the intellectual benefit of doing just that. Here is a sequence of twelve poems that isn’t simply a list, or indeed only a pamphlet. It is an exquisite unfolding of a unique poetic narrative.

What’s in it for Me?

The cover will tell you exactly which twelve ways this particular body can be occupied as a starting point. The pictograms make this explicitly clear in some forms, but others require decryption and comprehension of why the red lines are placed where they are. The text offers clues, too, that there are references to heart, eyes, mouth… but are these the real spaces, or is the poet alluding to more? Are we not one huge space to occupy, if the brain first allows a fertile idea access?

These poems also read as a complete, satisfying sequence, and it is in this form which, at least for me, the most enlightenment is garnered. Here is a reflection on what a body is, how others view it and how their perceptions shape our own journey both within it and alongside it. As a non-religious person, when the text asks me ‘why does God live inside you’ a ternary discussion of the spiritual journey is revealed, reminding there is even more to be uncovered here than the purely physical.

Please don’t let postage from Canada put you off purchasing this sequence, as this is the reminder that poetry is everywhere, in every language and with infinite outcomes waiting to be uncovered if the reader is willing to open both heart and mind simultaneously, and crucially do the work. This, of everything that’s been read so far this year, has taught me the most about why it matters to present your poems in your way, and in a space that you prepare and present as sacred.

Personal Favourites

Normally, I would highlight particular portions of the text in this bit. This time, I urge you to go read it all, and then make notes, before coming back and doing it again. Take time to learn about Sloane’s motivations and the language used. I have learnt that Chineke is the creator of the universe and everything good in it along with rain, trees, and other plants, and have again been made to realize how little I do know of other significant areas of the world.

Poetry is a means of enlightenment and education. Make this pamphlet part of yours.

Any Other Business

This pamphlet is a perfect 150mm square of beauty. It’s always a joy to get work that doesn’t just refuse to confirm to the word norm, but is also produced outside the size constraints of ‘established’ work. Full marks to Kith Books for making everything about this work unique and special.

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 12

‘GenderFux’
by Jem Henderson, Jonathan Kinsman and J.P. Seabright

my womb whispers / life gives you a single task – / but i don’t listen. / i am selfish like that.

‘Genderfux’ is a collaborative pamphlet of 27 poems by three authors: Jem Henderson, Jonathan Kinsman and J.P. Seabright. Henderson (she/they) is a genderqueer poet from Leeds with an MA in Creative Writing from York St. John’s University. Kinsman (he/him) is a polyamorous, bisexual transmasculine poet from Manchester and Seabright (she/they) is a queer writer living in London. All have been extensively published over the past few years.

None of this trio are new to me: I’ve watched them on Zoom, and I’ve read their work in other publications. Singly, they are poets of power and force, with strident and compelling voices. Put them together however, and something truly remarkable happens. Here is presented a queer narrative that makes you think long and hard about what that really means, and the myriad consequences it presents.

What’s in it for Me?

Here are three poets very much capable of illustrating sexuality in surprising (Crocuta crocuta) and amusing forms (jack and jill went up the hill), whilst form and function are warped and bent with ease (from the Book of Demons, some possible genders). However, it is the historical insights, unsurprisingly, that carry the biggest emotional heft, and here is where the true strength and depth of each of this trio really shines through, versions of history so bright and intense that they will leave imprints on your retinas for many days afterwards.

This is also a testament to Colin Bancroft’s superlative curation: three approaches so distinct that they do not need to be individually attributed, and aren’t. When they are, at the end of the text, it becomes obvious where the overlaps are placed, but with this narrative so fluid and well-created, so confident and honest, you really don’t need the signposts in the first place. Again I find myself thinking that not a single word is wasted in this pamphlet. Every poem is essential to the collective whole, and together they are virtually invincible.

A lot of queer poetry has been a tough ask since coming out, and finding pieces that speak to my feelings and situations remains problematic. Every experience here is a lifetime and a heartbeat away from anything this mind could begin to imagine, but the power and force of the words has gripped and altered me in ways that are still being decoded. This pamphlet has been criminally overlooked, and is a searing collection of life and pain, wrapped around the need to be authentic and honest. I urge everybody to read it.

Personal Favourites

Kayfabe for the imagery
Fault / Lines for the inference
ninth circle for the impact

Any Other Business

Honestly, this is one of the best things I’ve read for a VERY long time. You don’t need two paragraphs of hyperbole: it was nominated for a Saboteur Award for Best Collaborative Work in 2022. Honestly, your life will be better with this pamphlet in it.

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 11

‘Fierce Scrowe’
by Éadaoín Lynch

All that calms me afterwards is the waking dream / of getting everything I want. Almost.

Éadaoín Lynch is an Irish poet, freelancer & researcher living and working in Edinburgh. They have previously lead & co-edited for the Re·creation project and are currently Research & Evaluation Manager for the Scottish Book Trust, plus a Trustee of the StAnza Poetry Festival. They also operate as a freelance writer and editor, offering mentorship, feedback, and project support. Their work has appeared in Gutter, The North Magazine, Icarus, HARTS & Minds, The Kindling, and the Fawn Press anthology Elements. They were shortlisted for the Jane Martin Poetry Prize and the London Magazine Poetry Prize.

From time to time, you come across work from another poet that disturbs the fabric of your personal Universe. The last time this happened was during last year’s Sealey Challenge, with a book that I’m only now beginning to really get my head around. It’s currently inspiring my own piece of long-form work. I strongly suspect Éadaoín’s pamphlet will do the same, and my brain will thank me for it.

What’s in it for Me?

Occasionally, as a reader, you will be presented with a pamphlet that isn’t just the words and the spaces. It serves as an odd, unexpected portal that, if you allow it, can transport you to a space, a place and time that you have no understanding of, but which will not judge you for that lack of comprehension. Instead, you will find yourself as a bystander to something truly unique and precious. Other people’s lives told in poetry is the stuff of magnificent distillation, and that is what Fierce Scrow presents.

The world that Éadaoín Lynch allows me to see begins as totally unknown, yet with candour and intelligence the sounds, tastes and feelings of their history slowly emerge. Whether it is emotional meteorology in the superlative Knot, how baking is imprinted with familial memories in Study of Bread or the minutiae of loss in Glór, every single word allows the mind to picture places a world and time away. I am also immensely grateful for the explanatory notes, fixing each tableau in a stronger context.

There has been found an unexpected solace in these words during a difficult period of emotional turmoil, and if that’s not enough of an indicator of how deeply personal yet accessibly open these poems are, I don’t know what else to say. The best poetry’s subsidiary function after being entertaining and informative is to give you what you needed, often without realizing that it was required. The sense of self in these poems stands vibrant and with a vital, beating heart. It grants permission to become one with both past and present, and to feel comfortable in both.

Personal Favourites

Knot for the imagery
Dear Anne Lister for the inference
Deora Dé for the impact

Any Other Business

The last few weeks have been a struggle to keep reading, during a personal period where all I’ve really wanted to do most days is sleep and not think about anything. Writing this from notes, it has occurred to me that this pamphlet’s done more than become a review. I’ve not done it justice on the few readings I’ve done. Sitting on the desk in front of me is something that didn’t just make things better, it encouraged me to write.

There is a lot said about the details of poems, their meanings, the layers and their complexities, but sometimes all you want is to feel as if the world you’re given is one you could lose yourself within, if only for a while. I did just that with Fierce Scrow and allowed somebody else’s experiences to become a narrative I could be lost in without judgement and with kindness. This pamphlet was a soothing balm, moments and spaces that were visited and enjoyed in quiet contemplation.

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read it.

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#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 10

‘thirty-one small acts of love and resistance’
by Steve Pottinger

I shouted ‘Oi! Fella! You’ve dropped your hat!’ / and he said ‘Thanks, mate. I’d have lost that.’

Steve Pottinger is a poet, author, and workshop facilitator, and a founding member of the Wolverhampton arts collective known as ‘Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists’. He has performed at Ledbury and StAnza poetry festivals and the Edinburgh Free Fringe. He has also written three punk autobiographies, including ‘City Baby’ (the story of Ross Lomas, the bassist with Birmingham punk band GBH).

Steve’s work came into my orbit as a result of watching him perform live late last year, and this pamphlet was originally published in May of 2022. It is, quite simply, one of the most impressively considered and politically powerful pieces of work I have ever read. I LOVE this pamphlet. Let me now explain exactly why.

What’s in it for Me?

Many people will claim to have no political bias in their work, that poetry should not consider such contentious subjects. Once I even believed this myself. People like Steve have made me think long and hard about why my work needs to be MORE political, that challenging the injustice and flat-out selfish greed that seems to have become part of the landscape in certain spheres of the modern world is now not just necessary, but is becoming a vital means by which to preserve artistic integrity.

This entire pamphlet tells it like it is: with exquisite care, a searingly-intelligent aspect and outlook, but most crucially with a humour that I really wish more poets would consider introducing into their work. Whether it’s the sheer brilliance of on that day or the quiet reflection of Desaparecida, the historical relevance of trainspotting, 1832 or the running joke that begins with a bloke dropping his hat in Wolverhampton Swimming Baths… literally, there IS something for everyone. However. it’s what’s stitched between the stanzas that pleases me most of all.

Steve doesn’t compromise. He’s honest and clever and crucially understands EXACTLY how the World works, good and bad. Every single poem perfectly complements the whole to create the most authentic, most honest and satisfying sequence of observations. If the poet’s job is to accurately present to the reader what it is like to exist in their head? Steve’s world is a more accessible version of reality than you’ll ever see on the news, in the papers or on TV. For a tenner, you get what I’m confident is a quintessential Black Country Snapshot. Seriously, value and depth does not come around like this very often.

Personal Favourites

top deck for the imagery
parkour for the inference
you do not listen for the impact

Any Other Business

We’ve been at this now for nearly twelve weeks, and it is becoming apparent how many absolutely fucking brilliant poets are out in the world, many of them destined never to make it past the Indy press or self-publishing ‘tier’ of established output. It is also very obvious how much talent exists if you take the time and energy to seek out work away from the established avenues of publication and mainstream performance.

Steve’s work is an object lesson in self-ownership, self-promotion and understated delivery, and deserves so much more exposure than it currently has. He is the reminder that if you are capable of taking destiny into your own hands, a lot can and will come from hard work and persistence. Most importantly however, this work is achingly authentic and, as a result, is a testament to the man who had the nerve to let us into his brain before sticking it onto the page.

This is his sixth book and fuck me did I enjoy it. Roll on the seventh.

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