The wonder of poetry is that it allows every individual the opportunity to express themselves, to share their unique take on things, to make their voice heard and – maybe – surprise themselves with what they have to say. For me, responding to the world around me – to what I see on the news and (increasingly) on social media – is an important part of that. So far, so good. But finding a platform which will share and promote work which may be seen as ‘political’ is just as vital, which is why this blog is to sing the praises of both CultureMatters and Yorkshire Bylines, two websites which consistently post my work, as well as the Morning Star (which has a regular poetry column). Thank you all.
Over the past week, CultureMatters and Yorkshire Bylines have each published my poems A Beginner’s Guide to 4-D Chess and Talking with Mr Strummer about the nature of the world. If you’re reading this and enjoy poetry which isn’t afraid to engage with political realities, check them out. If you like what you find, please share them.
We need more poetry about what’s happening in the world, and which isn’t afraid to look long and hard at the increasingly dystopian societies we’re living in, because our writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. But that’s a whole other story. We’ll talk about that soon.