The Friday Poem

A poem every Friday

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Bruno Cooke

is The Friday Poem’s Spoken Word Poetry Editor. He recently launched a Substack publication called My Special Interest, and has written one novel (Reveries, available from You Know Where), four plays and two feature screenplays. Besides writing about poetry for The Friday Poem, Bruno writes poetry of his own and runs On Our Bicycles, a repository of bicycle touring guides. He has lived in China, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and cycled in 50+ countries. In April2023, Bruno set off round the world; receive updates via his personal blog.

    Poetry for the people

    Bruno Cooke investigates Million's Poet, a reality television show in the UAE

    The hairier I am, the sexier I feel

    Bruno Cooke ranks the five poems shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize for Best Single Poem – Performed 2024

    Reminiscing and joking and putting the world to rights

    Bruno Cooke talks to Georgie Jones, the poet who found success via Instagram and TikTok

    Making sense of an often-meaningless world

    Bruno Cooke talks to Darby Hudson, the bearded Australian poet in the cuddly jumper

    Lunar valleys in my mind

    Is Taylor Swift a 'tortured poet'? Bruno Cooke listens to her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, to find out

    Poetry on social media: riding the wave

    Bruno Cooke looks at three poets who successfully integrate social media into their poetic method

    The air is full of love

    Bruno Cooke checks out a Lyrical Lunacy poetry open mic night in Bangkok

    The Joy of Cycling

    Our Spoken Word Editor Bruno Cooke is off round the world on two wheels. He considers the joy of cycling, in poetry.

    punk ballet. Act 1. / there is more to come

    Bruno Cooke profiles Bristol-based poet, writer, performer, and slam champion, Vanessa Kisuule


    Photograph of Vanessa Kisuule by Jon Aitken

    Strength in symbols – and silence

    Bruno Cooke meets Santo Niña, the Filipino poet, journalist and activist who uses poetry and social media to give voice to the voiceless

    This is for the poets

    Bruno Cooke says the new Forward Prize category for Best Single Poem – Performed shows that the literary establishment is finally starting to take an interest in Spoken Word Poetry

    Haunted, haunting, cursed and cursing

    Bruno Cooke reviews Farewell Tour by Stefan Mohamed (Verve, 2022)

    A good flow is like a fossil / it preserves the time

    Bruno Cooke reviews The Lost Chronicle by Polarbear (Bloomsbury, 2022) 

    The wasp in the fig’s tissue, sharp as a slice of paper

    Bruno Cooke reviews Stephen the Phlebotomist by Nadia Lines (Nine Pens, 2022)

    Your death opens gates to the dark world

    Bruno Cooke reviews Orlam by PJ Harvey (Picador, 2022)

    Sky blue pink

    Bruno Cooke on the many faces of artist, poet and social worker Tom Stockley


    Photo by Will Thomas

    Three pamphlets: Erica Gillingham, Stephen Payne and Khadija Rouf

    Rachael Matthews reviews The Human Body is a Hive by Erica Gillingham, Richie McCaffery reviews The Wax Argument by Steven Payne, and Bruno Cooke reviews House Work by Khadija Rouf

    What does Bruno Cooke say?

    While studying Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London I regularly performed on the spoken word circuit in London, competed in poetry slams ...

    Selected Ambient Works

    Bruno Cooke reviews You've got so many machines, Richard: an anthology of Aphex Twin poetry, edited by Rishi Dastidar and Aaron Kent (Broken Sleep, 2022)

    Prizes prised from the perished

    Bruno Cooke reviews Please Do Not Touch by Casey Bailey (Burning Eye, 2021)

    Do girls not have fangs?

    Bruno Cooke reviews The Book of Bad Betties (Bad Betty, 2021) edited by Vanessa Kisuule and Anja Konig

    Her fear is a dress she can no longer fit into

    Bruno Cooke reviews C+nto: & Othered Poems by Joelle Taylor (Saqi Books, 2021)

    Slug snog

    Bruno Cooke reviews Slug by Hollie McNish (Little, Brown, 2021)

    ‘I did my one little verse and the place just went nuts’

    Bruno Cooke traces the development of Kae Tempest

    I don’t think Death has used a PlayStation before

    Bruno Cooke reviews Hit Points — an anthology of video game poetry, edited by Aaron Kent and Matthew Haigh (Broken Sleep, 2021)

    By golly, I’ve got it

    Bruno Cooke explores how the poetry of the 1918 Spanish flu compares with the poetry of the present Covid-19 pandemic

    You who found your dream but could not spell it

    Bruno Cooke meets Spoken Word poet Joelle Taylor and discusses activism, education and the power of poetry

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