The Friday Poem

A poem every Friday

Hilary Menos

Photos of Nell and Hilary. Both looking studious.

Five Forward poems under the microscope

Helena Nelson and Hilary Menos discuss the five poems shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (Written)
A photograph of Phillip Gross. He is looking quizzical and has grey hair and a beard.

The difficult visiting times

Philip Gross discusses writing poetry about his family in The Wasting Game and Deep Field, the importance of self-knowledge, and what makes a 'good' poem
Portion of a book cover. It has a dark red background with parts of the words The and Red shown.

Schist and quartz and sparks of mica

Hilary Menos reviews The Red House by Sharon Black (Drunk Muse Press, 2022)
A soft labyrinth of signals

A soft labyrinth of signals

Hilary Menos reviews The Grass Boat by Imogen Forster (Mariscat, 2021)
Pop Art-style graphic showing a 50s style pin-up girl lounging on a big old American car.

Hope is a thing with 1. Fur 2. Down 3. Feathers 4. An exoskeleton

Hilary Menos reviews I Dreamed I Was Emily Dickinson’s Boyfriend by Ron Koertge (Red Hen Press, 2022)
A detail from 'Hato zu' a woodcut by Konen Uchara. It shows a rolling blue ocean with white flecks and a blue sky.

Letting the shadow out of the box

Hilary Menos reviews Turn Up the Ocean by Tony Hoagland (Bloodaxe, 2022)
Dark purple circles on a pale pink background. The circles look a bit like cells and are surrounded by dots and same shapes in swirling patterns.

The year I was lost in the core of a star

Hilary Menos reviews Ovarium by Joanna Ingham (Emma Press, 2022)
A background of the stock exchange with the words "The economist can tell you about your bank balance, but the poet has a window into your soul" superimposed

Like worms on the corruption in which they are bred

Hilary Menos reviews The Poets’ Guide to Economics by John Ramsden (Pallas Athene, 2022)
A tiny man defending himself from a large and dangerous looking cat! Its a poster image from the film " The Incredible Shrinking Man"

After the first phase, after the great fall

In the first of a new series of close readings, Hilary Menos unpacks the poem ‘Incredible’ by Simon Armitage
A white butterfly caught in a spiders web, the image is monochrome

A gorgeous fluorescent yes

Hilary Menos reviews Ephemeron by Fiona Benson (Cape, 2022)
Four people dressed in sparkly festival gear, one with a blue suit covered in white clouds.They are screaming with joy and waving neon coloured glow sticks. Party on!

I could have been betterer. Et-fucking-cetera

Hilary Menos reviews Miracle Theatre’s Everyman, adapted by Carol Ann Duffy, at the Princess Pavillion, Falmouth
The three pamphlet covers, Sarah's is white with a green diagonal flash, Judi's has the title in a blue oval on a background pencil drawing of a river and rocks and Hugo's is the shadow of banister railings non a light brown background.

Three pamphlets: Sarah Mnatzaganian, Judi Sutherland and Hugo Williams

Matthew Paul reviews Lemonade in the Armenian Quarter by Sarah Mnatzaganian, Maggie Mackay reviews Following Teisa by Judi Sutherland and Hilary Menos reviews Badlands by Hugo Williams