The Friday Poem

A poem every Friday

January 2024 Frip

A photograph of someone diving into the sea. We can only see the legs.

‘Next time you dive’ (or How to play a poem)

Jon Stone takes a deep dive into how he approaches a poem
The words MX Simp on a beige background.

Resisting the shadows

Clare Best reviews MX SIMP by Kate Hendry (Mariscat Press, 2023)
Photo of Jill Abram. She has long curly hair and is standing in front of trees.

Castaway Companions

Jill Abram chooses poems by Edward Lear, Lemn Sissay and Jacqueline Saphra to take to her desert island
Photo of Zoë Walkington. She has long dark hair and is smiling. She is standing in a field with trees behind her.

Uncomfortable Bedfellows – Criminal Psychology and Writing Poetry

Zoë Walkington on how she managed to merge her two identities as poet and psychologist
A black and white beetle seen from above on white textured paper.

The dull click-clink of gold against formica

Isabelle Thompson reviews I Think We’re Alone Now by Abigail Parry (Bloodaxe Books, 2023)
Part of the words "Many Professional Wrestlers Never Retire" in white italic script font on a purple background.

The Heavyweight Champion of the World

Hilary Menos reviews Many Professional Wrestlers Never Retire by Dane Holt (The Lifeboat, 2023)
Illustration of a 1950's style woman getting ready to stab a python with a dagger. I know right! Pretty racey for poetry (It's even got a yellow background!). I'll take it over an abstract thought doodle though.

Are Poetry Reviews Pointless?

Helena Nelson plays with Shapeshifting for Beginners by Emma Simon (Salt, 2023)
Composite image showing a dollar sign, a sixpenny piece, a bitcoin sign, a mackerel head and a figure with blue hair.

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Poet and financial journalist Emma Simon picks six poems about money
A poem laid out a page in the shape of a bird. It looks old.

Poems of peace and war

We unpack three of Guillaume Apollinaire's 'calligrammes'