The Friday Poem

A poem every Friday

The Frip

Dark navy blue background with semi-circular lines in green and blue. They look a bit like the lines you draw around a radio tower or loudspeaker, to indicate vibration or noise.

A voice from the silence

Jane Routh reviews The Silence by Gillian Clarke (Carcanet, 2024)
Two poetry book covers, one purple with a white crumpled paper image and one black/brown with textures of light brown and semi transparent words.

‘How to’ Poetry — Part Two

We review books on poetry from Fly on the Wall Press and Smith|Doorstop
A misty photo showing train tracks disappearing to a vanishing point.

I eat clean but train dirty. That’s perfection.

D. A. Prince reviews Taking Liberties by Leontia Flynn (Cape, 2024)
Scrawled writing and symbols in black red and yellow completely cover a parchment-coloured background.

‘How To’ Poetry — Part One

We review books on poetry from Nine Arches Press and Roger Robinson
Collage made up of pictures from the instagram feed of the poets mentioned in the article. There are images of the poets looking direct to camera and also some words such as 'compassion must prevail'. Also a cat sitting on a table.

Poetry on social media: riding the wave

Bruno Cooke looks at three poets who successfully integrate social media into their poetic method
What looks like a painting in two panels. Both show an abstract wave breaking. On one side the sky is blue, on the other side it is black. The bottom of the 'sea' is red.

The Ark wasn’t always a toy

Karen Smith reviews Noah by Penelope Shuttle (Broken Sleep Books, 2023)
What looks like an old, hand-drawn parchment map. There are lots of words written – 'Iwerddon' and 'Byzantium' are two of them.

Cofiwch Dryweryn!

Steven Lovatt reviews Wild Cherry by Nigel Jenkins (Parthian Books, 2023)
Dark blue background. On this are two light blue outlines of hands, open palms upwards. Some beige swirling lines are behind.

Let poems be the windows, not the views

Helena Nelson reviews Divisible by Itself and One by Kae Tempest (Picador, 2023)
A photograph of a man wearing a spotless white shirt, a paisley tie and a beige cardigan. Only the lower half of the face is visible,

Soldier, astronaut, photographer, accountant … poet

Annie Fisher reviews The Remaining Men by Martin Figura (Cinnamon Press, 2024)
A wooden sculpture hung on an old blue wooden plank door. The brown, roughly heart shaped and has a light blue circle in the centre crossed with what look like laces.

Holiday in Barlovia

Matthew Paul reviews A Land Between Borders by Mike Barlow (Templar Poetry, 2023)
Three large fishhooks dangling on what looks like hemp rope, a small green (jade?) fish swims between them.

My oddly capable body

Isabelle Thompson reviews The Department of Work and Pensions Assesses a Jade Fish by Nuala Watt (Blue Diode, 2024)
Photograph of Helen Evans. She has short grey hair and is clasping her hands and leaning to her left.

Castaway Companions

Helen Evans chooses poems by Mary Oliver, William Stafford and Marie Howe, plus Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Kathryn Maris and Rebecca Elson