Poetry review – IN THE LILY ROOM: Nick Cooke admires Erica Hesketh’s collection about motherhood not only for being accomplished and moving but also for its broad appeal across gender boundaries
year 2025
Poetry review – THE ICONOSTASIS OF ANXIETY: Pam Thompson engages with a dense and complex short collection by W N Herbert
Poetry review – SUB/URBAN LEGENDS: Sarah Leavesley reviews a collection by Pam Thompson which seeks to open the reader’s eyes to the everyday legends all around us
Poetry review – THE YELLOW KITE:Jennifer Johnson admires Vicki Feaver’s skilful use of poetry to explore the experience of living with life-changing illness
Poetry review – HALFWAY TO BARKING: Jennifer Johnson enjoys a light-hearted and fanciful collection by Sarah Lawson
Poetry review – MARGINAL FUTURE: James Roderick Burns examines S J Litherland’s rich and vivid state-of-the-nation collection and finds it grimly truthful but not without hope
Poetry reviews – STILL LIFE and SUBCUTANEOUS: Emma Storr reviews prizewinning chapbooks by Rebecca Bilkau and Maria Isakova-Bennett
Poetry Review – HOTEL AMOUR: Sarah Leavesley finds this collection by Deryn Rees-Jones offers questions and images that are endlessly fascinating
Poetry review – SUNBATHING WITH FISHERMEN: Emma Storr admires the strength of feeling in Penny Sharman’s poems whether they are dealing with pain and loss or joy and pleasure
Poetry review – SELECTED POEMS: Paul McDonald enjoys a well-chosen and well-arranged selection of Maurice Riordan’s work
Poetry review – NOT MY BEST SIDE: John Forth admires this new selection of U A Fanthorpe’s poetry for its laconic and compassionate voice and its comic precision
Poetry review – THE SCREW CITY POEMS Charles Rammelkamp reviews a new and selected collection from Richard Vargas
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, year 2025