Connected Worlds of Bruges. Review by Barbara Lewis. As part of the constant flow of luminaries in and out of the cultural and commercial hub of 16th-century Bruges, Henry VIII sent Thomas More there in 1515 as part of a diplomatic mission to settle trade and financial disputes. His visit to Flanders was also when More began his classic work “Utopia”.
year 2026
Quartet in Autumn. Review by Barbara Lewis. Lonely, unloved women are the protagonists of Barbara Pym’s novels. The brave honesty of her subject matter led some publishers to reject her, although the poet Philip Larkin was famously among her advocates.
Poetry review – SOMETHING LIKE GRACE: Jennifer Johnson follows Annie Forbes as she uses poetry to explore different understandings of grace
David Lightfoot (1941 – 2026) – teacher, poet, novelist & editor: some recollections by friend and colleague Rob Etty
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz. Review by Alan Price. The film’s Spanish title Ensayo de un crimen translates as Rehearsal for a Crime and could be viewed as a “rehearsal for a life” which in the case of the life of Archibaldo de la Cruz’s hasn’t achieved very much.
Poetry review – FRAGMENTS OF AN AMERICA (VOLUME II): Charles Rammelkamp finds both warmth and urgency in these state-of-the-nation poems by Chris McNally
Poetry review – DARLING BLUE: Rennie Halstead explores the strands within a narrative sequence by Sarah James
No Ghosts. Review by Barbara Lewis. Something is so wrong with contemporary life that even the ghosts have stopped haunting it – and yet “No Ghosts” is not so much about the supernatural, or the lack of it, as about the intensely emotional nature of human friendship in early adulthood.
Poetry review – FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT: Thomas Ovans admires Alwyn Marriage’s sequence of ekphrastic poems based on Christian artworks
DON’T FORGET WE’RE HERE FOREVER: Michael Bartholomew-Biggs admires Lamorna Ash’s honest account of a spiritual exploration.
A GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR POETRY PUBLISHED: Thomas Ovans reviews a comprehensive instruction manual for new poets by Robin Houghton and notes that it can also be a useful refresher course for old hands
* LONDON GRIP NEW POETRY #60 – SUMMER 2026 features poems by: *Diana Cant *Kim Waters *Prue King *John Whitehouse *Michael Mintrom *Stuart Pickford *Kathleen McPhilemy *Siobhan Ward * Elisabeth Sennitt Clough *David I Hughes *Sue Spiers *Tim Love *Andrew Barnes *Nasrin Parvaz *Paul Stephenson *Bruce Christianson *Joan Dance *Leo F Smyth *Fiona Clark *Barry […]
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • new poetry, poetry, year 2026 • Tags: Michael Bartholomew-Biggs, new poetry, poetry