Poetry
Three heart wrenching poems from Gaza
Writings that narrate — With Gaza’s population facing starvation, we are handing over our website to Yahya Alhamarna, a displaced poet and student in Gaza, who shares some of his recent poetry, and explains why writing is so important to him.
Written by: Yahya Alhamarna
James Massiah: “As much as the social contract is lost, there’s a freedom with that”
Bounty Law — With the release of his latest album, we sat down with the rapper-poet to chat about his new sonic Western, the boom in alternative poetry events, and whether the social contract is broken.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In the ’60s and ’70s, Greenwich Village was the musical heart of New York
Talkin’ Greenwich Village — Author David Browne’s new book takes readers into the neighbourhood’s creative heyday, where a generation of artists and poets including Bob Dylan, Billie Holliday and Dave Van Ronk cut their teeth.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
“A party is a microcosm of a nation”: Caleb Femi on the decline of the house party
To celebrate the publication of his new collection of poems, ‘The Wickedest’, Isaac Muk caught up with Femi to talk more about the work, the future of the shoobs, and discuss why having it large on a Saturday night should be cherished.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The poet & #Merky Books winner uplifting a generation
Monika Radojevic in conversation — After co-winning Stormzy’s publishing imprint’s inaugural New Writers’ Prize, the 25-year-old is gearing up for the release of her debut poetry collection – an urgent book about identity, ancestry and history.
Written by: Beatrice Tridimas
Caleb Femi and Athian Akec in conversation
Voices of a generation — The 17-year-old activist and politician Athian Akec speaks to Caleb Femi about his book, 'Poor' – a collection of poems exploring the strife and joys of young Black boys in 21st century Peckham.
Written by: Athian Akec
The Black poets breathing life into contemporary Britain
True to word — Lola Christina Alao explores the Black British poetry scene, looking at how a generation of young voices are making sure their experiences are heard.
Written by: Lola Christina Alao
‘UK punk got politicised and became rubbish very quickly’
John Cooper Clarke on NYC — A young wordsmith fascinated by American culture, John Cooper Clarke couldn’t wait to get to New York. Today, the 70-year-old poet looks back on his time there – from the performances to the drugs.
Written by: Jonathan Turton
Sylvia Plath’s visual art is celebrated in new exhibition
Uncovered treasures — The poet’s secret artistic talents are unearthed for a new show at Washington D.C’s Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Written by: Dominique Sisley
The journalist smashing your stereotypes of the American South
Understanding Alabama — In 'Whitman, Alabama,' Jennifer Crandall mixes documentary and poetry to introduce a radical idea: we should all get to know one another a little better.
Written by: Marta Bausells
The unsung female heroes of the Beat Generation
Voices in the attic — Was the Beat Generation just one big sausage party? Or were there women writers too? Bill Cotter celebrates the repressed female voices of 1950s America.
Written by: Bill Cotter
The poet-turned-hero fighting for her country's future
Speaking up for silenced voices — Ketty Nivyabandi was a little-known Burundian poet until she led a dangerous protest against her country's president. But becoming an unlikely leader meant having to flee for her life. Now she's campaigning from afar.
Written by: Alex King
