by Kate Birch | Dec 14, 2021 | News, Picks of the Month
Beautiful, evocative and hits all my senses The words ‘evocative’ and ‘beautiful’ were used over and over again to describe Subitha Baghirathan’s ‘Sari shop, Easton’ and it is for this reason and the poem’s sense of place that this vibrant work is the...
by Kate Birch | Nov 1, 2021 | Picks of the Month
Speaks directly and painfully, sharp images ‘Insomnia’ by Julie Stevens spoke to many voters, whether it was an anguish experienced only occasionally or bound up and endemic to a chronic condition; and, for this reason, this ‘compelling’, ‘visceral’ poem is the...
by Kate Birch | Oct 5, 2021 | News, Picks of the Month
He has such a powerful way with words. An innate talent. Voters responded to the truth of Ofem Ubi’s poem, its simplicity, relatability and finesse; it for these reasons and more that ‘and so it goes…’ is the Ink Sweat & Tears Pick of the month...
by Kate Birch | Sep 9, 2021 | News, Picks of the Month
Deceptively simple, emotionally intense In a shortlist of poems revolving around conflict, it was Konstandinos Mahoney’s ‘Peace Pipe’ that voters reached for, with many commenting on its powerful and emotional depiction of the relationship between estranged father and...
by Kate Birch | Aug 10, 2021 | News, Picks of the Month
… a very passionate and visceral story – takes your heart in its hand and gently squeezes the tension into it physically ‘ON BEING GHOSTED BY A FAMOUS MUSICIAN’ had impact and this is one of the many reasons that this intriguing, suspenseful,...
by Kate Birch | Jul 22, 2021 | News, Picks of the Month
It reads like a simultaneous slap in the face, and a hug. I love it Sometimes you just have to laugh and that, together with the poem’s authenticity, relatability and its shape, language and imagery is why Elisabeth Sennitt Clough’s...