Caleb Parkin

Cutting support to the motability scheme for disabled people, while we continue to fund Prince Andrew's residences & "lifestyle", should *radicalise anyone* 👑🚫🤬

#CharlesTheLast #TaxTheRich #WealthTaxNow

a bird perched on a tree branch with a national geographic wild logo in the corner ALT: a bird perched on a tree branch with a national geographic wild logo in the corner

My absolute favourite critter this week is the wren/s in our garden, hopping about adorably & bellowing their rowdy little songs.

How could anyone watch a wren & not feel inspired to bring down capitalism?

Check out this bad boy - a Pale Tussock moth caterpillar (Calliteara pudibunda) - living its best life. That gorgeous on-trend burgundy tail tuft!

In collaboration with @mklitfest.bsky.social in August we held an online masterclass – Digging in the Dirt: adventures in ecopoetry with @clareshawpoet.bsky.social , @betarish.bsky.social , @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social & @jessmookherjee.bsky.social poetsfortheplanet.org.uk/the-magic-of... 1 /3

I'm reading at this on Saturday night - come join, it's online 🙂

Many thanks to the poets who took part in the #EcoSonnetChain:

#LindaFrance, #EmmaMust, @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social, #AnnSophieBalzer, @janeburn.bsky.social, #TishaniDoshi, #JemmaBorg, @jsaphra.bsky.social, #JacobPolley, @sophieherx.bsky.social, @helenmort.bsky.social, #SteveEly, & #GlynMaxwell.

Last Saturday Poets: August A magnificent seven poets, reading for you.

Really happy to be being joined on this month's #LastSaturdayPoetry online Zoom by @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social @annasaund.bsky.social @carmellapoetry.bsky.social @irisannelewis.bsky.social @eoinflannery.bsky.social @dralyal.bsky.social and SueProfitt - free tix: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/last-satur...

Look what I picked up in Stratford-Upon-Avon last week! The Anne-thology from @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social is a beautiful collection of poems, with a tour de force sestina from @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social and a hilarious film review/poem from @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social 🪶💀

Poem title: At the Intersection The poem is divided into two overlapping circles. The left-hand circle is titled ‘me’ and the text reads: the day we went out to have an ice-cream, we said nothing just let our silence melt in the air as we walked across the common our love never tiring at all The right-hand circle is titled ‘you’ and the text reads: we should have talked it over but nothing ever seems to get in your fat head. You are so common that I wish we’d never met at all and I’d married Tim instead In the intersection of the poem (where the two circles overlap), the text reads: we have nothing in common at all

The mathematician John Venn was born on this day in 1834. To commemorate the occasion, here’s a poem in the form of a Venn diagram.

A 90-minute masterclass for our Raising Voices Project and for Give Peat A Chance.

www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

@clareshawpoet.bsky.social
@betarish.bsky.social
@jessmookherjee.bsky.social
@calebparkinpoet.bsky.social
@bloodaxebooks.bsky.social
@ninearchespress.bsky.social

A 90-minute masterclass for our Raising Voices Project.

www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

@clareshawpoet.bsky.social
@betarish.bsky.social
@jessmookherjee.bsky.social
@calebparkinpoet.bsky.social
@bloodaxebooks.bsky.social
@ninearchespress.bsky.social

A person strikes a dramatic pose under green and red lighting, wearing a leopard-print top. Their makeup is bold, with dark glittering eye accents trailing like tears or stars. They have short, tousled hair and dangle earrings, contributing to a look that mixes defiance with allure. The lighting and posture evoke a cabaret or glam-rock aesthetic. In the top right corner, white text reads: "@BrokenSpineArts.bsky.social" and "@AlanParry83.bsky.social." Bottom right text says: "Read Repost Reply #PoemsAbout #Glamour." The Broken Spine logo, a stylised fountain pen nib, is in the top left corner.

Writing for #PoemsAbout #Glamour?
Friday’s the moment.
Polish the surface, cut to the truth.
Tag your post + tag us:
@alanparry83.bsky.social
@brokenspinearts.bsky.social
Then: Read. Repost. Reply.
Keep it real, even when it sparkles.
Prompts: shorturl.at/oEXAM

A 90-minute masterclass for our Raising Voices Project and for Give Peat A Chance.

www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

@clareshawpoet.bsky.social
@betarish.bsky.social
@jessmookherjee.bsky.social
@calebparkinpoet.bsky.social
@bloodaxebooks.bsky.social
@ninearchespress.bsky.social

I'd rather see wind farms spring up, than watch the landscapes everyone is passionate about die because we didn't save them - because we were so keen on keeping them pretty.

These places aren't just a vista. They are a fragile living cloak upon the land. They will not survive climate change.

Pride birthday is great & all, but it's essentially like having it on Gay Christmas 🌈🎁😅

A 90-minute masterclass for our Raising Voices Project and for Give Peat A Chance.

www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

@clareshawpoet.bsky.social
@betarish.bsky.social
@jessmookherjee.bsky.social
@calebparkinpoet.bsky.social
@bloodaxebooks.bsky.social
@ninearchespress.bsky.social

I don't know what to do with this information tbh - but my main wish now is for Dott to switch out the sound on their scooter *for a recording of the blackbird doing it* instead.

We all gotta have dreams right?

a black and white drawing of birds on a music staff ALT: a black and white drawing of birds on a music staff

After puzzling over it for some time, I've realised the little electronic trill our local blackbirds have incorporated into their call is...the start-up noise of Dott scooters 🤣

This makes sense, them both being outdoors & across the city.

Hi pals!

It's been brought to my attention I'm the feline mascot for a brand of banana suckies (!) 🍌 😬

However: I'm much older than five, esp in cat years (are they a thing?); I do not like fish; reading, yes, jigsaws, no (crossword pls); I don't love crowded places, but it depends on the vibes.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
An adult pleasure zone decree

*Brigstow Institute, damn phone

We had a buzzing symposium yesterday to round off Lyra Fest / Brigstock Inst AI & Poetry project.

We talked creative potential, ethics, methods, risks & really got into it, in a really convivial way.

Looking forward to reflecting on next steps to explore 🤖 🌎 🖊

A 90-minute masterclass for our Raising Voices Project

www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

@clareshawpoet.bsky.social
@betarish.bsky.social
@jessmookherjee.bsky.social
@calebparkinpoet.bsky.social
@bloodaxebooks.bsky.social
@ninearchespress.bsky.social

Heartfelt thanks to @poetrypharmacy.bsky.social for choosing a gorgeous array of Nine Arches poets to fill the pages of these beautiful anthologies, with poems by @isobeldixon.bsky.social @olgapoet.bsky.social @wendypratt.bsky.social @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social @tomsastry.bsky.social & others 🧡

a white cat is laying on its back on a wooden floor and saying `` bye bye '' . ALT: a white cat is laying on its back on a wooden floor and saying `` bye bye '' .

Looking forward to the #NoKings marches in the UK now...

👑 🚫 #CharlesTheLast

If you joined #NBNconf24, you'll have heard @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social create & recite "Worm's Eye View". Thanks Caleb for reproducing it bit.ly/CalebParkin ....Leading nicely into our announcement that #NBNconf25 will be on 20 November at the SS Great Britain in Bristol - bit.ly/NBNconf25

A photograph of a group of people meeting on Dartmoor, please follow the link to read the blog post.

`The Land Speaks: From Stone Walls to Stakeholders on #Dartmoor.’

Read RENEW PhD student Emma Squire’s blog, with poetry from @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social inspired by the RENEW Programme’s Early Career Researcher #biodiversity retreat.

renewbiodiversity.org.uk/the-land-spe...

#HappyPrideMonth b!tches

🐕 💩 🌈

a woman is holding a drill in her hand and looking at the camera . Alt: Isabelle Huppert, holding a drill in her hand, rubbing it against her cheek and looking at the camera seductively.

Today's gender & vibe:

Digging in the Dirt: Adventures in Ecopoetry | MK Lit Fest 2025 A masterclass adventure in ecopoetics exploring the relationship between poet and location. Join four exhilarating poets and be inspired to write to the landscape (including urban). Presented in partn...

Poets: ready for an adventure in #ecopoetry? Online 90 min masterclass on 5 August with #PoetsforthePlanet and four brilliant poets, as we dig in the dirt to explore writing that captures place and location. Tickets: www.mklitfest.org/digginginthe...

#WritingMasterclass #writingworkshop #poetry