Benjamin Charles Reed

Blurred image of a Word document showing fragments of poems being formatted.

Adding poems. Formatting. Chapbook collection is finally getting further.

#Poetry #PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Writer

I post my poems on Instagram, so if you're an Instagram user, here's my latest; 'SmoKther'.

www.instagram.com/p/DOIUW8UCA0...

#Poetry #Poems #PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity

Resharing a thread on making social media poetry accessible.

#Poetry #Poems #PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity

Wet city slabs reflect passing buses and a grey sky.

A short one from me, walking through the rain.

I'm too busy masking my stress and emotions
that Morning decided to paint my mood
with rain-dipped brushes on crinkled slabs

#Poetry #PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity

I forgot that Simon Armitage's new collection is out soon and due to be delivered. Next week is going to be exciting!

#PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Poetry

Resharing a recent poem!

#Poetry #WritingCommunity #Poems #PoetsOnBluesky

Just drove in an autumnal rustic sunrise, raindrops covering the window faster than wipers could erase, falling leaves surfing the mist from tyres.

Oh cool, bookmarking here is going to be really nifty!

#WritingCommunity

For the evening crowd

#PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Poetry #Writing

I recall your motherly words obscured by a weighted white veil, croaking with nicotine shackles as you lighted the next coffin nail. Your bedroom’s creamy embossed walls painted in a smoke brushed tar coat. Ash grey ribbons wisping through sun and clinging and stinging my throat. I watched as you anxiously gnawed rough flesh of your smoke hungry cheek, picked at your fraying cuticles, then tried the patch for two more weeks. But now you make silver clouds outside, cream wallpaper untouched by tar, the weighted white veil blown away and dissipates into fresh air revealing your timid frame that magnifies the gnawing, picking. You still effortlessly roll the next to take part in more smoke sipping.

Took a break from working on my book to finish up a poem draft I'd left on the side.

SmoKther (smo-kfur)

#Poetry #PoetryCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Poem

A blurred poem with this text readable. Your bedroom's creamy embossed walls painted in a smoke brushed tar coat, ash grey ribbons wisping through sun and clinging and stinging my throat. I watched as you anxiously gnawed rough flesh of your smoke hungry cheek,

Working on a poem

#PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Poetry

So far it seems to be a blend

You meet characters with challenges/tasks, and seems you just keep upgrading your bookshop and unlocking the town bit by bit

You get a little journal too that memories get stored in, and things like a Flea Market only come around over time so you prep for things

Autumn's nearing...heck yeah.

#PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity #Poetry

I've been playing 'Tiny Bookshop' and it's adorable.

I'll be waking and writing poetry in the morning, and thinking of that game while doing so. 😭

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

The fun part of reviewing edits to your poems is while the rest of a poem works, a one line edit suggestion has the power to reshape the poem's entire structure.

I say this as someone who just changed the entire structure of one piece...and feel better for it

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

Excited to pick up 'The Quiet Ear' by Raymond Antrobus.

I first stumbled on his 'The Perseverance' not knowing who he was, but seeing deafness referenced. I took it immediately to the till. As someone born with deafness, I can't wait to dive into his new book.

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

Went to work on my poetry book before work. Somehow ended up researching chronograph watches the entire time.

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

Absolutely gorgeous cover, congratulations and welcome!

(I must use Bluesky more 😭)

Forever trying to stop feeling "bad" for not creating social media poems.

But Scotland is getting quite autumny, and I feel my creativity emerging amongst chilly weather. Words are flowing to pages and no longer sticking to my sweat riddled, pollen-coated brain.

#PoetsOnBluesky #WritingCommunity

Had one of those drives home where I thought of the stanza that helps the rest of the poem.

Spent the drive back repeating it over and over, pulled in and made an instant note.

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky #Poetry

Train window with a passing view of a misty covered Lake District hills.

Train bound. Unwind time.

Black and white photo of a blurred screen showing two word docs side by side. One with edits.

Slowly getting through edits. Been busy with life and work that I've been unable to really dedicate time to the edit process. On the side I've also been drafting random non-book poems, but failing to find the motivation to finish them. Exhaustion rules. 😂

But slowly and surely.

#WritingCommunity

I have a trip next week and stressing about the journey.

Questioning taking my laptop to work on book edits and stress about having the laptop on me...

Or just take a notebook to jot poems and focus on the trip and take 35mm photos.

#WritingCommunity

An empty sunny beach paints the background. In the foreground, my blurred hand holds a Kindle as I sit on the sand.

I've been busy lately. Busy writing poems for a collection. Busy waiting anxiously for said collection to be edited. Now I'm busy applying and learning from those edits.

Been wanting to return to being active on social media, but have been basking in the absense of it.

#Poetry #WritingCommunity

Practical Tips for Authors to Protect Their Works from AI Use - The Authors Guild This post was originally published on September 8, 2023, and updated on August 13, 2024. Text-based generative AI technologies require the ingestion of vast amounts of data, including tens or hundreds...

One thing I've learned this morning is that there is an anti AI copyright blurb available from the Authors Guild.

I may incorporate it into my copyright page.

authorsguild.org/news/practic...

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

Really good thread with lessons on building book meta data without AI trash.

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky

I sent my book off for edits. Spent the week stressing, questioning if I'm wasting my time writing something of this scope.

Got edits back and my confidence is high. Fantastic feedback as well as a lot of confirmation my poems are understood, perhaps even good!? Just need tweaks.

#WritingCommunity

clouds over a few buildings dark and gloomy

“Clouds are the most egalitarian of nature's displays, since each one of us has a good view of them, so it really doesn't matter where you are.”
― Gavin Pretor-Pinney

I'm waiting on line-by-line edits of my poetry collection. Nerves.

#Poetry #WritingCommunity

I have been trying so hard to fight against the temptation to get another notebook.

#WritingCommunity #PoetsOnBluesky