The Writing Squad

Really proud to have my poem 'Winter blazer' in this Christmas audio anthology from @spiracleaudiobooks.bsky.social! 🎄 My poem is about buying and wearing my first suit for a work Christmas do and the sheer joy that I felt ☺️

Today’s interview with the amazing poet Sarah Howe is now live. We spoke about time, flow states, and her @tseliotprize.bsky.social shortlisted collection Foretokens.

Check out The Poems We Made Along The Way wherever good podcasts can be heard.

Fantastic news!
I love writing for Zombies, Run! It's the best job I've ever had, and Naomi and Rebecca are the best people I've ever worked for.
I've never doubted that I'm valued and respected as a member of the team, and that environment of mutual respect is a great foundation for a studio.

HUMAN CONNECTION, POETIC WAYS AND UNCERTAIN FUTURES West Midlands Independent publisher and Arts Council England NPO Nine Arches Press announces 2026 poetry list Rows of photos of the poets nine arches will be publishing: First row, l-r: Jennifer Wong, Rishi Dastidar, Kym Deyn, Daniel Sluman and Dillon Jaxx. Second row, l-r: Roy McFarlane, Shagufta K Iqbal, Katie Griffiths, Mary Mulholland and Jessica Mookherjee.

Square graphic with an antique illustration of a slowworm. In old fashioned font it says "Oh, Worm? 'Folkish' by Kym Deyn, Nine Arches Press, 4/26'

In the midst of everything, some good personal news: the worm is out of the bag! My debut collection Folkish will be published by @ninearchespress.bsky.social this spring ✨🪱

It's full of ghosts, worms, saints, and folklore. It's also absolutely furious. I hope you guys enjoy it. 💚

Episode 36: Gillian Allnutt - "An exercise in truthfulness"

Great in-depth interview with Gillian Allnutt on the latest episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way podcast. She was in conversation with host @gregorykearns.bsky.social about her poetry, in particular her @tseliotprize.bsky.social shortlisted collection #Lode.
open.spotify.com/episode/6UFM...

Tiny Tim - The Writing Squad

The Squad’s James Varney has been working with Uncurbed to bury the pity narrative and rewrite the future - catch Tiny Tim at Contact Theatre from tonight til 16 Dec www.writingsquad.com/event/tiny-t...

If you’re near Didsbury this Wednesday catch the Exhibition and drop in to hear how three Squad writers responded to their residencies at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House www.writingsquad.com/event/ive-ne...

All lines lead to Leeds today for a pamphlet workshop with Squad grad Kayleigh Jayshree.

All lines lead to Manchester this morning for our pitching workshop with agents from Curtis Bown.

Don’t miss the new episode with @tseliotprize.bsky.social shortlisted poet Nick Makoha. We spoke about layered temporalities, founding the Obsidian Foundation, and treating ‘the poem’ like a painting.

Listen wherever good podcasts can be heard.

A QR code that you can use, to watch a reel on Instagram about #otherhoodplay that toured Bradfrord as part of #Bradford2025CityofCulture.

A link www.instagram.com/reel/DP3Qxl7... to a reel on Insta about our @oldbirdtheatre.bsky.social #otherhoodplay that toured #bradfordcityofculture. We had amazing feedback. Sorry it's on Insta. If you don't go there, I'm planning on writing something about the experience of making this show soon.

This week The Poems We Made Along The Way series 5 began with an interview with George Szirtes. We spoke about translation, form and the exact moment George realised that he realised he wanted to write poems.

Check it out linktr.ee/thepoemswemade

Great episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way even if I do say so myself.

Loved talking to Clare about her book and I hope you enjoy listening to it.

Local Poet Signing and Reading | Events at Waterstones Bookshops | Waterstones Events at Waterstones get you closer to the books and authors you admire most. Find information and tickets about Local Poet Signing and Reading today.

So happy to be bringing my poetry collection to my hometown of Wigan 😊
www.waterstones.com/events/local...

All lines lead to Manchester this morning for our Squad 12 character workshop with the Core Team’s Emma Adams - all leavened with a few grads!

Heather Chapman published in new anthology - The Writing Squad Heather Chapman is one of ten poets featured in a new anthology from sidekick books. “Enter freely and of your own will!” After a hellish coach ride up a mountain pass, each of our ten poets crosses…

Heather Chapman has been published in a new anthology 'Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle'.
www.writingsquad.com/heather-chap...

Laura Attridge interviewed in Opera Now - The Writing Squad

Laura Attridge has been interviewed for Opera Now in Gramaphone. www.writingsquad.com/laura-attrid...

Sadie Pearson longlisted for Women’s Playwriting Prize - The Writing Squad Sadie Pearson play VENUS: THE BODY has been longlisted for the Women’s Playwriting Prize. The Women’s Prize for Playwriting was founded in 2019 to champion and produce plays by female and non-binary…

Sadie Pearson has been longlisted for the Women's Playwriting Prize
www.writingsquad.com/sadie-pearso...

Sadie Pearson longlisted for Women’s Playwriting Prize - The Writing Squad Sadie Pearson play VENUS: THE BODY has been longlisted for the Women’s Playwriting Prize. The Women’s Prize for Playwriting was founded in 2019 to champion and produce plays by female and non-binary…

Sadie Pearson longlisted for Women's Playwriting Prize
www.writingsquad.com/sadie-pearso...

Issue 13.5 - Carmen et Error No Blanketsby Patricia Russo They wanted the bed to be comfortable. It was the most they could do. Not the only, but the most. But there were no more blankets left in the world, and the birds no longe...

Carmen et Error Issue 13.5 is out today, featuring work from

🛏️ Patricia Russo
🦌 Alex McCrickard
🪱 @baphomart.bsky.social

carmenerror.com?page_id=606

Great news from us!!

Heather Chapman Verve Poetry’s poem of the month - The Writing Squad Each month, Verve Poetry Festival interview a poet behind Poem of the Month, their rolling competition for the poetry community. In September, that poem was ‘Unsent Letter as a Means of…

Heather Chapman is Verve Poetry's Poem of the Month www.writingsquad.com/heather-chap...

Helen Bowell joins Fourteen Poems as Co-editor - The Writing Squad

Helen Bowell joins team at Fourteen Poems as Co-editor www.writingsquad.com/helen-bowell...

All the chaotic and roundabout lines lead to Newcastle today for our artist’s book making workshop with Stevie Ronnie

braag 25-6 line up Poetry polblar tmolkop - Andrew Blair Empirical - Gita Ralleigh Micros by Corinna Board Jessica Boatright Heather Chapman Stevie Ronnie Lauren Thomas Hybrid Only Fragments Survive - Carmen Marcus

Announcing the braag 2025-6 line up in our most recent newsletter! .... app.beehiiv.com/posts/46fac6...

Forward Prize 2026 Highly Commended Congratulations to Corinna Board! For ‘A dunnock’s prayer’, published in Issue 9.0 Carmen et Error A dunnock’s prayer by Corinna Board O wingless wun, god o’ smæl bridds, spære my nest, my fīf blue eggs. Bright sky-keeper, bringer o’ frost, maker o’ hip an haw, can ye hear my tseep tseep tseep in the hecg? I sing for ye in the blackthorn an the dogrose, in the hazel an the rowan. I, this tyne spearwa so smæl in yur hand.

Delighted that the work we've been publishing in our micro-journal, Carmen et Error, is getting the recognition it deserves! @corinnaboard.bsky.social's brilliant poem 'A dunnock's prayer' was highly commended in this year's Forward Prizes!

The last episode of this series of The Poems We Made Along The Way is with the excellent Mary Jean Chan. We spoke about book structure, the intersections of queer poetry and line breaks.

Check out the conversation wherever podcasts can be heard.

Linktr.ee/thepoemswemade

A poem from this week’s guest on The Poems We Made Along The Way.

Always worth checking out a poem from Mary Jean Chan.

Nasim Rebecca Asl one of Next Generation of Scottish Writers - The Writing Squad

Nasim Rebecca Asl named one of @theskinnymag Next Generation of Scottish Writers www.writingsquad.com/nasim-rebecc...

ReWrite - The Writing Squad Discover new voices from Manchester and Denmark as writers Elizabeth Gibson, Tallulah Howarth, Asta Birkler, Loc-An Thi Nguyen, Cody Sander and Johanne Bisgaard share new work exploring the impact of…

Don't forget to book your free tickets to Rewrite, featuring Squad Writers Elizabeth Gibson and Tallulah Howarth with @McrLitFest 16th October at 6:30pm at @anthonyburgess www.writingsquad.com/event/rewrit...