Bex Hainsworth

Thank you, Tam!! 😊

Two Poems By Bex Hainsworth — Columbia Journal Nuns rattle keys in locks with cloven hands, clop down corridors, dark as wailing mouths. The long dormitories stink of exorcism, of mould crusting like old blood, of smoke from a bonfire of birth ...

I completely missed two poems of mine being published by the incomparable Columbia Journal in the spring.

You can read 'Mary Visits a Magdalene Laundry' and 'Diary of Shem's Wife' here:
www.columbiajournal.org/articles/two...

Thank you, Sam!! 😊

Thank you, Paul!! 😊

Arboreal - by Bex Hainsworth It was my first time taking the bus to school and the 662 was late. Half-carried into the aisle, I was a squat shrub, crowded by a canopy of strangers. My sapling arms reached up for the swinging vines of the grab handles, but I stumbled as the bus rounded a corner. Sunlight was swallowed by anoraks, blazers. And then I felt the elderly woman beside me shift the soft branch of her arm around my waist. The sequins on her mossy cardigan shimmered, both of us undergrowth, but her roots were deep in the floor, her walking stick like a tree stake. She anchored us, bud and trunk. It was the safety I’ve been searching for, all my life. ​

I've been keeping this quiet, but I can now share that my poem 'Arboreal' won First Prize in the Whispering Wisdom Poetry Competition! 💙

It's October! 🍂

If you're looking for an autumnal read, Circulaire, my new pamphlet, features cosy cooking, bonfires, and benevolent hauntings 🎃

You can grab your copy from @writtenoffbooks.bsky.social here: tinyurl.com/4cw3e27r 🧡

Or drop a comment for a signed copy (£10 via PayPal) ☕️

Happy National Poetry Day! 🎉

And the winners are @victoriaspires.bsky.social and Emily Tee over on Instagram! 🥳

Thank you to everyone who responded! 💛

If you missed out but would still like a signed copy, do drop me a comment! (£10 via PayPal, I ship internationally!) ☕️

Thank you, Allan! Your name has been added to the draw 😊

Thank you for sharing, Roger!! Your name has been added to the draw 😊

Moeritherium After walking beneath blue whale bones and following the loops of mammoth tusks, I linger near an unsuspecting model: the squat, shapely form of a moeritherium. Indirect ancestor of elephants and sea cows, all Eocene curves with soft, painted eyes. The grey egg of her body is dwarfed by stockier relatives, but she seems to float in front of me, goddess of buoyancy, the spirit of the semi-aquatic. I admire her womb-shaped face, her stubby trunk, which is touch-whitened from decades of petting, but resist the urge to reach out. I am content with our closeness, the shared beauty of those without descendants.

Delighted to hear that my poem 'Moeritherium' has received a Best of the Net nomination!

Published by the wonderful @whaleroadreview.bsky.social, it was inspired by this model in the Natural History Museum 💙

Absolutely loved spending my weekend with I Am Not Light by @louloumach.bsky.social .

This collection is vivid, raw, and full of blistering seascapes that made my landlocked heart sing!

Grab your copy from @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social 🖤

GIVEAWAY ALERT! 💛

Circulaire is a month old today and to celebrate I'm giving away two FREE copies! ☕️

Please like, share, and drop a comment below if you want to be entered into the draw - which will happen on Thursday, National Poetry Day! ✨

Last Saturday Poets: September A poetry salon for the last Saturday of each month. Join some of the finest exponents of contemporary poetry reading their work.

Join poets
@poetbex.bsky.social
@alicestainer.bsky.social
@thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Martin Kennedy Yates
@judemarr.bsky.social
@miriamo77.bsky.social
@marcellenewbold.bsky.social
@annpelletiert.bsky.social
7.00pm - 8.30pm UK time Free on Zoom www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/last-satur...

So honoured to receive the coveted golden cherries!! 🍒 Thank you! 💛

Cover of Circulaire, new collection from Bex Hainsworth.

A beautiful poem from MistakenMagic @poetbex.bsky.social and from her new collection for our Pick of the Day. You can read Santarcangelo di Romagna here: www.abctales.com/user/mistake...

Just found your Twitter message 🙈 Thank you for getting in touch!!

Ah, amazing!! So bluesky has disabled my DMs because of UK verification laws, would I be able to find you on Twitter or Instagram so you can DM me your address? Alternatively, you could put your address in your PayPal note when you transfer the £10? 😊

Circulaire has made it to The Waitākere Ranges, New Zealand! 🇳🇿

If you live outside of the UK and would like a signed copy, please do drop a comment! (£10 via PayPal, I'll cover p&p) 💛☕️

Thank you for reading, Angela!! 😊

Huge fan of Bex Hainsworth too. Will be getting this one. Walrussey was fantastic. 👇

Also in today’s post!

Circulaire
by Bex Hainsworth @poetbex.bsky.social

Huge fan of Bex since reading her wonderful collection Walrussey, so very excited to read this now!💫

Thank you so much, Rachel 💙 😊 Really pleased you enjoyed Walrussey and I hope you enjoy Circulaire!

Shortbread I add four teaspoons of cocoa to my grandmother’s shortbread recipe. The dough becomes terracotta clay which I mould into an urn, curve into the shape of myself, my floured hands sinking into its hips. There is something primitive about the way it folds like a bowl, then flattens into a tablet, fork strokes becoming language. I slide the tray into the oven, leave it twenty minutes to bake. An anxiety-hollowed afternoon is softened with this preparation. For I am a body, and I deserve something sweet.

My poem 'Shortbread' from my new pamphlet, Circulaire, for anyone who many need a reminder 💛

Circulaire, a collection of thirty-four poems about family, love, and being in a body, is available from Written Off Publishing here: tinyurl.com/4cw3e27r ☕️

Thank you so much for spreading the word, Rhona!! Really hope you enjoy 💛☕️

The most wonderful review of Circulaire is now up at @abctales.bsky.social 💛 ☕
abctales.com/blog/insertp...

Last Saturday Poets: September A poetry salon for the last Saturday of each month. Join some of the finest exponents of contemporary poetry reading their work.

Join poets @poetbex.bsky.social @alicestainer.bsky.social @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social Martin Kennedy Yates @judemarr.bsky.social @miriamo77.bsky.social @marcellenewbold.bsky.social @annpelletiert.bsky.social - an evening of wonderful wordery 7.00 - 8.30 Zoom www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/last-satur...

It's so wonderful seeing my two little books together!

I have signed copies available of Walrussey (The Black Cat Poetry Press, 2023) and my new pamphlet Circulaire (Written Off Publishing, 2025).

Drop me a comment if you'd like one! £10 via PayPal, I post internationally ✉️

Aww thank you so much, Lucy!! I really hope you enjoy 💛☕️

How gorgeous is this cover design? And I know the poems are going to be fab. Off to order it now...

Do you have a body? Have you encountered others whilst having a body? Then Circulaire may be the pamphlet for you! ☕️

These poems explore body image, stretchmarks, vitamin deficiencies and mental health - a corporeal love letter!💛

Copies available here: tinyurl.com/4cw3e27r