Poetry Books

Book SynopsisA modern day Genesis story. Newlyweds Adam & Eve are moving to the countryside, leaving the city behind for good. Theyre going to buy a house, start a family and live happily ever after. But when Adam is suspended from work and accusations are made, theyre forced to question how well they really know each other.What lurks beneath the surface of their perfect marriage?

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Book SynopsisWhat if the bitter wounds caused by Brexit do not heal? What if the Brexit vote, UKIP, even the BNP and the EDL what if all that was just the beginning? Joe Newman is the mainstream Labour MP for a traditional, working-class constituency in the North of England until Momentum try to oust him. Unwittingly they unleash a tide that could destroy not only Labour and the Conservatives but also every assumption anyone has ever made about what is acceptable in the mainstream of British politics. This is also a study of how political success and personal disintegration can go hand in hand.

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Book SynopsisPolitical leaders Ned Contraband and David Carter ruthlessly battle it out to get into government. Whether its propaganda, ridicule, hacking, leaking, bullying, blackmail, coalition or negotiation - no tactic is too low. Which party has the best pitch? Who do we set up for failure? Why are we in this situation in the first place? And who is this peculiar janitor talking in riddles? One thing is clear: the system is very much broken. But whos going to fix it? Hell Yes Im Tough Enough is a political satire by Fragen Theatre Company taking a tongue-in-cheek look at the unjust, corrupt and farcical pantomime that is British Politics. A relentless, fast-paced, hysterical, crude, offensive, passionate, visceral and oh so British comedy that will leave you wanting to grab a placard and take to the streets! Hell Yes I''m Tough Enough premiered at Park Theatre, London.

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Book SynopsisIts 1980 in Elephant and Castle. Martin and best friend Debbie are getting ready for another night out at Martins favourite night spot, The Golden Girl -- one of Sohos premier drag clubs. Tonight is not a regular night out. Tonight is the the night that Martins life will change forever. Call Me Vicky tells the incredible true story of one womans journey to become the person she knows herself to be. Call Me Vicky, the debut play from East London sisters Nicola and Stacey Bland is an honest, frank and revealing insight in to an important struggle that has been relevant for generations. Based entirely on a true story, this fast paced, hard-hitting, yet comic and heartwarming play charts Vickys life from a council estate in South London through to the back streets of Soho in one of its most dangerous decades.

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Book SynopsisReformation is funny, gripping and challenging new speculative play inspired by the life and art of the German Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach. Berlin. Ava learns that the celebrity artist Cranach is visiting her city. A chance meeting in the market place leads to romance with an artists son. Ava gets the chance to model for Cranachs new painting, The Rape of Lucrece. When the all-powerful Elector of Brandenburg sees the sketches of Ava, he wants the model. Is Cranach willing to sell the woman his son loves? Upsetting the powerful means obscurity or death. Whats a poor girl to do? Reformation is a play about those who dont make the history books.James Martin Charlton is the writer of Fat Souls and Coward.

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Book SynopsisEngland cricketer Chris Lewis enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and fortune in the 1990s. Playing 85 Tests and One Day Internationals for England, he was on the verge of greatness when named Englands International Cricketer of The Year in 1994. Within months of his cricketing career ending, however, his life lay in ruins when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling cocaine into the UK. Beginning with his arrest at Gatwick Airport in 2008, The Long Walk Back charts the extraordinary journey that took Lewis from the brink of despair to a profound moral awakening. Based on real events, The Long Walk Back tells the epic story of an international sporting stars catastrophic fall from grace.

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Book SynopsisNorthern Holland, 1943. Westerbork. A bleak muddy camp in a bleak muddy landscape. Bursting at the seams with angry worried people torn from their homes and surroundings.And in this camp a miracle. A cabaret performed by the very best artists in Europe. A cabaret the courteous smiling camp commandant wouldn''t miss for the world. Just as he wouldn''t miss signing off the weekly transport that sends 1000 Jews to a frightening destination in the East. A cabaret of comedy, dance and song and in particular one dancer who catches the commandant''s eye -- the talented Anna Hilmann. Will she accept his invitation and dance for him? Is it a poisoned chalice or reason to hope? Will it keep her and her loved-ones off the dreaded transport list? And if it does is it a compromise worth making? With a background based in historical fact, The Project looks at the terrible choices forced on people in a surreal world that has lost its moral compass.

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Book SynopsisYouTuber turned actor Arthur Moses wins an Olivier Award, and moments later goes on to drunkenly deliver the most offensive, outrageous and profanity laden speech in the ceremonys history. His publicists Gracelyn, Ruchi and Danica have quite a morning ahead of them. Theyll need to apologise on his behalf all whilst fielding calls, defusing social media, stamping out print, handling the talent, licking SOLTs wounds and if Arthur could stop posting on Instagram for a second that would be great. CUTTINGS is a satirical look at public perceptions, fandom & fame and what it means to be sorry in the 21st Century.

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Book SynopsisGetting The Third Degree is the story of Laurie Cunningham who came to prominence with football club West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970''s. Cunningham - one of the black footballing trio famously dubbed The Three Degrees - with swaggering style and dazzling skills invited favourable comparisons with the legendary Pele. The first black footballer to sign for the mighty Real Madrid and only the second to win a full cap for England, Cunningham inspired a whole generation of young black players to follow in his pioneering footsteps. Getting The Third Degree explores how Cunningham and fellow black players - Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis - triumphed over the racial abuse and physical threats orchestrated by The National Front through a potent combination of footballing brilliance, charismatic style and compelling dignity.Commissioned by kick it out,directed by RoughHouse Theatre, produced by Roughhouse theatre and Live Wire Theatre

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Book Synopsis"Cor blimey, Alice in Wonderland as youve never seen it before!All the favourite characters are still there, but in new, modern guises. A cockney rabbit, a rave-mad Mad Hatter, a hookah-smoking ex-Bollywood actor, Tweedledee and Tweedledum as hipsters, and a would-be grime artist called MC Turtle. Alice in Canning Town is a kaleidoscopic journey through an East End that survived Hitlers blitz and reinvented itself as a leading light in multicultural Britain.Alice falls down an East End rabbit hole... and finds herself invited to lots of parties. The trouble is the totalitarian Ministry of Fun decrees there can only be one party and everyone disagrees what kind it should be. Alice has to try to bring the warring tribes of the Underground together and defy the mighty Ministry and fight for their right to party together.Reconfigured specially for the East End, and performed site-responsively in Canning Town''s Arc in the Park, an inclusive adventure playground in Canning Town, it''s the fourth in a quartet written by James Kenworth that explores the borough''s rich heritage and shows off the talent of its young people.

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Book Synopsis"Dara and Vick have a history. Dara is the veteran press officer, Vick the rookie struggling through an uncomfortable first day. They thought the most complicated thing they would be facing was their own feelings and a tricky news story about cats, but a sudden crisis changes everything.Emotions set to the side, they have no choice but to work together to deal with a raft of journalists. But how do they get the real story out when flashy lies are so much more attractive?Tell It Slant was written without specifying a gender, and the actors playing Dara and Vick will alternate roles throughout the run, showing how the story and characters change, or don''t, when one is a man and one is a woman.A gender-switching, romantic black-comedy about fake news in a crisis. Tell It Slant was first performed at The Hope Theatre, London in Febraury 2020."

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Book SynopsisBARK follows the story of Helen and Grace, two women who meet in the TV room of a hospital and become unlikely but firm friends. As they battle their illnesses and try to understand their place in the world, they face the ultimate question: What does it mean to live? First performed at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London, in August 2021.

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Book Synopsis"The leaves fall, or is it snow? Ralph is stuck in a swamp on the enemy''s wasteland. He sings a Pig Song or two. Pig [Swamp] Songs is a work which listens to the world without striving neurotically after character and plot. It eludes definition. Rooney''s writing is in a vein where as much is received as projected. He doesn''t shout at you. He engages only with love, loss, death and the possibility of the infinite. The Pig Songs are the echo we crave, proof of our connectedness to a universe that exists beyond the fragile, disposable bodies in which we can seem helplessly enclosed. They are the mark, the stain, the rhythm of our common blood, of family, friends, of love. - from the introduction by Simon Usher"

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwells simple, tragic fable, telling what happens when the animals drive out Mr Jones and attempt to run the farm themselves, has become a world-famous classic. In a brand new contemporary, urban reimagining of Animal Farm, When Chaplin Met Gandhi writer James Kenworth takes Orwells classic satire and gives it a fresh, contemporary twist, injecting its timeless tale of a revolution that went wrong with a gritty, urban, in-yer-face language. In what was a first for Orwells classic satire, the show was performed in one of Londons longest established and largest inner-city farms, Newham City Farm, and featured a unique, mixed economy casting of Newham school pupils acting alongside professional actors.

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Book SynopsisI''ve had over 70,000 pricks...of the medical kind. This is my chance to set the record straight about type 1 diabetics like me. Despite what people say, I''m not bankrupting the NHS. And I can eat a cake a whole bloody cake if I want to. This urgent, funny show blends warmly engaging storytelling with poetry and an original soundscape. It tells a surprisingly moving and uplifting story about families and learning to care for each other better. Join me as I learn to cope with the ups and downs of dealing with a lot of pricks.

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Book SynopsisKate could be a successful writer, if she could just concentrate. Instead, she''s obsessing over recycling this bean can, shagging sexy Gary and dodging every fathomable threat of imminent death. Clementine Bogg-Hargroves debut play was The Times Critics Choice for Edinburgh Fringe 2021. SKANK reveals the witty, dark and often filthy thoughts of an ambitious twenty-something grappling with her uncertain future.

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Book Synopsis''I''m not a creep or a freak or anything like that... Its the 10th bi-annual meeting of the Michael Ball Appreciation Society and Alex, their founder, has a special surprise to mark the occasion. Alex has been obsessed with Michael Ball since he was a young boy, when he first heard The Very Best of Michael Ball in his brothers car. Just as the conductor directs his musicians, Alex orchestrates a fiendish plan to finally meet the blue-eyed boy from Bromsgrove. I Heart Michael Ball is a one-hour one-man show exploring themes of grief and obsession through audience interaction.

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Book SynopsisSome things aren''t a choice. As we move forward into what we hope is a more inclusive and embracing world, the B of LGBTQ+ is still regularly left silent, particularly when it comes to men. Three Way explores some of the many misconceptions about bisexual men, such as whether they really exist, whether they are as promiscuous as the internet says, and whether they can even be trusted. THREE WAY is a collection of three monologues. Collectively, these monologues explore topics of identity, regret, shame and love across a spectrum of life experience and ask the questions ''is it ever too late to accept who you are'', ''is there ever room for ethics in a relationship based on physical touch'' and ''do we ever really forget the ones that hurt us first?''

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Book SynopsisBrimming with wit, moments of acute observation and imagination, and written in a wry, self-deprecating Billy Collins-esque style, Will Kemp's third collection is replete with refreshing images for the things that enrich life, from clouds to sport, art to music. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

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Book SynopsisEvery now and then -- but rarely -- there emerges a poet so startlingly original and unlike any other that they seem to have evolved in isolation on some island of their own, far from the literary mainland. Ernest Noyes Brookings is one such poet. Brookings is the ultimate late starter: never having written poetry before, he began in his eighties to produce verses on a daily basis, with a quiet intensity and single-mindedness, while resident at a nursing home in Massachusetts. In the seven years until his death in 1987, he produced around 300 poems on subjects such as power tools, white worms, after-dinner mints, Vermont in winter and the death penalty. Despite being written with no thought of an audience or publication, Brookings's poems nevertheless did gain a devoted following among the readers of The Duplex Planet, the small magazine in which the majority were published. The Golden Rule now presents all of the poems in a single volume. With a biographical memoir by David Greenberger (the man who first encouraged Brookings to write), an appreciation by the legendary Al Ackerman and an appendix describing Brookings's unique writing process, this book commemorates a truly distinctive and enjoyable writer.

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Book SynopsisSelected poems from three published collections plus previously unpublished poems by a single author.

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Book SynopsisOriginal collection of poetry by a single author.

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Book SynopsisAtlantic Drift publishes twenty-four poets from the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada in an exciting partnership between Arc Publications and Edge Hill University Press. This anthology seeks to highlight new and existing writing and to define/redefine the discussions between poets from both sides of 'the pond'.

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Book SynopsisA Collection of Wildflowers is an eccentric amalgamation of poems, thoughts, questions and simple words written during the authors expeditions around the world. From Welsh mountains, Parisian cafés, temples in Thailand and train journeys in Canada, these words offer the reader a sanctuary to escape the constantly shifting world and to connect with nature, their own mind and the people around them. This collection of poetry invites the reader to join the author in her journey to acknowledge every experience, however mundane, every emotion, however raw, and the undeniable beauty that exists both within us and within nature.

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Book SynopsisThe Shadow of My Ancestral Tree speaks of many young women's experiences, particularly the children of immigrant parents. It is a collection of poetry about life, which explores themes such as trauma, grief, heartbreak, politics, family, hope, feminism and race. Offering both an introspective and outward-looking perspective on these themes, this collection goes beyond the personal musings of the individual and highlights social issues affecting the collective. These poems encourage change, turning stories of sorrow into stories of hope. The Shadow of My Ancestral Tree is a collection created to bring comfort and companionship to the voiceless whilst paying homage to those who broke their backs planting trees so the next generation could feel their shade.

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Book SynopsisRainbow Punch is a lockdown legacy like no other. An anthology of mixed-genre writings from nineteen women, with each piece paired with an evocative illustration from one of six talented female artists. Drawing rainbows became a global phenomenon throughout the pandemic, and this sign of hope unites each piece within this anthology. Rainbow Punch showcases a comprehensive collection of perspectives spanning twelve different countries, from the experiences of motherhood across a spectrum of ages to the lives of dedicated, front-line healthcare workers, bereaved friends and lockdown-induced fantastical imaginings. This book is a spectacular tribute to our tenacity in difficult times and documents a landmark moment in shared global culture.

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Book SynopsisWe all desire to live in a healthier, happier, and safer world. However, what humanity faces now are the rackets of competition, confusion and conflict. The ecological scars of climate change are a clarion call for us to change course urgently, or forever face the consequences. Ndaba Sibanda, from Zimbabwe, catches this in vivid ways. The Eastern and Southern African regions are no stranger to climate change -manifesting in droughts, depletion of biodiversity, pest infestations, increased transmission of malaria, and population displacement. Sibanda, through his rich and riveting poetry, brings to life a staggering reality which beckons humanity to be candid, reflective and regenerative. The book brings to life the diversity of Africa and the challenges it faces in an unforgettable way.Trade Review“This is a powerful composition that vividly laments the destruction of the natural environment which has led to literally a whole host of consequences.” - Stephen Mupoto, Co-Author of Essential Voices

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Book SynopsisA book of poems that explores the fundamental questions resonating within each of us about human nature. Jenny Symons, in her powerful and genuine voice, asks us to `spare a thought', pause our hectic routines for a moment and reflect on the quintessential aspects of our reality. Hers is an enthralling call for love, altruism, respect and admiration for nature, integrity and self-assertion. Emerging from the darkness of her mental illness, Symons resurrects to new life thanks to the energy of her poetry, through which we ourselves are given the chance to re-examine our truest nature. `...Following Jenny Symons' journey through hospitalisation due to schizophrenia, the collection navigates the difficult waters of the poet's on-going battle with mental illness...'Trade ReviewThis moving and thought-provoking collection of poems is a proof of the beneficial and therapeutic effects of poetry. From the abyss of her mental distress Jenny Symons manages to create beautiful art. Her poems tap into the quintessential questions of what it means to be human, exploring, with an innocent and sincere eye, every aspect of existence, form the contemplative and restoring powers of nature to the overwhelming and dehumanising influence of the chaotic and greedy modern life. Ultimately, the collection represents the poet's journey of self-discovery, through which the readers themselves are driven to reflect on the fundamental need for kindness and understanding.

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Book Synopsis‘Magic is not what happens, But what you do. It’s not what makes you rich, But what makes you poor.’ In this collection of poetry, readers can dive into feelings and thoughts about mental health, love, childhood and the natural world. The poet weaves her words with an innate sense of destiny, even when pushing through obstacles of self-doubt and exclusion. From the diamond beauty she sees in sparkling ice, to the darkest moments of being alone, we can find solace and wisdom. As the last stanza of the final poem says:- ‘Let’s reach out and live, Let’s share, love and give, Let’s find our lost selves in strangers…’

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Book SynopsisNatalia, a Polish immigrant, wants to succeed as a painter (she mainly paints vulvas, but is happy to get commissioned for a d*ck or two), but instead, shes a phone sex worker (what is that, Mr Vasiliev? You would f*ck your daughter if she would allow it?) receiving calls from older men seeking a young girlfriend experience. Oh, and she has her own daddy troubles. Daddy Issues, created by the Passing Stranger Theatre Company is a fast-paced dark comedy about childhood trauma, sex work, bedroom fantasies, imperfect feminism, immigration and life of an artist. Anna Krauze is a Polish-born actor, writer and producer, founder of the Passing Stranger Theatre Company.

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Book SynopsisGlasgow. 2006. A wasteland. Troubled teenagers Kayleigh Grey and Zoe Douglas are flirting, playing dare and fantasising about running away together to the Isle of Muck. Despite being warned to keep away, teacher Miss Hastie is inexplicably drawn into the two girl''s orbit of chaos. When Kayleighs mother, Hazel, attempts to keep her under her manipulative spell, the outcome is far worse than anyone could have anticipated. With a cast of 6, this thrilling contemporary play explores the need for love and the powerful forces at play behind random acts of violence. How much control do we have over who we are and what we become? Does the past define our future? Can we ever forget who we once were, escape our past mistakes and start again? Or are we doomed to be haunted, hounded and hunted forever?

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Book SynopsisSophie and Jamie have just been cancelled, a misplaced selfie has gone viral, and the pair have been accused of mocking a dead child. But their troubles are only just beginning. As the real and digital world collide, their lives and friendship are ripped apart by algorithms, online mobs and an obsessive troll called Mr Punch. Zombiegate is a witty and empathetic debut play that gets behind the headlines and hashtags of internet trolls, scrutinising mob mentality and myths around cancel culture, and asks us to empathise with the people we find it hard to agree with. Zombiegate was a winner of Theatre Royal Haymarket''s Masterclass Pitch Your Play 2018, and premiered at Theatre503 in November 2022.

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Book SynopsisIn this adult fairytale for the modern age, Gigi Stars Saturn is Returning which means she is, quite frankly, astrologically f*cked. In her 27th year, she makes a dubious moral choice, literally goes to Hell and back all whilst battling her self-doubt. Buckle up baby, things are about to get bumpy. Underscored by breathtaking live music, Gigi, the voice of Doubt and a squad of bizarre rebels go on a mission, learning some hard truths along the way. Can we ever atone for past mistakes? Will Gigi reconnect with her true purpose? Does self-doubt ever really serve us? Forget knights in shining armour, this is about overcoming assholes whilst wrapped in tinfoil. First seen at Applecart Arts, London

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Book SynopsisCan two men raised to fight ever learn to love? The story of ''Gorgeous ''George O''Connell, bare-knuckle fighter and traveller, who enters the world of professional boxing, which puts him on a collision course with his roots, his identity and his greatest fear. In the opposite corner, gay boxer Dane The Pain Samson, the young pretender and son of a boxing legend, is fighting his own battles that lead to a tragedy that neither could predict. Gypsy Queen is an unconventional love story between two fighters who discover the greatest challenge lies outside the ring.

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Book SynopsisA bittersweet tale of political campaigns, sexual consent and steam trains. Meet Dom. He wants more than anything else to be an #instagay #influencer but its tough when no one likes your posts, you cant find a bloke who shares your love of trains and you live with your MDMA popping, Simply Red loving mum in a small northern village five miles from the nearest gay. Hed love a fabulous life with the A-Gays in the city, but his social anxiety prevents this from being a reality. Its all a bit of an effort. Then one day, a chance encounter with his local MP turns everything upside down. But in pursuit of the life he thinks he wants; just how much does Dom have to give up?

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Book SynopsisOne night. One big announcement. One drink too many and more comical brawls than there are positions in theKamaSutra. Your classic, uncensored, alcohol-fuelLed noughties sitcom... on poppers. It''s a snowy winter evening in London and Michael has Invited his closest friends over for a thoroughly planed out games night to announce the news of his engagement to fiancé Jacob. But with his eccentric and trouble-riddled friends arriving and spiteful relatives crashing, it doesn''t exactly go to plan. Trapped in a house together, more alcohol being drank and secrets revealed, will Michael and Jacob make it down the aisle?

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Book SynopsisThe Monster Always Wins, Right? Cal & Alf. Callum & Alison. They were supposed to be part of each other''s lives forever, if only the universe had let things happen the way they should. But whoever they were before, they''re different people now, and the problem with living in this place is that it always pulls you back again, no matter how hard you try to get away. When the universe that sent them spinning into free-fall throws them together again when the girl who ran away comes home to find out what happened to the boy who didn''t want to leave. And the question that the universe needs to answer most of all now is -- Whatever happens to the people we leave behind? 

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Book SynopsisAfter a sell-out, OffComm-winning try-out run in 2021, this double bill of one-act, comedy dramas returns for its first full production run. Both plays have been substantially revised and improved since that development run. The plays both portray the differences of perspective, the insecurities and the simple misunderstandings sometimes heart-breaking, often hilarious between men who grew up in different eras, with different expectations and values. A Certain Term by Michael McManus, directed by Bryan Hodgson. Its not dying young thats an offence against nature for a gay man, you know. Its growing old. We become invisible. When 40-something Graham is approached by 20-something Joe in a gay bar, he little imagines how profoundly his life could be changed by this brief encounter especially when a mysterious visitor appears from nowhere, closely connected with Graham, yet uninvited, unexpected and alarmingly indiscreet. How can lost souls find one another and how can we learn to heal and to let go? I F-----n Love You by Charlie Ross Mackenzie directed by Ed Applewhite. We just take it for granted. All of it. Floating from one day to the next. Trying desperately to shake off that shadow called regret. Running away from it so fast that we never stop to look around us. There are those nights, those perfect nights, when the world is put to rights, you look into the soul of the person closest to you and connect with their humanity. Well this isnt one of those! Simon and Adrian are getting ready for a good nights sleep. Trouble is, sleep is difficult when youre on the sofa bed and prone to overthinking things. As they uncover many things thought forgotten, dealing with fidelity, death, weak bladders and Bucks Fizz, this will be no easy nights kip.

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Book SynopsisHelen and Alexander have a new show. The set is a caravan. And it''s all true.Working from a caravan has its ups and downs. Clients come and go. Ask them no questions and they''ll tell you no lies, just take the money at the door. But something''s different about this new client.Discreet, professional, clean and tested. For a good time, come to the caravan. Your desire for hire.A Caravan Named Desire explores desire and sex work in the UK through interactive performance.

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