Really enjoyed my first visit to The Black Light Engine Room at Off The Ground Coffee in Middlesbrough last Saturday.

Many thanks to p a morbid for inviting me as a guest poet along with poetry pals Joe Williams and Zoë Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe, plus Andrew Talbot. Great also to meet Natalie Scott. Here are some pics of the evening courtesy of morbid.

Spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the launch of my editor Mark Connors’ latest poetry collection ‘Optics’. It was a privilege to be asked to read alongside Mark and fellow Yaffles Gill Lambert, Mike Farren, Adrian Salmon, Matt Nicholson and Terry Simpson. Great to spend time with another Yaffle Joanna Sedgwick and fellow poet Joe Williams.

Mark’s poems focus on the world around us, expressed in his direct, engaging style – often sharp-witted and humourous – that also manages to capture the spirit of the current political mood regarding Brexit. I wholeheartedly recommend ‘Optics’, it is a fine collection indeed.