I’m very excited to tell you that my new pamphlet with brilliant illustrator/artist Katy Alston is about to come out from Fair Acre Press! And our Zoom launch for the book is on Sunday 21st March, 5pm-6pm. Katy will talk about the illustrations, I will read some poems – and we’re delighted to be joined by three excellent Fair Acre poets Carl Tomlinson, John Sewell and Steve Griffiths, who will also be reading. Entry is free, tickets via Eventbrite here. Hope you can join us!
And ‘Fan-peckled’ can be pre-ordered from Fair Acre Press here.

Fan-peckled is one of the old words of Shropshire. It was collected in the 1870s from the little towns of Wem and Whitchurch. It just means ‘freckled’. It’s just one of the lost words that were gathered into The Shropshire Word-Book by Georgina F. Jackson in 1879.

Around a year ago, entirely carried away by words like Fisk, and Keffel and Clicket, and Shalligonaked – I began writing a group of poems. Then I thought to ask Katy Alston, who is the most brilliant artist, if she would consider illustrating them. I’m so glad she did!

Here are a few pages, to whet the appetite!