Ways to Say We Are Not Alone - Simon Alderwick, Sarah James, Duncan Forbes

How can we write about the pain or pleasure of a relationship and love without veering into sentimentality, or equally into cynicism?Three widely published poets demonstrate how they write from the heart, whilst remaining clear-eyed.Prize-winning poet Sarah James' collection Darling Blue (Indigo Dreams) blends ekphrastic poems with a fictional narrative exploring love, lust, and letting go, inspired by Pre-Raphaelite artworks.

Darling Blue has been described as rich in imagery and sensory detail, reminding the reader how brightly sunlight shines through // when freed from a cracked mirror (Sarah Doyle, Pre-Raphaelite Society Poet-in-Residence), and as a vivid, emotive, and essential reflection on what endures ' (Luke Kennard).Duncan Forbes poems have been published by Faber, Secker and Enitharmon, who produced a Selected Poems in 2009, drawn from five previous collections.

He has won a Gregory Award, Stephen Spender Prizes, Hawthornden Award and TLS/Blackwells prize for his most recent collections of poems, Human Time (2020) and Under the Sun (2024).

Duncan Forbes is a real discovery.

Vernon Scannell.Simon Alderwick is the author of the heartfelt and moving ways to say we're not alone (2024) and the forthcoming reaper in a headlock (2026), both with Broken Sleep.

Simon's work addresses masculinity, fatherhood, the anthropocene, time travel, mental health and addiction.

His work has appeared in Magma, Berlin Lit, Ink Sweat & Tears.

A former Cheltenham resident, he now lives in Oxford.

Simon Alderwicks poems fizz with a deep uncertainty and moments of imagistic magic.

These are poems of faith and love, reminding us that, not all prayers are answered Marvin Thompson.