My featured poet for this week is Paul Brookes. Paul is a prolific writer and a great supporter of the writing community through his website "The Wombwell Rainbow." His many chapbooks and collections are listed in the Bio below, so be sure to read this post to the end! Today, Paul shares his stirring poem, "A Breath," which was written in an experimental form. Thank you, Paul, for allowing me to feature your work!
Paul Brookes is a shop assistant who lives in a cat house full of teddy bears. He first performed at The Gulbenkian Theatre, Hull, and has since had his work broadcast on BBC Radio 3 “The Verb,” and videos of his “Self Isolation” sonnet series featured by Barnsley Museums and “Hear My Voice” (Barnsley). Paul’s chapbooks are: The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley, (Dearne Community Arts, 1993), A World Where and She Needs That Edge (Nixes Mate Press, 2017 & 2018), The Spermbot Blues (OpPRESS, 2017), Please Take Change (Cyberwit.net, 2018), and As Folk Over Yonder (Afterworld Books, 2019). And, his recent sonnet collections are: As Folktaleteller (ImpSpired, 2022), These Random Acts of Wildness (Glass Head Press, 2023), and Othernesses (JCStudio Press, 2023). A poetry collaboration with artist Jane Cornwell resulted in Wonderland In Alice, plus other ways of seeing (JCStudio Press, 2021). Paul is Editor of The Wombwell Rainbow interviews, book reviews, and writing challenges. He also does photography commissions.