This newsletter marks almost exactly the three-month mark of me being on Substack, with “Black Dog” being posted on January 9th (“What Do I Want For Christmas?” was backdated to its original publication date over on Over to the Youth ).

Black Dog

Tell me what your name is and what it means to you, how it follows silently to bite onto the new. Tell me what brings you to this place and the journey that you took; the adventure that you carried as the g…

Tom ShawTom Shaw

What a crazy fun three months this has been. Being able to share my poems with all of you and to have so many wonderful interactions on this platform has been a blessing. A huge thank-you to all you wonderful people who are reading my work, sharing it, and letting me know what it’s meant to you. I’ve got some wonderful things in the pipeline that you’ll be seeing soon. Here’s to the next three months being just as thrilling as the last three!

From Poets Present

I’m bucking the trend this week and *not* talking about something “From Poets Past”, instead covering two very different current poets’ works. The first of those being…

“Spring” - by Saffron Morter-Laing

This first poem graced my presence late on Easter Sunday - and it’s a wonderful one. Saffron Morter-Laing’s excellent poem, “Spring”, is not bound by the simplicity of its language in creating one of the most magical poems I’ve read recently. I’ll let its own tongue (“pink in the earth”), speak for itself:

Spring

Hi All, How are you? It’s been a good week on my side. I launched the Poetic Library Spotlight Series to grow and unify Substack’s poetic community. This project will release monthly interviews with your favourite poets and host Zoom sessions for us to examine poems in our Library and use these as a springboard for our very own

Anthropocene Times

Saffron Morter-Laing has been an incredible driving force in helping poetry to proliferate on Substack with her Poetic Library too, which seems to be taking on a life entirely of its own, and that has helped me find some excellent Substack poets. Feel free to reap the benefits of this project, or support its development below:

(Help me build a) Poetic Library

Thematising and adding bios for each publication has taken me 20+ hours. If you would like to support this page and the work that has gone into it there are a couple of things you can do: (1) become a paid subscriber or (2) buy me a coffee. If you cannot afford either of these then you can also recommend my page. Any of these would be greatly appreciat…

Anthropocene Times

As it so happens, me now being on Substack for 3 months now makes me eligible for inclusion in the Poetic Library. So, if Saffron Morter-Laing happens to be reading this, we’ll perhaps see an entry for me in there sometime soon ; )

“That’s Entertainment” - by Paul Weller

Yes, you read that right. Paul Weller, of The Jam, Style Council and solo fame.

I’m taking some liberties this week with this “From Poets Present” entry by talking about a musical artist - although I view songwriting as just one form of poetry. I had the pleasure of seeing Paul Weller live this week and felt called to include him in some way in this newsletter. I debated putting this in the “From Poets Past” section, but as the gentleman in question is still active, it only feels right to put it here.

Weller’s songs are packed with great lyrics, whether social commentary with The Jam or gradually seeing more personal reflections on life as he progressed. For this newsletter, I’ve included the humorous and excellently written observations of British council estate-esque life from The Jam’s “That’s Entertainment”. I’m particularly fond of the lines “Waking up at 6 A.M. on a cool warm morning / Opening the windows and breathing in petrol” and “Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight / Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude”.

Here’s a live version with Weller and Noel Gallagher, of Oasis fame. Because why not.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA police car and a screaming siren
Pneumatic drill and ripped-up concrete
A baby wailing, a stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamplight blinking

That's entertainment
That's entertainment

A smash of glass and the rumble of boots
An electric train and a ripped-up phone booth
Paint-splattered walls and the cry of a tomcat
Lights going out and a kick in the balls

I say that's entertainment
That's entertainment

Days of speed and slow-time Mondays
Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday
Watching the news and not eating your tea
A freezing cold flat with damp on the walls

I say that's entertainment
That's entertainment

Waking up at 6 A.M. on a cool warm morning
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol
An amateur band rehearsing in a nearby yard
Watching the telly and thinking 'bout your holidays

That's entertainment
That's entertainment

Waking up from bad dreams and smoking cigarettes
Cuddling a warm girl and smelling stale perfume
A hot summer's day and sticky black tarmac
Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away

That's entertainment
That's entertainment

Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight
Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude
Getting a cab and travelling on buses
Reading the graffiti about slashed-seat affairs

I say that's entertainment
That's entertainment

That’s Entertainment - Written by Paul Weller (as a member of The Jam)

From Me

New Poems

I wanted to do something a bit more light-hearted for this week in keeping with the idea of “April Fools”. I also thought it would be amusing to write about one of the few luxuries I enjoy indulging myself in - tea. Hence “There’s No Treat Like Herbal Tea” was born. Perhaps one to enjoy over a brew?

There's No Treat Like Herbal Tea

Here's something a little more playful than my usual affairs, in keeping with the theme of today (April 1st). Those who know me personally may be well aware of my obsession with herbal teas, so here'…

Tom ShawTom Shaw

Make sure to keep an eye on my Notes tab, as I’ll be sharing additional poems there that are the product of NaPoWriMo, which Tara Connor is graciously giving her time to bring to Substack. Go have a look at the post below to find out more:

NaPoWriMo, the Substack Version

When I committed to The February Poetry Adventure organized here on Substack by Petra Hernandez I was dubious. I’ve tried “poem-a-day” challenges before and I’d never made it past the first few days. I’d miss a day and feel discouraged and eventually give up. But Petra made the whole thing feel so much less like a challenge and more like an…

Poetical

This week also sees the release of my conversation with Nika of Vibehood , who is currently organising an exciting-looking one-day festival in Brecon, Wales. My Tribe members (paid subscribers) get access to the full episode, but free subscribers fear not - there is still a 10 minute segment from that interview that you can watch for free.

Physical and Digital Connections with Nika

In this conversation, I am joined by Nika, who finds herself involved in all sorts of interesting projects and working under multiple aliases. For the purposes of this conversation, she is the lead o…

Tom ShawTom Shaw

And Finally…

Thank you for continuing to follow my progress. If you want to support my work, there are numerous ways you can doing that, including:

• Becoming a Tribe member (paid subscriber)
• Purchasing a print or book from my store
• Sharing the poems that resonate with you most with others

If you enjoy my poems, or are looking for poems on different subjects and of different natures, consider checking out my book, “Born Anew”, which you can find out more about below:

Born Anew

“Born Anew” is a collection of over 20 poems reflective of my inner and outer journey of the past few years. Some poems are more light-hearted and optimistic. Some explore the bleakness of realising …

Tom ShawTom Shaw

It's incredibly heartwarming to know you are here and believe in the work I'm doing, and I can't wait to be able to share more with you and the rest of the world soon.

With gratitude,
Tom