I've written a piece about the how and why of the reviews I write: pitching for commissions, the process of reading and writing, and the rules I try to stick to along the way. It's over on my Substack here.
Newsletter 2024
It’s been another really busy year – and I’m very excited about some possible new projects in the pipeline for 2025. More of that anon, but in the meantime… Onwards! As some / most of you probably know, I started a Substack in the middle of the year – some of you will be reading... Continue Reading →
Poetry news: Thin Places & Sacred Spaces
I am absolutely thrilled to have two poems in this anthology from Amethyst Review, which is available here in the UK and here in the US. My poems are titled: 'Ely Considered as a Light Farm', and 'Listening to the Dead'.
News: History Hit
I really enjoyed talking to the great Dan Snow about Walter Ralegh and El Dorado on Dan's History Hit podcast. Listen to it here!
Poetry news
I really enjoyed writing what turned out to be a prose poem for Ten Poets Get to the Bottom of Some Grisly Crimes, a new anthology from the lovely team at Sidekick Books.
Poetry News: Amethyst Review
I have a new poem – the first of two – up on Amethyst Review. The poem is called The Anchoress. It has various sources of inspiration but one of them is certainly Walter Hilton's The Scale of Perfection.
Poetry news: Q&A
I did a quick Q&A with US poetry website Fevers of the Mind. It's up online here.
Newsletter 2023
I hope this finds everyone happy and well. I know, I know: another year, another newsletter… I don’t know if this is becoming a ritual now, but it’s nice to look back and remember what the year has brought me. I’ve been very grateful for the opportunity to write about a wider range of things... Continue Reading →
Writing from the margins
I didn’t recognise the book on my shelf. I barely noticed it, scanning the titles quickly for a different one I had mislaid. But somehow the thin tattered spine of its dusty, crumbling dust jacket caught my eye as it rested in the dark, shadowed end of the book case. It was one of my... Continue Reading →
Quick brains and slow tongues: the world of Damon Runyon
My parents are both now dead. My father died last, aged 90, in 2016. I had always associated my love of books with my mother’s influence. My father’s passing, however, made me realise ‒ too late ‒ that most of the books I turn to for comfort are those to which he introduced me. I... Continue Reading →
Poetry news: Bad Lilies
I'm delighted to have a poem – a bona fide dream poem, in fact – in the latest issue of the wonderful Bad Lilies. It's online here.
Poetry news: The Interpreter’s House
Absolutely delighted to have a poem, 'Linnaeus, intoxicated' in the latest issue of the wonderful The Interpreter's House.
Newsletter: 2022 in review
I hope the last days of 2022, despite being yet another turbulent and difficult year, are finding everyone safe and well. I don’t do newsletters every year, but sometimes it feels worth looking back a little to take stock. There are always opportunities missed, but overall, I’m pretty pleased with how things have gone. I... Continue Reading →
Poetry news: website
I'm very aware I need to create a new and better website for my work. But in the meantime, most of the poems I've had published in the last couple of years are gathered online here.
Poetry news: Under the Radar
Delighted to have a poem about a dog in the latest issue of the wonderful Under the Radar magazine from Nine Arches Press. You can read it online here.
Poetry news: Green Ink
I have a new poem up on Green Ink Poetry this morning. It’s called The Password and it’s part of a collection on the theme of whispers.
Poetry news: Black Nore Review
I have a new poem, signs & wonders, up on Black Nore Review this morning.
News: Not Just The Tudors
I'm delighted to have recorded another episode for Suzannah Lipscomb's brilliant podcast, Not Just the Tudors, this time on Sir Walter Ralegh and the tragic fantasy of El Dorado. It's available to listen to here. My previous episode, in which we discussed the Dissolution of the Monasteries, is available to listen to here. Not Just... Continue Reading →
Poetry news: Reliquiae
I'm absolutely delighted to have a new poem, The Pleiades, in the latest issue of Reliquae, from the Corbel Stone Press. It's one of my favourite poetry publications – beautifully produced and full of wonderful writing, much of it in translation – so it feels a real privilege to appear in it. You can read... Continue Reading →
Poetry news: Drawn to the Light
Really pleased to have a poem in the latest issue of Drawn to the Light. You can read it online here.
Mathew Lyons 