Peter Lilly: Poems

 I'm ecstatic to announce that "A Handful of Prayers" my second poetry collection is now available with Wipf & Stock.  More about this collection in future posts. 

My debut Poetry collection "An Array of Vapour", published by TSL Publications, is now available for purchase here:  https://tslbooks.uk/product/an-array-of-vapour-peter-lilly/ This blog post is about Matthew Heasman's endorsement of the book, and the work of New Hope . It was an honour to work under Matthew's leadership at New Hope, and I am very humbled by his kind words about me and this book.  For those who don't know, New Hope is a local charity to Watford, just north-west of London, providing support, advice, food and shelter for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They have a variety of different housing services ranging from emergency beds in the night-shelter, to medium term move-on accommodation, as well as drop-in services, a soup kitchen, and a support for those who have previously been homeless, to help them sustain their recovery.  In my five years working for the charity I had four positions in three different projects, but all ...

It has been a while since I last posted on my blog. But I have decided to revive it in anticipation for the release of my first poetry collection "An Array of Vapour"  with  TSL books .  I'm really excited to share this collection with you! But first, I want to catch on the wonderful journals that have published my poetry since the summer of 2022. You can click on the titles to navigate to the poems or the publications 😊. 'Soil', in Furrows by Green Ink Poetry In August 2022, I was ecstatic to have my poem ‘Soil’ published in ‘Furrows’, a print collection   by Green Ink Poetry.  This poem was written in honour of Wendell Berry , whose own writing and work are an endless source of inspiration for my poetry and life.  This was my first time being published by Green Ink, and it was especially exciting because this is such an outstanding edition. It was such a privilege to be published alongside such amazing authors and inspiring pieces.  ‘Corfu’ Publishe...

  I'm thrilled to announce that three of my poems were chosen for inclusion in the 3rd edition of DRIECH BROAD. The above poem A-Perfect is one of the three poems that were included, which I'm excited to share with you, especially as this edition sold out even before making it to the Dreich Website! Dreich is a wonderful publisher of poetry magazines, books and chapbooks, based and in Scotland edited by Jack Caradoc. It is a continuation of 'Hybrid', a multi-arts platform, started in the late 80's that published some legendary poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti , Julia Darling , Brendan Cleary and Linda France , to name just a few. A generation later Dreich was launched with the vision of utilising new medias and retaining the small press ethic of 'Poetry for all... free of ego... bias and favouritism."* Their series DREICH BROAD is a beautiful A4 colour print journal, that includes poetry by invitation only, so I am extremely thankful to have these poems i...

I'm very excited to announce that one of my poems was published in The Minison Project Sonnet Collection Series, Volume 4  which came out in July. This exciting and growing project to re-imagine Shakespeare's sonnet started as an online magazine and has been developing into a press. The way they encourage and explore experimentation and development with this familiar poetic form is both important and inspiring, and results in a lot of beautiful writing. My poem in this sonnet connection 'Becoming Paper' was inspired by my previous work with the homeless of Watford. It explores deep emotional and mental struggle, and leans into the inspiring resolve that many people can find to go on when they feel they cannot. Do check out this wonderful issue, but also the rest of the work and writing made available by this exciting project. 

I'm delighted to announce that I have two poems included in the brand new anthology of poetry inspired by the one and only Bob Dylan, published by Fevers of the Mind . As for so many people, Bob Dylan has been a hugely important artist in my development as a person, a musician, and a poet. I grew up listening to him, because my dad was a fan. It was at the age of 13, when I first heard Dylan read his poem "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" , the final track on Volume One of his Bootleg Series, that I was first deeply impacted by the power of poetry, and started writing poems of my own. If longevity of career, diversity of output and fanbase, ability to adapt to sociocultural changes, enduring relevance, and ability to inspire new works or art, are measures of a great artist, then Bob Dylan is surely one of the greatest of the last century. And this exciting anthology of poetry inspired by his words and music is a great example of how he continues to inspire new artists and...