Right, we’re most definitely gearing up for Christmas now, so here’s a little shameless plug for my books. You can buy signed copies of my debut poetry collection ‘Two Little Ducks’ and/or my debut kids’ poetry collection ‘A Hurricane in my Head’ here.
I realise that it’s not as cheap as buying them from elsewhere because I charge £2 P+P, but the money goes straight to me and I post them out as UK 1st Class, so they should be with you pretty sharpish. The Big Cartel site allows you to add any specific dedications or messages on checkout.
‘Two Little Ducks’ was published by VERVE Poetry Press in October last year. It accompanied my 22-date UK theatre tour with the show of the same name, which is my debut one-man spoken word show. I did a full Edinburgh Fringe run with an embryonic version of the show in summer 2017, and this final version is something that I’m incredibly proud of.
There are three key strands, each of which alternate before a final poem pulls it all together. Firstly, I’m exploring the working-class Leave vote from the perspective of somebody that grew up in a strongly pro-Brexit city. Secondly, I’m recounting my experiences from the Calais Jungle refugee camp, in which I volunteered either side of the referendum. Finally, I use kitchen-sink realism to tell the fictionalised story of a character called Maria.
As well as the 22 poems from ‘Two Little Ducks’, there are 15 entirely unrelated poems which I wrote during the same time period (2015-2018).
‘A Hurricane in my Head’ was published by Bloomsbury this July. It contains 70 poems which are roughly targeted at the 10-14 age bracket, although they’re suitable for ages 8+. It was one of the selected titles for National Poetry Day, which led to my appearance on a live NPD special on Blue Peter.
The poems mainly involve playful rebellion, challenging stereotypes, attempting to make sense of the modern world and playful escapism. In a couple of the poems I aim to challenge gender stereotypes and the early roots of toxic masculinity. There’s also a lot about school life, plus seeing the world in general through a young person’s eyes (and imagination).
I’ve been doing an awful lot of educational work over the last few years, and so to have a kids’ poetry collection means the world to me.
So, yeah…if you fancy buying something for the poetry lover in your life, check ’em out. Ta very much!
Matt Abbott Poet 