Join us for the first of three online events to recap and celebrate some of the collections from our 2020 poetry list.

Featuring readings from Maria Ferguson, Mary Dickins and James McDermott

Alright, Girl? by Maris Ferguson

Alright, Girl? is an extremely personal yet relatable exploration of class, gender and belonging. Ferguson reflects on her working-class heritage, her journey into womanhood and the choices she must now face in an age of austerity and gentrification. Full of heart and humour these poems chart the familiarity of East End pubs, the pangs of loss, the mercy of love and the inescapable bonds of female friendship. The stunning debut was highly commended by the Forward Prize.

‘Flawless. An essential read for the 2020s.’ - Salena Godden

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Happiness FM by Mary Dickins

These playful and irreverent poems form a journey through the complexities and contradictions of modern life. Mary Dickins will introduce you to original characters and ideas with wry humour and tenderness. Happiness FM is a celebration of all that is sublime and ridiculous in the world.

'These poems will sing in your mind long after you've closed the pages of this determined, honest and uplifting collection.' - Jacqueline Saphra

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Manatomy by James McDermott

Manatomy is a collection of wry, witty and cheeky poems exploring how nature, nurture, pop culture, prejudice and politics shape the identity of camp gay man James McDermott. Structured in three parts – ‘Boy’, ‘Youth’ and ‘Man’ – Manatomy interrogates how the experiences of growing up gay in a homophobic world and in rural millennial England affect a gay man’s relationships with himself, his partners, the LGBTQ+ community and the wider world.

‘Simply magnificent. You don’t have to have grown up gay to appreciate this poetry but it will have a special charge, beauty and meaning for those of us who have.' - Stephen Fry

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Tickets are available as donations, which means you can pay as little or as much as you can. All ticket costs go directly to the artists, who have all struggled to promote and sell their new collections during the COVID pandemic of 2020. We continue to find ways to support new collections from performance poets and we thank you for your support and encouragement across this time.

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Burning Eye Books is small independent publisher in the South West predominately specialising in promoting spoken word artists. We aim to dispel the assumption that performance poetry does not transfer well to page as well as give emerging and established artist opportunities to be published where they might be rejected from other traditional poetry publishers. We look for the bold, the fearless and the strange. We are dedicated to providing an inclusive portfolio of the best and most promising performance poets in the UK.

http://burningeye.co.uk