Publication Day!

News

It’s publication day for ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’.

For those of you who preordered, I hope your copy has arrived and you enjoy reading it.

For those of you who, for some strange reason, didn’t preorder, it should be out there in most bookshops for perusal and purchase. But only if you want to. 

There’s a special edition available through most indie bookshops (signed and with a bonus poem inside).

The book is available through the usual online places, too.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I’ve written a show based around the book, which I’ll be touring with later on in the year.  

If you have any questions, please pop them in the comments and my PA (Poetry Assistant) will get back to you in the next couple of months.

A picture of my new book jacket, featuring a mildly perplexed man looking up at a giant horse with an egg shaped body.

BookKind Non-Fiction Book of the Month

News

The totally ace online booksellers BookKind have chosen ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’ as their Non-Fiction Book of the Month for April.

This is doubly good news because every copy sold via BookKind raises money for charity – just select from a range of charitable organisations when you order: https://bookkind.co.uk/book-of-the-month-home/

In celebration, here’s a video of me confronting the blank space of the white page. Or possibly the white space of the blank page.

A poem about my experience of ‘travelling’ on Britain’s railways

Selected poems

The Poet Now Standing at Platform 3A

The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 14.30 speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry Festival,
calling at: Longwaite; Anguish; Bleakside;
Much Wallowing-in-the-Mire; Little Hope;
Hangdog Manor; High Dudgeon; Irk; Fuckham; Mope;
Doldrum Parkway; Wearyside Central; and Wits’ End.

We are sorry to announce this poet is delayed
by approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 14.30 speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry Festival.
Please note, this poet will now NOT be stopping at:
Great Ease; Serenity Junction; or Arrival-on-Time.

This poet has been delayed by approximately one hour
and forty-eight minutes.
Customers are advised to stand well back from the poet,
who’s on edge.
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.

The poet currently standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 14.30 speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry Festival.
This poet consists of nine elements:
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, tedium, delirium,
odium, caffeine, shortbread, and despair.

A trolley service, featuring mild palpitations
and a selection of hot and cold sweats,
is trundling through this poet.

This poet has been delayed by approximately two hours
and twenty-three minutes.
Please listen for further disruptions.
We apologise for the announcements to your journey today.

There has been a platform altercation.
The agony at platform 3A does not stop here.
The 14.30 speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry Festival has been disrupted.
Customers should not bore the poet at this time.

The platform now standing on poet 3A has been delayed
by approximately three hours and forty-two minutes.
We apologise for the apologies to your disruptions today.

If you hear an announcement that doesn’t sound right,
seek your stash. Or text a local dealer on 61016
to help you through this.
He’ll sort it. Seek it. Pay it. Snorted.

Please note that for your safety and comfort
this station operates a no trains policy.

The festival now standing at poet 14.30 is the delayed
3A speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry platform.
We are sorry to announce that this poet has been waylaid
by approximately four hours and twenty-two minutes.
Will passengers intending to travel on this service
make their way to the platform as the poet is now ready to jump.

Please note that longings must not be left unattended at this station.
Any hope left unattended may be removed without warning, or destroyed.

This is a customer announcement.
The 14.30 speaker for the Wits’ End Poetry Festival has terminated here.
A bard replacement service will be in operation.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Look … a book

News

Dead chuffed to have taken delivery today of advance copies of ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’, which comes out next month.
As ever, Picador have done a fabulous job in bringing my work to the printed page.

A photo of my new book ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’. It’s a beautiful hardback edition in gold / yellow colours featuring an illustration on the front of a man looking up at a wooden horse which has a body shaped like an egg.

Incredibly, it’s my tenth book. I don’t quite know how that has happened.

Thanks to everyone for having indulged me for so long.

A photo of all my ten books together in a pile on a shelf:
How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside
Days Like These
Refugees
Alexa, what is there to know about love?
Diary of a Somebody
You Took the Last Bus Home
Let Sleeping Cats Lie
50 Ways to Score a Goal
And So This is Christmas
A Poem for Every Question

25% off my books via Waterstones

News

This week, Waterstones are offering 25% off all preorders of my new book, ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’, which publishes in April:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-lay-an-egg-with-a-horse-inside/brian-bilston/9781035085729

Use the code FEB26

Alternatively, signed copies are available to order through your local indie bookshop.

Waterstones are also promoting 25% off for preorders of the paperback edition of my poetry collection for children, ‘Let Sleeping Cats Lie’. That one is out in August:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/let-sleeping-cats-lie-pet-poems/brian-bilston/9781035050574

Use the code FEB26

A New Show for 2026: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside

News

I’m heading off on tour next year with a brand new solo show, in which I’ll be reading poems from my forthcoming book ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’.

The tour starts in September. Tickets have gone on sale at most venues today. You can find out more here: https://brianbilston.com/events/

A poster for my Autumn 2026 Tour, ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’.
It features me, my late cat and a list of my tour dates:

23-Sep	Monmouth, Savoy Theatre
24-Sep	Aberystwyth, Arts Centre
25-Sep	Cardigan, Mlwdan Theatre
26-Sep	Winchester, Guildhall
27-Sep	Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
30-Sep	Harpenden, Eric Morecambe Centre
01-Oct	Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre
02-Oct	Darwen, Darwen Library Theatre
04-Oct	Malton, Milton Rooms
07-Oct	Croydon, Ashcroft Theatre
08-Oct	Deal, Astor Theatre
09-Oct	Norwich, The Halls
10-Oct	Colchester, Colchester Arts Centre
14-Oct	Loughborough, MMC
15-Oct	Manchester, Stoller Hall
16-Oct	Ulverston, Coronation Hall
21-Oct	Kidderminster, Town Hall
22-Oct	Glasgow, Macintosh Church
23-Oct	Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
24-Oct	Stirling, Tolbooth
28-Oct	Stamford, Corn Exchange
29-Oct	Bury St Edmonds, Apex Theatre
30-Oct	Corsham, Pound Arts Centre
31-Oct	Oxford, North Wall
04-Nov	 Worthing, Worthing Pavilion
06-Nov	 Bellaghy, Seamus Heaney Centre
11-Nov	 Leeds, City Varieties
12-Nov	 Sunderland, Fire Station
13-Nov	 Helmsley, Helmsley Arts Centre
14-Nov	 Pocklington, Pocklington Arts Centre
15-Nov	 Sheffield, Memorial Hall
19-Nov	 Stroud, Sub Rooms
20-Nov	 Bridport, Electric Palace
21-Nov	 Exeter, Corn Exchange
22-Nov	 Bude, Parkhouse Centre
25-Nov	 Newark, Palace Theatre
26-Nov	 Bakewell, Town Hall
27-Nov	 Chorley, Chorley Theatre
28-Nov	 Liverpool, Tung Arts Centre
30-Nov	 Bristol, St George's 
01-Dec	Cardiff, Glee Club
04-Dec	London, Union Chapel

I’ll be reading poems in: Aberdeen; Aberystwyth; Bakewell; Bellaghy; Bridport; Bristol; Bude; Bury St Edmonds; Cardiff; Cardigan; Chorley; Colchester; Corsham; Coventry; Croydon; Darwen; Deal; Exeter; Glasgow; Guildford; Harpenden; Helmsley; Kidderminster; Leeds; Liverpool; London; Loughborough; Malton; Manchester; Monmouth; Newark; Norwich; Oxford; Pocklington; Sheffield; Stamford; Stirling; Stroud; Sunderland; Ulverston; Winchester; Worthing.

It would be smashing to see you at one of these. Please do spread the word.

Publication Day!

News

It’s UK publication day for ‘A Poem for Every Question’, my new collection of poems for children, illustrated by the brilliant Joe Berger. 

This is what it looks like

Inside there are poems to answer all sorts of interesting questions: how many stars in the universe exploded today?; who had the first holiday?; how many times a day do we laugh?; are unicorns real?;  and many more.

I’m really chuffed to see how this book has turned out. A big thanks to the team at Farshore Books for producing such a beautiful object.

If you fancy getting hold of a copy, it should be available through your local bookshop. Alternatively, here’s a page with links to some online booksellers: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/a-poem-for-every-question-brian-bilston?variant=55115733893499

Roger’s Thesaurus

Selected poems

Roger’s Thesaurus

In order to grow, expand, widen
his lexicological corpus,
Roger bought, acquired, purchased
a synonymopedia, a thesaurus.

Soon, presently, without delay,
he no longer ran out of things to say,
speak, utter, express, articulate,
give voice to, pronounce, communicate.

This was all very well, fine, great,
wonderful, super, terrific
but his friends, mates, pals found him
boring, tedious, dull, soporific.

So let this be a warning,
an omen, a sign, a premonition,
it’s all very well to show learning,
education, knowledge, erudition,

but here’s a top tip, a hint,
a suggestion, some advice,
don’t ever let it stop you
from being concise

.

ss

brief, short, clear, pithy,
succinct, compendious, to the point,
compact, snappy, laconic.

..

.

Breviloquent.    

You Took the Last Bus Home

News, Selected poems

I took delivery yesterday of some advance copies of the gorgeous new edition of ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’.

In celebration of that, here’s the title poem …

You Took the Last Bus Home

you took
the last bus home
don’t know how
you got it through the door 

you’re always doing amazing stuff 

like the time

you caught that train

Sounds Made by Humans – out now!

News

Last week saw the release of ‘Sounds Made by Humans’, an album of ‘poem songs’ I’ve made with the brilliant Catenary Wires.

Sounds Made by Humans

The album is out now on vinyl and CD; it’s also available for streaming on Spotify and elsewhere, and can be downloaded.

Some places where you can find it…

BANDCAMP

SHOPIFY

ROUGH TRADE (including limited edition ‘white vinyl’ edition):

We’re really proud of it and we’ll be taking it on the road with us in the UK in November, for some evenings of music and poetry. More on that in a few weeks.

Happy listening x

Brian Bilston & The Catenary Wires