The mathematician John Venn was born on this day in 1834.
To commemorate the occasion, here’s a poem in the form of a Venn diagram.
At the Intersection
Selected poemsPoem
You Took the Last Bus Home
News, Selected poemsI 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
The Bad Salad of William Archibald Spooner
Selected poemsWhy do I always watch my birds?
I know that statement sounds absurd
but today I reached an all-lime toe
when I received a blushing crow.
It’s wetting gorse – and here’s the crunch:
my conversation packs a lunch.
I’m not sure when all this began
but I think I need a plaster man
to help me when my stouth gets muck.
I should sit, perhaps, and bead a rook,
fight a liar, or flick some powers.
No, I think I’ll go and shake a tower.
…………………………………………………………………..
The Reverend William Archibald Spooner was born on this day in 1844. He’s remembered today for his unfortunate habit of getting his words muddled up. Happy Spoonerism Day to all those who belly crate.
Stream ‘Sounds Made by Humans’
NewsSounds Made by Humans – an album of my poetry put to music by the fabulous Catenary Wires – can now be listened to on Spotify, iTunes and those other streaming platforms.
“A contender for album of the year.” Backseat Mafia
“An instant cult classic. 5/5” Louder Than War
And if you like what you hear, you can hear it played live this autumn when we’re heading off on a UK tour. There will be music, poems, mugs, tea towels, and somewhere to sit down (should you want to). We can be found in the following places …
12 Sep: RAMSGATE: Music Hall
30 Oct: BANBURY: Mill Arts Centre
1 Nov: LONDON: Bloomsbury Theatre
3 Nov: NORWICH: Norwich Arts Centre
4 Nov: STAMFORD: Corn Exchange
5 Nov: MILTON KEYNES: The Stables
6 Nov: BRIGHTON: Komedia
12 Nov: WORCESTER: Huntingdon Hall
13 Nov: NOTTINGHAM: Metronome
14 Nov: SWANSEA: Grand Theatre
15 Nov: BRISTOL: John Wesley’s Chapel
21 Nov: MANCHESTER: Halle St Peters
22 Nov: OTLEY: Courthouse
23 Nov: CHORLEY: Chorley Theatre
24 Nov: LIVERPOOL: Royal Philharmonic
25 Nov: SHEFFIELD: The Foundry
26 Nov: GLASGOW: Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
27 Nov: NEWCASTLE: The Pilgrim
28 Nov: POCKLINGTON: Arts Centre
4 Dec: HERNE BAY: King’s Hall
Hope to see some of you along the way.
Sounds Made by Humans – out now!
NewsLast week saw the release of ‘Sounds Made by Humans’, an album of ‘poem songs’ I’ve made with the brilliant Catenary Wires.
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…
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
Every Song on the Radio
NewsA new ‘poem song’ with the fab Catenary Wires is out today: Every Song on the Radio Reminds Me of You. We’ve even made an accompanying video, in which I do some very good walking around with a radio, plus knob twiddling.
It’s from our forthcoming album, ‘Sounds Made by Humans’ which comes out on 9 May and is available to pre-order on vinyl and CD from all good record stores. You’ll find it up on the various music streaming sites, too.
More info here: https://skepwax.myshopify.com/products/brian-bilston-and-the-catenary-wires-sounds-made-by-humans-album
Top of the pops to you.
Early Morning Love Poem
Assorted PoemsDuvet,
you are so groovet,
I’d like to stay under you
all of Tuesdet.
Index of Poems I Shall Never Write
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsI’ve been having a bit of a sort out over the summer. I’m throwing out some old titles for poems which I shall never write. Free to a good home.
Let Sleeping Cats Lie
Assorted PoemsSome news! I have a new book of poems for children coming out in a couple of months – Let Sleeping Cats Lie.
It’s a collection of poems about pets (dogs, cats, goldfish, chinchilla, guinea pigs, snakes, budgies, rabbits, blue whales etc). I say it’s for children but it’s also suitable for grandchildren and, who knows, some grown-ups might enjoy it, too; I don’t like to be too prescriptive.
It publishes on 26th September in the UK. If you fancied pre-ordering a copy, you can do so through your local bookshop or visiting this page with links to some online booksellers:
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/brian-bilston/let-sleeping-cats-lie-pet-poems/9781035050550
Here’s a poem from the collection:
Wilf the Labracadabrador
Wilf the Labracadabrador
(who in dog years is seventy-six)
is a magician, a conjurer
and a hypnotist.
He saws teddies in half.
He pulls rabbits from hats.
He makes all his food vanish,
just like that.
Renowned for his showdogship
and smooth sleight of paw,
Wilf’s about to em-bark
on a nationwide tour.
Last week, I showed him
how to juggle with sticks.
Whoever said you can’t teach
an old dog new tricks?
Solo shows for 2024
NewsI’m doing a few solo poetry shows this year, starting this month with Chester, Lincoln & Scarborough.
I’ll be in Falmouth, Totnes & Launceston in April. And Belfast & Dublin in October.
If you fancy coming along to a show, you can get tickets here: https://brianbilston.com/events/
