Suz Winspear, and Michael W. Thomas book launches

Suz Winspear’s latest collection Picking Blackberries in a Plague Year looks at times just before, during, and after the Covid pandemic. As Suz says ‘Things will never be quite the same again—but still, there are always blackberries, a ripe harvest ready for us to pick. We only have to go out and search for them.’

Suz launched her new collection at a live event, which was also available on Zoom, with Michael W. Thomas who launched Sing Ho! Stout Cortez a blend of novellas and stories. The event  featured the two writers and their guests reading from their books and responding to audience questions and took place at The Studio in The Hive Sunday 24 July 2022, and online.

Picking Blackberries - front cover

Picking Blackberries in a Plague Year
Available now (UK only): £7.00 +P&P
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Sing Ho - front cover

Sing Ho! Stout Cortez

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Human Writes — Worcester Amnesty

With contributions by entrants to the 2021 Human Writes Amnesty Competition.

Proceeds from the sale of ‘Human Writes’ will go to the Worcester Amnesty Group.

“The…poems…in this book have been written by people who care, people who see injustice and, rather than shrugging their shoulders and saying, ‘What can we do?’ have determined that they can do something—they can write beautiful, powerful poems on behalf of people whose human rights have been abused and ignored, and I salute them for doing so.
Thank you for buying this book, and helping Amnesty International make a difference.”
Ade Couper
Worcester Amnesty International local group
Worcestershire Poet Laureate 2021-22

Human Writes front cover

Please note: we are unable to despatch to destinations outside the UK.

UK customers £5 +P&P:

Some of these poems may make you laugh, some of them may make you cry—but all of them will hopefully make you think.

A suprise from Math Jones

Poet and Black Pear Press editor Polly Stretton, was thrilled to hear that Math Jones  featured her series of poems about Thomas Chatterton during his lockdown Facebook readings. Here is a link to the reading. Math delivered all the poems within 10 minutes, and with panache. Thank you, Math.

Chatterton Front Cover–Stretton

Available as an eBook here.

Launch of the Award Winning ‘It’s Who You Know’ by C. Curtiss

Winner of the University of Worcester Black Pear Press Prize for Fiction 2021 Christiana Curtiss’s first book It’s Who You Know will be launched at The Hive in Worcester Tuesday 3 May 2022, starting at 18:00. This will be a ‘hybrid’ or ‘blended’ event being both live at The Hive and online. Here is the online link:

Topic: The Hive–Worcester Uni Zoom Meeting
Time: May 3, 2022 06:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496694108

Meeting ID: 864 9669 4108
Passcode: 400252

If you’d like it via email, click on this link and send a request:  Black Pear Press.

From the back cover:

From the back cover

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It's Who You Know front cover

Peter Sutton launches ‘Elgar Country’

Black Pear Press launched Elgar Country, Peter Sutton’s tribute in poetry to the famous Worcestershire composer, in April 2022.

Elgar Country front cover

Elgar Country is an exploration of the landscapes, lanes, towns and cities that formed the backdrop to Elgar’s life and inspired so much of his music. Sutton’s own love for this part of the country is manifest in these poems as he urges us to ‘come to the Malvern Hills, to the counties of Hereford and Worcester, and hear the marvellous words of poets, the sounds of the earth, and the magical music of Elgar’.

Follow this link to hear Peter Sutton read The Malvern Hills

Here is Peter Sutton’s second recording from Elgar Country, a poem entitled Music in the Air

Peter Sutton’s third recording from Elgar Country, Elgar the Composer

Here is a review of Elgar Country. Neil Leadbeater, writing for Write Out Loud says ‘Much of the music in these poems is achieved through alliteration and rhyme. With a nod to the apple orchards of Worcestershire, Sutton remarks that Elgar’s music “poured like cider, fruity, frothy, pippy part-songs” on to the printed page or, in Elgar’s case, the carefully ruled sets of five parallel lines that Alice used to prepare for him to compose upon. In ‘A Poetical Symphony’ Sutton casts his poem into the traditional four movements of a symphony using specialised vocabulary and rhyme to turn it into a sound poem.’ This is a brief extract from the review, which can be read as a whole by following this link.

To order your copy of Elgar Country:

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Review by Elizabeth Chell

An Extract from a Review by Elizabeth Chell

‘I have just finished reading Michael W. Thomas’s Collection of novellas and stories Sing Ho! High Cortez. It is a book I will want to read over and over. The central theme for this collection of stories is family life and friendships. The first novella, Esp: The Voice of Grenada, is the story of a group of boys. We journey with them as they grow from boys to men and learn the history of their country. The music they compose and play is more than the rhythm of their lives; it is their personal and Grenada’s battle for freedom. The writing is poetic and beautiful; the cultural refences to music and film resonate with one’s own journey from child to adulthood. It is witty and poignant. It is of no surprise that such a clever story, with its rich dialogue, should have been shortlisted for the UK Novella Award 2015.’

To see the full review please click here.

Sing Ho - front cover

Order your copy of Sing Ho! Stout Cortez here:

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Beth O’Brien–I Chase Lightning

Beth O’Brien’s second poetry collection with Black Pear Press I Chase Lightning  launched online in February 2022.

Front cover - I Chase Lightning

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Beth O’Brien’s writing never fails to transport me to another world, and I Chase Lightning is no different. Imbued with beautifully vivid descriptions, each poem tells its own story, making for a wonderful collection.

—  Emily Breeds, poet, and screenwriter

I Chase Lightning is a beautifully written collection that calls attention to weather in ways we so often miss. A stunning observer of the natural world, O’Brien is able to find all that is beautiful in what others may find frightful. These poems weave together how much of our daily lives are powered by weather, whilst honouring the female contributors who led us there.

— Anisha Mansuri, poet, and writer

I Chase Lightning is a beautiful poetry collection filled with lines, images and motifs that strike your mind’s eye, leaving you in wonder. O’Brien’s trademark footnotes add that spark of context that enhance the poems’ meanings. From the fast building “Storm Made” to the enrapturing “Neon”, O’Brien’s poems cover nature, science, historical events and hidden figures, forming a collection that crackles and smokes with the arresting minutia of life across the eras.

— Shakira Morar, poet, screenwriter, and podcaster

Launch of Carrots, Cream and Death

The 2021 edition of Worcestershire LitFest Flash Fiction Anthology, ‘Carrots, Cream and Death’ launched in December 2021. Super short, short stories.

Carrots C and D Front cover snapshot

Engaging stories of no more than 300 words – well-written and entertaining – order now as birthday or any sort of celebratory gift.

Please note: we are unable to despatch to destinations outside the UK.

UK deliveries only:

Single copy: £5 +P&P buy-now-paypal

x2 copies: £10 +P&P buy-now-paypal

x5 copies: £25.00 +P&P buy-now-paypal

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