“As a poet I’m spending my time
turning words on their head till they rhyme,
or perhaps more perverse,
I’m employing free verse.
Which simply does not rhyme at all.”
Ben has been creating poetry and spoken word projects since the mid 2010s. He is a member of the GOBS Collective and a director of Nottingham Poetry Festival. His first book Serious Nonsense (for Terribly Grown-Up People) came out in 2023.
Nonsense Poetry
I grew up loving nonsense poetry. My bookcase was covered in Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan and Hilaire Belloc. It left an unmistakable impact on my writing. Among my poetry for children and families you will find silly just so stories, reminiscences about my boy hood and of course grim accidents befalling terrible people who probably deserve everything that happens to them.
Serious Nonsense For Terribly Grown Up People
Ben’s debut poetry collection, Serious Nonsense (For Terribly Grown Up People) was published by Big White Shed in May 2023. A selection of the superb nonsense akin to the works of Hilaire Belloc, Roald Dahl and Spike Milligan. Find it right now available through Ko-fi.
Serious Nonsense for the Unbearably Festive
Serious Nonsense for the Unbearably Festive is packed with playful poems, heartfelt reflections and laugh out loud lyrics. This collection takes you from the humble brussels sprout to those people we miss at Christmas via the secret lives of reindeer, the perils of Christmas jumpers and what happened when Granny mixed up the labels. Available through Ko-fi.
Poems from the British School at Athens
Poems from the British School at Athens is a poetry pamphlet created by Ben in November 2023 when he received an Artist Award from the BSA. This 20 poem collection brings together romanticism, modernism and absurdism in a delightful set of poems inspired by the residency. It is available through Ko-Fi as a Pay-What-You-Want digital download.
AFTER THIS POINT THIS PAGE MAY DEAL WITH THEMES AND TOPICS UNSUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.
SMUT! The Verbal Burlesque
A night of poetry about Love, Sex and Identity. SMUT! The Verbal Burlesque was an experiment in poetry nights that put the audience experience first. This open-mic night happens roughly quarterly and regularly sells out. Whether it is a heartfelt ode, a filthy limerick or a bafflingly explicit shopping list, it will find it’s audience at SMUT!
Ben Macpherson 