Today marks a special celebration in the United Kingdom. The literary calendar calls for today, October 3rd, to celebrate all things poetry! From Wordsworth to Kaur, poetry has truly stood the test of time as one of humanity’s greatest artistic forms.

Poetry allows for emotions to be intricately inspected, overflowed and expressed on the page, helping authors better process their lives and allowing readers to better understand their own.

We are proud to publish poetry collections in our diverse array of releases and to help celebrate National Poetry Day, we’ve plucked five titles from our history that we would recommend to any reader:

Between Dreams and Reality by Alisha Shah

Poetry is oftentimes associated with a sense of brooding, a complicated and difficult introspection that tackles hard subjects like heartbreak and loss. Poet Alisha Shah foregoes all such expectations in a collection that is a “heartfelt kaleidoscope of poetic imagination”.

Dreaming of a bigger, better future? Well dream even larger! Reality is full of twists, turns, dead-ends and unexpected paths; dreams are endless playgrounds where creativity truly knows no bounds.

Why live in a world, stuck in the depths of despair, when you can reach for the lofty heights of wonder and happiness? Shah’s prose will inspire readers to embrace their own poetic journey and blur the line between their dreams and their reality.

Available in paperback.

Resilience by Charlotte Saint Jean

Do you know of the ancient Japanese art kintsugi? This art takes a once broken bowl, sticks the pieces back together, and then paints and varnishes this piece – recreating something that was already beautiful, into something new.

Charlotte Saint Jean’s collection aims to do that with the human soul – “recreating a more magnificent version of you each time you fall apart”. Sharing tales from her own experiences allows Saint Jean to show readers how she has built herself back better and encourages you to do the same.

Split into five distinct sections: Anchor, Acceptance, Align, Abundance, and Arise, prepare to build up your resilience to the whatever the world throws your way.

Available in paperback and on the Kindle Store.

A Dance of the Souls by Faiza Taqi

We are officially into Autumn now and with a cover like that, you’ve got to pick up a copy of Faiza Taqi’s poetry to match the cosy aesthetics of the season! What lies within the pages is a similar perseverance for comfort – one of self-acceptance in a fulfilled life.

As a former senior editor at FYI magazine, Taqi is no stranger to the written word, but in her debut publication, she uses the power of words to dive into her soul, producing something which she has labelled “soul on paper”.

Released back in the turbulent year of 2020, this collection is a helpful reminder to us all of the power that each of us has inside - the universe that is contained within our souls – and how allowing freedom in your life, can only help you to grow and nurture.

Available in paperback and on the Kindle Store.

Fog by Michael Lewis

Sometimes in the fog of everyday life, the only thing you can be certain about are the most powerful of emotions – ones that brew from the conscious and unconscious. Written as a distillation of these inner thoughts and raw feelings, is Michael Lewis’ collection.

Diagnosed at the age of sixteen with bipolar affective disorder, Lewis has spent his adult life seeing his condition not as a problem, but as something that enhances his intense feelings, creative energy and sense of personal confidence.

“From start to finish, this is love, passion, rage and despair, frothed, blended, then filtered through the pages for the reader to imbibe.” Clear the fog away from your own life and learn to focus in on the emotions that are truly driving you.

Available in paperback and on the Kindle Store.

Catharse-is by Steven Ogg

Our final pick had to be Steven Ogg’s collection, published earlier this year. This title offered readers an “Ogg-mented” interpretation of life and was spawned from Steven’s visual and auditory collection which he has uploaded to his Instagram feed for the past several years.

Exploring the hardships and heartbreak of life, as well as the euphoric and ethereal, Catharse-is is a powerful and thoughtful read to anyone looking to celebrate the cathartic moments of their existence.

With his debut poetry collection, Ogg aims to support and encourage those struggling to push forward, shaking the pain from their heart and living in a future of optimism and catharsis… sorry, catharse-is.

Available in paperback and on the Kindle Store.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There we have it: five collections which you will hopefully add to your reading pile, even if poetry is not really your forte.

You can browse the rest our “Poetry” collections on our website.

Happy National Poetry Day everyone!