Sign in

Brian Bilston

@brianbilston.bsky.social
27K followers 529 following 2.6K posts

I write poems. Shows: brianbilston.com/events Books: brianbilston.com/books

PostsRepliesMedia
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 16h
Thanks very much to all who came along to my Loughborough show last night. Tonight, I’ll be at the Stoller Hall in Manchester. 7.30 kick-off. Hope to see some of you there. stollerhall.com/shows/edge-s...
A poster for my forthcoming tour containing my northwest England dates:

20 Sep: Morecambe Poetry Festival
2 Oct: Darwen 
15 Oct: Manchester
16 Oct: Ulverston 
27 Nov: Chorley
28 Nov: Liverpool

It also features pictures of a train, a copy of Good Housekeeping magazine, a kettle, a wheelie bin, a bowl of pasta, and a rat on a Raleigh Chopper.
1261
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Mr Roger Quimbly @rogerquimbly.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Strange how all of these Reform characters keep turning out to be racists. Of course, it’s too early to say if there’s a pattern developing. Just bad luck I suppose.
437993
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Bex Luther @superbreeze.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Not many people know that AA Milne had a much smaller brother called AAA Milne
622211464
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Ooh. I do love a pile on, even if it’s just a small one. It reminds me of being at school.
091
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
This is excellent news.
010
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Edge Street Live @edgestreetlive.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Brian Bilston is showing NO signs of hibernating this winter!!! 🥚🐴 Brian kicked off the first seven dates of his 'How To Lay An Egg with a Horse Inside' tour last month, but for October? Get ready, because it’s a BIG one. 👀 Grab your tickets via the 🔗 in bio 🏃‍♂️💨
0173
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
This week I shall be in the north-west of England, where I’ll be laying an egg (with a horse inside) in Manchester on Thursday and Ulverston on Friday. Hope to see at least two of you there. brianbilston.com/events/
A poster for my forthcoming tour containing my northwest England dates:

20 Sep: Morecambe Poetry Festival
2 Oct: Darwen 
15 Oct: Manchester
16 Oct: Ulverston 
27 Nov: Chorley
28 Nov: Liverpool

It also features pictures of a train, a copy of Good Housekeeping magazine, a kettle, a wheelie bin, a bowl of pasta, and a rat on a Raleigh Chopper.
2205
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Thanks, Melissa. I loved that night.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Thanks very much, David
000
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
I’m afraid so.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
That’s the title of my next poetry collection.
2230
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I do get to read poems in some half-decent places. Thanks, Norwich, for a fantastic evening at the magnificent St Andrew’s Hall. Tonight it’s Colchester (sold out). Next week, it’s Loughborough (sold out), Manchester & Ulverston, then Kidderminster, Glasgow, Aberdeen & Stirling the week after that.
The magnificent St Andrews Hall in Norwich.A list of my shows in north-west England.A list of my shows in Scotland.A complete list of all my autumn shows.
3533
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Thanks, Bob
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Thanks, Tom. That’s really good of you.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Cheers, Nobby
110
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
My October newsletter is now out, featuring poems, news and general musings. brianbilston.com/2026/10/08/n... If you fancy signing up to get it delivered directly to your email inbox for free, you can do so here: brianbilston.com/newsletter/
brianbilston.com
Newsletter – October 2026
Dear fellow traveller, If life is a journey, why do I have to spend so much of it sitting on a bench at Abergavenny railway station? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot rece…
2235
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Thanks. I’ll mention that to the people who tell me where to go.
000
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Great to meet you last night, Fifi. Thanks so much for coming along.
010
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Mark Watson @watsoncomedian.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
You should go and see Rachel. She's very good, but also, the balls it takes to do a post like this - in a climate where comedians are encouraged to post nothing but wins, forever - merits your attendance on its own.
1036687
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
My October gigs: 7 Croydon 8 Deal SOLD OUT 9 Norwich 10 Colchester SOLD OUT 14 Loughborough SOLD OUT 15 Manchester 16 Ulverston 21 Kidderminster 22 Glasgow 23 Aberdeen 24 Stirling SOLD OUT 28 Stamford 29 Bury St E 30 Corsham SOLD OUT 31 Oxford SOLD OUT More details here: brianbilston.com/events/
brianbilston.com
Events
Here’s a page dedicated to forthcoming events where I’ll be out and about, reading poems, signing books and generally inflicting myself on an unsuspecting or unreceptive public: Autumn …
2214
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Thanks to everyone who came to see me in Ilkley and Malton over the last couple of days. Excited to have a kitten come along to last night’s show, too. Next up … 7th: CROYDON Fairfield Ashcroft Theatre 8th: DEAL Astor Theatre *sold out* 9th: NORWICH The Halls 10th: COLCHESTER Arts Centre *sold out*
A pic of me reading poems poems at the Ilkley Literature won Saturday.
3322
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
That’s exciting - Florence Park is just around the corner from me. (I didn’t write these out myself, honest)
160
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Thank you so much for coming along. The bookshop was Morten’s Booksellers. They’re based in Manchester.
110
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Ilkley Literature Festival @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Check out what's on today at ILF - Saturday 3rd October! You can still book tickets for many events at ilkleylitfest.org.uk
131
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Thanks to everyone at Darwen Library Theatre - coming out to listen to poetry on a Friday night is not for the faint-hearted. This evening I’m in Ilkley, reading poems at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social. Hope to see a few of you there. www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/16-br...
ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
16. Brian Bilston: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside - Ilkley Literature Festival
1291
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Ilkley Literature Festival @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Catch Brian at ILF tomorrow! Learn more and book - www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/16-br...
ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
16. Brian Bilston: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside - Ilkley Literature Festival
1529
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I look forward to that.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks so much, Sam.
000
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
That might be enough to get me that much-coveted two star review.
110
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thank you to the fine folks assembled at Warwick Arts Centre last night for a terrific evening. Tonight, I’m going to be in Darwen, for the second of my shows this autumn in the north-west of England. Just a few tickets left for that one. uk.web.patrontools.com/_BWDVenues/P...
A poster featuring my shows in the north-west of England this autumn, including Darwen, Manchester, ULVERSTON, Chorley and Liverpool.
3214
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I couldn’t find a bag.
100
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thank you. That Earl of Newton-le-Willows poem is in How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Also take three seconds to look at, then done. Thank you for providing one of the more encouraging reviews of the tour.
110
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Saint Vespaluus @saint-vespaluus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
National Poetry Day 1. John Hegley: Glad to Wear Glasses (1990) Mostly poems about dogs and (reading) glasses - and all the better for it! A lovely collection.
2324
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Excellent. I’d always dreamt I’ve being published in The People’s Friend.
050
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Ha! That’s a good story.
020
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I recommend the Everyman edition, hardback, about 880pp.
0120
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thanks for being part of a lovely evening, Frederica.
010
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thanks very much. I’ve got my mum and dad coming tonight, though, so I’m going to hang out with them beforehand. See you later!
100
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
On National Poetry Day, here’s a short poem about the power of poetry to change the world.
The Power of Poetry
 
with things falling apart
and anarchy let loose,
 
it was only poetry, he found,
which had any use,
 
so he reached for his copy  
of The Complete Works of Yeats
 
and bludgeoned the President
of the United States


Brian Bilston
22567182
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thank you so much to those who made it to Harpenden last night to hear me read some poems at the Eric Morecambe Centre. This evening, I’m at Warwick Arts Centre for yet more poems. It’s National Poetry Day today so attendance is pretty much compulsory. www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/Un8...
warwickartscentre.co.uk
Brian Bilston: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside - Warwick Arts Centre
Join the UK’s most popular poet, Brian Bilston, for a hilarious evening of poetry. Featuring work from his latest collection, How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside.
2283
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I certainly won’t.
110
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Hope you enjoy it, Charlotte. Thanks, @bertsbooks.bsky.social
100
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
That’s funny. I feel like that’s a metaphor for being young.
110
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
You say that, but it’s not as easy as it looks
210
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Shit, I better get practising
100
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Apparently Harpenden qualifies as being in the East of England, although it doesn’t strike me as being particularly eastern. Anyhow, I’ll be heading further that way in October: Norwich, Bury St Edmunds and Colchester.
A poster advertising my shows in the East of England:
30 Sep Harpenden
9 Oct Norwich
10 Oct Colchester (sold out)
29 Oct Bury St Edmunds
160
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I’m bringing my poems to Harpenden tonight - at the Eric Morecambe Centre, where I’ll be reading all the right words, but not necessarily in the right order. Tickets available here: everyonetheatres.com/whats-on/bri...
everyonetheatres.com
Brian Bilston: How To Lay An Egg With A Horse Inside
Showing at The Eric Morecambe Centre…With over 500,000 followers on social media and a host of sell-out shows across the country, Brian Bilston is one of the UK’s most popular poets. He has published ...
5654
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Looking forward to returning to Warwick Arts Centre this Thursday, the first of two shows I’ll be doing in the West Midlands on this tour (also Kidderminster on 21st Oct). Tix still available. There may also be some tickets left, too. www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/Un8...
A pic featuring me and my cat and the news that I’ll be at Warwick Arts Centre on 1st October, 7.30 kick-off.
3285
Reposted by Brian Bilston
Willgoose @willgoose.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For anyone on the verge of buying a ticket, please do as it’s a wonderful evening. The critical review of ,,,;;pppppp’[[[[[[[[[;’;//////////////////3, had me doubled up in laughter.
191