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David Toms

@daithitoms.bsky.social
805 followers 483 following 1.4K posts

Writer. Hold Over Fire (2026) out now from Veer2. Pacemaker (Banshee Press, 2022). Northly (Turas Press, 2019). Writing recently in Magma, DRB, aswirl, Banshee, Gorse. 🇮🇪 living in 🇳🇴.

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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 6h
My top tip to learn to drive: don't do it in your second language!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 6h
And now at the tender age of 38, following a few false starts, and while raising a newborn, and moving home and city, i passed my driving test today. The RELIEF
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Preparations for my Japan trip going well.
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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I have separated the art from the artist and am now whipping the art to stiff peaks, after which I will gently fold it into the artist before baking at 350 til golden and puffed
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Little boost for this excellent chat with Jenny O'Connor on The Nerve which was released friday. Was a nice chance to really talk, in an accessible way, about experimental form in poetry, among other things
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Was a real pleasure to hop on and chat about my new book Hold Over Fire with Dr Jenny O'Connor of the SETU English dept. on their poscast, The Nerve: open.spotify.com/episode/6PcH...
open.spotify.com
Ep. 89: From Waterford to Norway with poet David Toms
The Nerve: An English and Arts Podcast · Episode
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I've got a review of Dwellings forthcoming in the next issue of Poetry Ireland Review, and can thoroughly recommend it to you.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 22/09/2026
I don't know, maybe all those non-"straight white dude" people won their awards because their books were actually really fucking good, how about that as a hypothesis
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Got tickets for the Waterford Panto and it was as stressful a ticket buying operation as I've been part of for years. Practically the entire family will be going 😂
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Hank & Townes’s Mom @katehascats.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
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Ellen Dillon @drnollid.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Excited to be in London on October 9th to read/ chat with one of my favourite living writers, Daniela Cascella. We'll be talking about our new books from @erratumpress.bsky.social and @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social Free tickets at link below 💙 www.eventbrite.ie/e/little-boo...
eventbrite.ie
Little Books, Long Titles: Daniela Cascella + Ellen Dillon
In this celebration of the joys of little books, Daniela and Ellen will read from and discuss the writing of their latest publications.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
AVAILABLE NOW My new book HOLD OVER FIRE has just gone live on the Veer2 website so you can order it directly wherever you are: veer2.org/David-Toms-H...
veer2.org
David Toms - Hold Over Fire — Veer2.org
David Toms - Hold Over Fire Veer 2 Publication 058 [ISBN: 978-1-911567-93-6]  15x8" size. 52...
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Just a reminder that I have some copies available for any poetry reviewers who might be interested! Some of the advance praise:
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Dette vekker mange tanker—også om det ellers relativt få samlingspunkter i det norske offentlig rom utenom det som er forhåndsbestemt. Det er lite som er spontant når det kommer til folket og torvet.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This annoys me all the more as it was sheer luck that I grew up right at the tail end of the next most risky move in the history of Irish education: fee-free university. I got to do a BA and a PhD that would have otherwise been completely beyond my means. Two things that made me a writer today
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
My parents missed the boat on free secondary education being born in 42 and 45 respectively and my mother doubly for having the temerity to be a woman. My dad became a porter for CIE at 16 as a first of many many jobs and my mam took a job in a shop at 15. A fucking waste.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
First copies of my new book Hold Over Fire have arrived, so had to put it next to all the previous ones. Some review copies available, get in touch with me if interested. Link to buy coming soon.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A little rumination on the cover of my new book: davidtoms.substack.com/p/43-the-art...
davidtoms.substack.com
#43 – The art of the cover
on the cover for my new poetry collection Hold Over Fire, and design and desirability
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Oslo, State Funeral of King Harald V, 09.09.2026.
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NordiskPost @nordiskpost.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Nordic Currents will fund cultural projects linking all eight parts of the Nordic Region with European partners in 2027–2028. #nordics
nordiskpost.com
The Nordics are launching a common cultural programme for Europe
Nordic Currents is a new international cultural programme launched by the Nordic Council of Ministers to bring Nordic art and culture to neighbouring European countries in 2027 and 2028. With a total budget of €800,000, the initiative will support projects developed jointly by European cultural organisations and Nordic partners, with the aim of creating collaborations that continue beyond the programme itself. Nordic Currents will bring Nordic culture across Europe The Nordic Council of Ministers describes Nordic Currents as more than a conventional cultural festival. Instead, it has been designed as an…
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 02/09/2026
just saw a story about the second season of Three-Body Problem coming soon and I mean surely we can come up with a better TV system than "hey remember that thing you watched eight episodes of two and a half years ago? no? you don't? you can't remember the plot or characters at all? well we're back!"
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The sea of flowers left by people at the Royal Palace in Oslo, 31.08.2026.
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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 25/08/2026
[Exit Queen.]
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Mads Rage @masd.no · 25/08/2026
Livet mitt er eit eventyr
Men forfattaren er Jon Fosse
[Bilete: Naust av Nikolai Astrup]
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Patricia Aas 🐢🏳️‍🌈 @patigallardo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
1/ Thorough debunking of arguments against banning, by law, «smart glasses»/«perv glasses» in Norway. «The Government’s Capitulation to Meta. It seems Karianne Tung has forgotten who she works for.» 🧵
nrk.no
Regjeringens knefall for Meta
Det virker som Karianne Tung har glemt hvem hun jobber for.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Another little boost for this we fella. Innset's novels are worth reading and deserve translation out of Norwegian i reckon, cos too much of what gets translated from Norwegian especially into English is very one-note in terms of the image of Norway it represents.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Here I am, writing about some recent Norwegian books that I've found interesting and thought-provoking: davidtoms.substack.com/p/42-under-m...
davidtoms.substack.com
#42 - Under Moss
Exploring three recent books by Ola Innset and what they tell us about contemporary society
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
New project alert! Really thrilled & amazed to say I've been given support from NORLA to work on some tentative translations of Rudolf Nilsen's poetry over the next six months. If you / you know of any presses in the market for a pamphlet of translated poetry in the coming months, keep me in mind.
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Dylan Brennan @dylanbrennan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
@daithitoms.bsky.social Thanks for this!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I've been in Norway ten years this month, so wrote a little substack about some music and literature I like from Norway: davidtoms.substack.com/p/41-a-decad...
davidtoms.substack.com
# 41 - a decade in Norway
August marks 10 years since I moved to Norway. Here's 10 things I think you should check out
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Cethan Leahy @cethanleahy.com · 29/07/2026
In the interests of fairness, Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is going to adapt the UK's best poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster" as a blockbuster movie.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
If anyone has recently been to Japan and had to find a workaround for hotel bookings that required faxing your reservation, please get in touch!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Ståle Solbakken better hope the plan to get hockeyed by France tonight pays off against Cote d'Ivoire. Otherwise he'll be the guy who denied us the chance to see Haaland take on the French for nothing.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Hold up, is there no one starting for Scotland against Brazil who plays their ball for the Old Firm? That must be a first!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I am ads for Morrissey in Lillestrøm years old.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The art of book design is as important to the idea of us making and asking people to pay for a quality product as anything else. AI out of all of it.
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Leeanne Quinn @leeannequinn.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Landscape with Question is published tomorrow. Here is a piece I wrote on the book for the Carcanet blog. 🌱❤️
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Dr Dion Georgiou 🇨🇾❤️🇬🇾 @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Carlos Queiroz looks like a petty mobster who’s done a spell inside and doesn’t realise how much things changed on the outside while he was away.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Hydration break? It's raining FFS.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Where is the John Foot piece on how Italy not making it to three world cups in a row is a sign of the national malaise is what I want to know
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
granta.com/a-strange-bi... If you've never read Tarjei Vesaas, then you are in for a treat. Hopefully this excellent essay can convince you from. @grantamag.bsky.social Scandinavia issue. The Birds and The Ice Palace really are two of the best novels I've ever read.
granta.com
A Strange Bird’s Cry
‘You are born into a family that has run the same farm since the 1600s, and as the eldest son it is not only expected that you will take over from your father, it is a given. How strong must the urge ...
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Who knew pursuing the writing dream would involve so much paperwork? And not the fun kind!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
COVER REVEAL for HOLD OVER FIRE Delighted to share the cover for my new book. The cover image is a snapshot taken from the viewing platform on Nelson's Pillar in 1966 by my parents on honeymoon. They married on 21 February and were in Dublin the following week. The Pillar was blown up 8 March!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
This is such an unbelievably good exploration of writing, translation, and so much else. Deep and wide as a lake, one of my books of the year tbh.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Further advance praise for Hold Over Fire 🔥
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Ah, Arts Council Bursary Award application time!
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Som en tog pendler Kongsberg-Oslo tre dager i uke kjenner jeg meg veldig igjen i dette. Jeg vil bruke litt men ikke alt tid på tog til å jobbe men det er nesten umulig. Og det med tog med kun fem vogn er ofte et problem på R12 toget også.
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
If you are interested in reviewing my new book or inviting me to read or collaborate in some way, get in touch!
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Kit Fryatt @kitfryatt.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
You can now buy Book of Inversions and Bodyservant, in fantastic company with loads of amazing books and zines, at Cailleach Books www.cailleachbooks.ie/search?q=kit... which is also the festival bookshop for re:verb yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com/p/reverb.html @cmakris.bsky.social
cailleachbooks.ie
Search: 2 results found for "kit fryatt"
Cailleach Books
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David Toms @daithitoms.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Some advance praise for my new book, Hold Over Fire, out soon from Veer2. Grateful to writers who I really admire for their commitment to poetry as a form for possibilities. Big thanks to Ellen Dillon, Billy Ramsell and Peter Manson for their generous readings of my work. Ordering info soon x
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