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Jenny Mitchell

@jennymitchellgo.bsky.social
1.3K followers 539 following 378 posts

Winner of the Gregory O'Donohue Prize, the Poetry Book Awards etc. 3 poetry collections - 'Map of a Plantation' on the syllabus at Manchester Metropolitan Uni. Widely published. Poetry co-editor for the Morning Star.

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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Have you ever wanted to try writing in a new genre - from poetry to fiction or vice versa? If so, this half-day workshop might be for you. In a non-judgmental space, we'll think about why it might be hard to write in a new way, and how we can gain confidence. www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2026/...
bellhouse.co.uk
Pivot: A half-day workshop for writers working in a new genre — Bell House
Join poet Jenny Mitchell and non-fiction writer Niall Kishtainy for a non-judgemental creative session for writers who want to explore writing in a new genre. £40.60 | In-person | Book here
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
For those of you who still read poetry, here's the latest poem to be published in the Morning Star. We'd love to read your submissions if you'd care to send up to 3 to me at: thursdaypoems@gmail.com morningstaronline.co.uk/article/afri...
morningstaronline.co.uk
African Exile
Dragged from her home. Shipped like a commodity, put up for sale, auctioned off as property. Passed from hand to hand. Always a temporary place.Shadows on the glittering eyes....
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Does anyone fancy a FREE 2-day in-person poetry workshop on preparing for publication? Please see details below. Hope it's of interest. 🦋 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pen-to-pri...
eventbrite.co.uk
Pen to Print: Preparing for Poetry Publication with Jenny Mitchell - Part 1
Full‑day workshop to develop pamphlets, write new poems, share work and stay inspired together in a supportive, non‑judgemental space.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Delighted to be facilitating a short online session for the Society of Authors on Sept 18th. We'll free-up positive energy for our work, and find ways to love it even more in the face of set backs. Hope to see you there. 🦋 societyofauthors.org/event/feel-g...
societyofauthors.org
Feel Good Friday - Transforming doubt into creativity - The Society of Authors
This session led by writer, Jenny Mitchell is for any writer who has felt their work isn’t good enough or who has moments of self-doubt, especially after facing rejection.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I've just heard another #university has 'trampled over EDI', in the words of its staff. It doesn't seem important until it proves disastrous. I love the UK but people like me are becoming invisible in the mainstream. It leads to more stereotyping. #Racism crawls all over me in 2026. Unbelievable.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
It's come down to 'ding-a-lings', and I guess that says it all.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This platform seems to be all about dogs and politics. I love dogs, and politics is in a mess. Where are the poems???🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
'They call it 'regeneration', a word borrowed from lizards'. Delighted to share an amazing poem by Ayo Ayoola-Amale in this week's @mstaronline.bsky.social Please submit your politically-engaged poems to: thursdaypoems@gmail.com. @ruthaylett.bsky.social morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tena...
morningstaronline.co.uk
The Tenant’s Record
The eviction notice has the texture of heavy cream,a three-hundred-gram bond crested with an elephant logo.It sits on the polyester table beside the bruised cups.Outside, the excavator is already chew...
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I need help from all you wordsmiths: Do you know the etymology of the expression 'in check': to keep under control? Any help appreciated. 🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
After reading this poem, I made a sound of recognition and satisfaction. Many thanks to the poet, James Mason, and everyone @inksweatandtears.co.uk. 🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Is anyone else taking a break this summer by writing more poems than they ever have in their lives? 📖🐦💚
static.klipy.com
Bible Book Pages Fluttering in Wind
ALT: Bible Book Pages Fluttering in Wind
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Here's the latest poem in the Morning Star. We'd love to receive your submissions. Send to: thursdaypoems@gmail.com @ruthaylett.bsky.social morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dna-...
morningstaronline.co.uk
The DNA of Industry and Loss
Scavenger, scrag, a crow’s craw, there’s nothing beautiful here,steel shorn right away,roof flapping windless,time is caught in little squares of fractured windows, the skeletonsof things, a factory d...
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Posting my review of the Frida Kahlo exhibition again in case you missed it. Hope you're able to get tickets. None of the flaws are the artist's fault. Thanks to the Morning Star newspaper & @tatemodern.bsky.social @ruthaylett.bsky.social morningstaronline.co.uk/article/frid...
morningstaronline.co.uk
Frida Kahlo: what’s there to see
Frida: The making of an iconTate Modern, London
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
@roguestrands.bsky.social Hi Matthew, I'm now on Instaggram. Look forward to seeing you there. I'm @jennymitchellhere.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
'Recovery isn't being lazy. It's part of getting stronger.' Sally Gunnell, athlete
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
That’s so funny and a useful mechanism to deal with the noise.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Your poem is so eloquent and deserves to be read widely.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Thank you. I find it very over-stimulating, especially in the evening. Am I the only one?
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I’ve just started using Instagram but wonder if it’s the place where real life goes to become potential content?
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I'm receiving emails that are literally leaving me wide-mouthed with shock at their sense of entitlement, all around funding. Has it somehow become the main/only issue we think about when doing creative work? Does this create negative dynamics & ultimately harm the work? Can we do better? Must we? 🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I've just been recognised on Facebook as a Top Fan of @wcorklitfest.bsky.social. I think it's because I responded to lots of their pictures. Whatever the reason, I get a special (virtual) badge, and what could be better than that? Here are pix of Bantry in West Cork to show some reasons I'm a fan.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I left X for a while , and in going back it seems to have changed: loads of posts about books. Is Instagram for visual people and X now for bookworms? Probably too general. 🦋💞📚
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I wrote two poems years ago when no one was listening much. Now they're to be included in an installation at Nunhead Cemetery. You just never know where words will take you... 🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Do you ever doubt your words as you write them on a page? Are there days when you can't write anything at all? Then check out the short online session I'll be facilitating for the Society of Authors on September 18th. Look forward to seeing you there. 🐦 societyofauthors.org/event/feel-g...
societyofauthors.org
Feel Good Friday - Transforming doubt into creativity - The Society of Authors
This session led by writer, Jenny Mitchell is for any writer who has felt their work isn’t good enough or who has moments of self-doubt, especially after facing rejection.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Are there any poems you wish you'd written? For me it's 'Family' by Marilyn Nelsom, a masterly sonnet, and I use masterly with care... www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57033/...
poetryfoundation.org
Family
His sister, dutiful but cold as snow, gave me a little room in her house, below the stairs with the Irish servants, who hated me for the fatal flaw in my…
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
As a poet, one of the best things I can do with my work is share it with community groups, who then write poetry for well-being. I've seen it make a real difference to those who've been silenced or marginalised, and I'm excited at all the prospective work ahead... 📖
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I'll be a featured performer at the Poetry for the People annual event on July 26th. There's an open mic and free entry. Hope to see you all there. Retweets appreciated. 🔦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
And now successive governments are doing their best to empty the shelves and/or close the libraries down.📚
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Reposted by Jenny Mitchell
Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 20/07/2026
Unless this “honesty” involves the recognition that immigrants are *not* the root cause of the UK’s problems *but* actually a part of the solution to them, this will be completely pointless. I cannot stress this enough. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Burnham to say UK must be honest about its challenges as he prepares to become PM
Labour leader will visit king to accept role on Monday and will start making cabinet appointments that afternoon
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
And that they were really working in that world.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I’m trying to get to grips with Instagram, but it’s a lot - so hec . Follow me @jennymitchellnow and I’ll follow back. 🦋
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I went to a conference once on childhood poverty. A speaker said that if people were guaranteed food they wouldn’t work. Does food insecurity ens there are people squashed onto the tube every morning?
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Wisdom.🦋
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Why do I LOVE this story so much? Perhaps because she got the help she needed at exactly the right time. 🐦
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
My modest book signing during the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social reminds me of helping Maya Angelou as she signed a thousand books years ago. She managed 999 & then went into Diva mode. It was quite a challenge & a lesson to keep smiling. Many thanks to Cammy @ Bantry Bookshop for all her great support.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Sometimes performing poems by heart can be nerve wracking, but it always seems to change the atmosphere somehow. Here I am at the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social going into a 'dream state' as I bring the words out. I'm still processing the amazing feedback from the kind audience. 💚
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
#Brexit was a great idea - if you want to ensure creative organisations don't have any funding to work with community groups. That helps to ensure people don't have a sense of community, and feel more isolated and open to the nonsense that says 'Other People' are enemies.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
You can tell I'm a writer because of the dodgy spelling. I spent a lot of time in class blocking out the teacher & dreaming of being a writer. Spot the *hugh* mistake! 😊
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
In the last three weeks, I've performed at the Frome Festival and the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social. They've both been fantastic, with the most generous audiences. I couldn't recommend them more for 2027 if you love reading/listening to writers. 🔦📖
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Too sweet!
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
I envy poets who get 100,000 likes and break the internet with their posts. Then I wonder if a loud 'outer voice' might impact the ability to listen to the quiet inner voice. Is that me just seeking compensation or do poets need a quiet inner voice?
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Here I am signing books for Michelle and Eric after performing at the wonderful @wcorklitfest.bsky.social. Michelle asked a great question about ancestors, transmissions & land. It's great to talk to people about poems after years spent writing them in a dark garret. Hugh thanks to #Bantry Bookshop.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Is it really a miracle that someone aged 60 has a mind and something worth saying? Crikey, guys, get real. Are we meant to spend the last thirty years of our lives apologising for cluttering up the earth with our useless selves?
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
'All the heats subdued under the stars'. 💫
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I doggedly still offer poetry workshops to local libraries even though they don't have any funding. They are vital when it comes to offering working class people the books that helped get me to Sussex University. Long live #Libraries! 💚
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Here I am at the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social reaching out to the audience with my words. I might be sharing 'Jamaican Cinderella', in the latest issue of Southword.
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Did anyone else join this platform to escape the political stuff, only to find…You know the rest. 😟
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Much appreciated. 👍🏾
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Jenny Mitchell @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I think your additional questions are so interesting. Yes - stressful, compulsive - but can that be part of a process that, given time, leads to self-care?
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