Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 3hTo a casual observer, Waterstone's range gives a completely warped impression of what's happening in U.K. poetry. Mind you, the same might be said of PBS Choices and Recommendations, or of the shortlists for most major awards! 072
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 4hHad a look at the poetry section of Waterstones in Chichester the other day. Deeply depressing. Insta poets, dead poets, sale-or-return, box-ticking collections from funded publishers, and themed anthologies. And no representation whatsoever of the ace poetry that's being written in the U.K... 5284
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 3hTo a casual observer, Waterstone's range gives a completely warped impression of what's happening in U.K. poetry. Mind you, the same might be said of PBS Choices and Recommendations, or of the shortlists for most major awards! 072
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatt Clegg @eyesfront.bsky.social · 3hA regular ritual. Hear about a great-sounding book of poetry. Go to Waterstones. They don't have it. Order it online. 141
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 4hHad a look at the poetry section of Waterstones in Chichester the other day. Deeply depressing. Insta poets, dead poets, sale-or-return, box-ticking collections from funded publishers, and themed anthologies. And no representation whatsoever of the ace poetry that's being written in the U.K... 5284
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026And in the poetry world, the vast majority of collections don't even sell in that short window. They just sit on a shelf for a few months till they're quietly removed and sent back to the publisher. 1271
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 27/09/2026No way I can compete with the major poetry publishers who get collections stocked by bricks-and-mortar bookshops But I do have word of mouth and all you wonderful people here on Bluesky, pushing the numbers of readers of Whatever You Do, Just Don't far beyond the sales of the big boys. Thank you! 514765
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Word of mouth lasts longer than a sale-or-return promotion. In the poetry world, at least. 1394
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Poetry publishers will tell you 99% of sales occur within three months of a collection's launch. That's why I'm stunned to find that sales of Whatever You Do, Just Don't have gone through the roof this year, all thanks to Bluesky. Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 14815
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 16/11/2025If you're up for a copy, just drop me a DM and I'll sort one out for you (U.K., Ireland, mainland Europe, Canada and Oceania)... 06917
Reposted by Matthew StewartJon @jonw67.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I rarely buy poetry, but this is quite wonderful. 1103
Reposted by Matthew StewartMaccaAimless @cherryaimless.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Give yourself this gift. I have mine and it fair made me smile. 161
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 18/09/2026A new batch of books has now reached me and they're all itching to find a reader, clamouring for me to slip them into an envelope and post them off, ready to be devoured. Would you like to lend them a helping hand?! 😜 If so, just drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 26721
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 15/12/2024As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more. This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection... 891932257
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 02/02/2025If we don't use our small poetry presses, we'll lose them. This is why I refuse to flinch or shy from asking you to purchase a copy of Whatever You Do, Just Don't, my second full collection. Here's a sample poem from the book. Just drop me a DM and I'll sort out a signed copy for you... 1335551
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026And in the poetry world, the vast majority of collections don't even sell in that short window. They just sit on a shelf for a few months till they're quietly removed and sent back to the publisher. 093
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026And in the poetry world, the vast majority of collections don't even sell in that short window. They just sit on a shelf for a few months till they're quietly removed and sent back to the publisher. 1271
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026It's a real privilege to get this terrific feedback from a reader...! 0131
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Word of mouth lasts longer than a sale-or-return promotion. In the poetry world, at least. 1394
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026It's a real privilege to get this terrific feedback from a reader...! 0131
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Poetry publishers will tell you 99% of sales occur within three months of a collection's launch. That's why I'm stunned to find that sales of Whatever You Do, Just Don't have gone through the roof this year, all thanks to Bluesky. Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 14815
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 20/08/2025Copy by copy, every hard-earned sale of a poetry collection is an act of trust, a contract between the poet and the reader that reaches far beyond cash. This is why I refuse to shy away from reminding you about Whatever You Do, Just Don't. Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 714528
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 27/09/2025Poets, if they're lucky, end up having signature poems. But they don't choose them for themselves. Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people... 718927
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 11/09/2025Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why? This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection... 74910130
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 16/01/2026"Whatever You Do, Just Don't will raise important questions in your own mind as you read Matthew Stewart’s beautifully crafted poems. I can thoroughly recommend this collection..." londongrip.co.uk/2026/01/lond...londongrip.co.ukLondon Grip Poetry Review – Matthew Stewart – londongrip.co.uk 1132
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 20/07/2025The emotional significance of objects sends ripples through our lives, which is why this is often my final poem when I give a reading. It's taken from my second full collection, Whatever You Don't, Just Don't. If you fancy a signed copy, drop me a DM and I'll sort one out for you... 1238265
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 20/07/2025Libraries are transformative. In fact, Farnham Library saved me. Kept me afloat when I was being bullied at South Farnham Middle School in the 1980s. This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't is my homage to it... 1330947
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 05/02/2025This is a poem of loss, taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023)... 1333941
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Ansaphones were still a thing when I wrote this in 1998. I hope the poem stands the test of time...! 815715
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 28/10/2025This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't is for anybody who's had to clear a house, who's found objects that must have had significance for someone no longer here to tell their story.... 2130140
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 02/10/2026A blast from the past here, a poem that didn't quite make it into my last book. Thanks to Hilary Menos for publishing it in The Friday Poem... 1155
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 02/10/2026A blast from the past here, a poem that didn't quite make it into my last book. Thanks to Hilary Menos for publishing it in The Friday Poem... 1155
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 02/11/2025What's it like to return to your home town years after leaving? This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too... 1231653
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Ok, so every day's National Poetry Day in our household (to groans from my long-suffering wife!), but if this means poetry's on your mind today, I might just have a book for your consideration! Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 03110
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Ok, so every day's National Poetry Day in our household (to groans from my long-suffering wife!), but if this means poetry's on your mind today, I might just have a book for your consideration! Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you... 03110
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel... youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...youtube.comThe Last Carry, a poem by Matthew StewartYouTube video by Matthew Stewart 0176
Reposted by Matthew StewartMatthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 30/09/2026As a wine blender and poet, I have to admit that alcoholic fermentation resembles the alchemy of writing, but malolactic fermentation is far more like the first edit, that moment when all the defects of the wine or poem suddenly become apparent. 3272
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 30/09/2026As a wine blender and poet, I have to admit that alcoholic fermentation resembles the alchemy of writing, but malolactic fermentation is far more like the first edit, that moment when all the defects of the wine or poem suddenly become apparent. 3272
Reposted by Matthew StewartKate Bielinski @katebielinski.eurosky.social · 29/09/2026Book post today with signed books of poetry by @roguestrands.bsky.social 3173
Reposted by Matthew StewartStewart Horn he/they @thenakedpoet.bsky.social · 29/09/2026It is a great collection. 172
Reposted by Matthew StewartPaul Ings @ings4words.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Great and impressive news. Well deserved too. 131
Reposted by Matthew Stewartsword tree @sword-tree.bsky.social · 28/09/2026My first crush's phone number. Land line. I remember because I got excited when I saw it on the caller ID. I saw it almost as often as my stalker's number on that little display screen; I can't recall those digits. maybe that's dread editing memory's record. 052
Reposted by Matthew Stewartsword tree @sword-tree.bsky.social · 28/09/2026My ICQ number from the mid-late 90s. Strangers all over the world knew more about me than any family or acquaintance IRL. that hasn't changed. (12954978) 031
Reposted by Matthew StewartKate Bielinski @katebielinski.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026Phone numbers. 01 681558 (our first house phone) circa 1975 “Limerick 17” my school friend Mary circa 1977 Can I remember my husbands mobile number? Or that of my kids? No. I cannot. 2111
Reposted by Matthew StewartDuncan Jones (aka Merrion) (he/him) @duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Numbers. I am haunted by the license plate number of every vehicle I ever owned, in order of the scale of my neglect of their owners. OLJ 565 M haunts me the most. 2101
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 27/09/2026No way I can compete with the major poetry publishers who get collections stocked by bricks-and-mortar bookshops But I do have word of mouth and all you wonderful people here on Bluesky, pushing the numbers of readers of Whatever You Do, Just Don't far beyond the sales of the big boys. Thank you! 514765