iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

While all racism is disgusting and indefensible, it seems to me that violent racists who claim to be defending "our culture" are among the very worst. A necessary element of any culture I think worth defending is an intolerance of racist violence.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

open.substack.com/pub/wesviola...

Monarch

Last weekend our street was blessed
with a transcendent happening:
King Charles III had arrived,
out of the royal blue,
to shine his magnificent light on all of us.
He appeared like the sun, thirty feet tall, rising over the
old Regal cinema on a cloud pulled by doves
with golden beaks, all of them singing “Majesty,
majesty, glory to behold, for the greatest
of all Englishmen walks among his people”
But it was only a metaphor - he didn’t walk.
He floated above us, cushioned by his cloud, gliding
from Beckenham towards Penge,
and our fingers rose tingling to praise him,
and the tears were tugged up from our eyes,
and it rained backwards as all our humble waters flew
to mingle with his vap’rous throne.
By God, you should have seen and heard it:
a chorus of squirrels and pigeons
belted the National Anthem out from the treetops,
and when a common rat couldn’t help but join in,
straining its little throat, inspired to squeak the words;
His Majesty looked right at it and smiled,
and as he did, the rat transformed
to the most beautiful squirrel you have ever seen
with a handsome copper coat and tail
and the squirrels turned into foxes
and the foxes became men and women
and women and men turned into angels
and angels became archangels
and archangels became powers and thrones
and none could match the grandeur
of our Mighty Noble King.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Come if you dare. Do dare. 13names.eventbrite.co.uk

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Tomorrow evening (Saturday 6 June 2026), I'm presenting my Thirteen Names for the West poem cycle about the Wicked Witch of the West - with Annie Hayter, Christina Petrie, Jess Nyantakyi, Erica Viola and Annie Gardiner; plus exclusive recordings from @charlieromijn.bsky.social, Kate Potts and more.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

'Monarch': what you won't see in the national press open.substack.com/pub/wesviola...

open.substack.com

Monarch

What you won't see in the national press...

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Update: the theme of this year's Bardic contest in Glastonbury is 'Crucible'

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

At this moment the theme of this year's Bardic contest in Glastonbury is being announced at the Market Cross. As last year's Silver Pen winner, I believe I'll be judging this year's written entries - listen out for the theme, you might be inspired! /|\

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Did you know That Elon Musk Is an anagram Of Elon Skum

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

2026 seems quite fizzy already, hope that continues (in the personal, creative sense; very much not in terms of political horrors...)

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Read my poem 'Hedgehog' for the @thewingedmoon.bsky.social Biophilia season launch this afternoon (they'll be publishing it on their Substack a little later in the year). It was a charming event and there seem to be lots of little coincidences fizzing off it - Goa, hedgehogs, Leonora Carrington.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Haven't logged into BlueSky in ages and it still seems refreshingly nice. 🔵🦋🔵

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Merry Christmas, would you like to have a go at my occasional annual Film Quotes of the Year Quiz? Many quotes still unrecognised and unclaimed... open.substack.com/pub/wesviola...

open.substack.com

Film Quotes Quiz of the Year - 2025

I do this every year except when I don't

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

'Breast wishes' is my worst to date.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Read my poem 'Wild Man' up at @eunoiareview.bsky.social today. (It won't take you long) >> eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/w... <<

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

A digital version of ‘Thirteen Names for the West’ - my *very green* poem cycle about the Wicked Witch of Oz fame - is now available to for download on a name-your-price basis. I hope you’ll get yourself one! wesviola.gumroad.com/l/13names 💚

wesviola.gumroad.com

Thirteen Names for the West

'Thirteen Names for the West' is a poem cycle inspired by the Wicked Witch of the West - and her many and varied guises in adaptations of the Oz story: from early film, through MGM's Judy Garland-star...

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

At this stage, Iga Swiatek should actually open a literal bakery. #Wimbledon 🥯

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

"...but I heard that the heart of the galaxy smells like raspberries and rum..." My poem 'Song & Dance' appears in the music-themed Summer Solstice edition of Eternal Haunted Summer, free online now. eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/summe...

eternalhauntedsummer.com

Summer Solstice 2025

~ Poetry ~Ars Poetica: A Mythic Triptych by Christopher Greiner The Banshee by Hayley Arrington A Choir in Gray by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman Fool’s Song by Simon MacCulloch Hymn …

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Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Worth considering that one reason Bluesky doesn't always feel super fun is that current events are relentlessly horrifying and bad

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

'Thirteen Names for the West' is my poem cycle inspired by the many and various incarnations of the Wicked Witch of the West in popular culture over the last century and more. Now available in a numbered first edition of 100 - follow the link for more details. wesviola.substack.com/p/thirteen-n...

wesviola.substack.com

Thirteen Names for the West

A poem cycle inspired by the many and various incarnations of The Wicked Witch of the West

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Brilliant, thanks so much.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

This is great news! Please tell me more

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Violet Fox 🦊 @violetbfox.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

There are still many zine distros that are thriving.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Are zine distros still a thing, or did they wither and die in the early 21st Century?

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Yeah and it's felt like that for a long time now. The real kicker for me was when they put two key characters in a box, cautioned that they might be trapped there for all eternity, and didn't give them, like... a chair? Or something to read?

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Because as you say how can we trust 'disruptive' publishing models now, even if the publishers were doing it right?

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Also, I agree with you that we should never blindly trust people who are leading on things like this. It's very hard though. If we don't support new ideas nothing ever changes. Maybe the even bigger crime beyond what they've done directly to these authors is the damage it's done to the model itself

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Uh... let's *not* let this be what we take from this. A lot of things could do with disrupting.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

I think it's really clever how they used 'The Chain' in the trailer for that new Formula 1 film so it seems like all the UK TV coverage of races throughout the years until now has just been building up to it.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Just in case anyone's missed this shitshow, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING DIRECT FROM UNBOUND OR BOUNDLESS. *Do* check on authors' own pages how best to get hold of their work. DO NOT SUBMIT WORK TO UNBOUND OR BOUNDLESS.

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Brette O'Connell @csiwriter.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Indie bookstores are awesome! 👍❤️📚

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

I don't think it's a spoiler to say about #DoctorWho , though, that a lot of people in both cast and crew are at times making miraculous work of *really* ropey material... and at other times, not even their talents are able to plaster over the cracks.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

(Not about everything. But about that last thing)

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

'Masculinity' "aims to showcase the diversity of what it means to be a man and what it means to embrace its multitudes," and features 'There Will be Milk', about my father (once a milkman!) www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page... Royalties will be donated to Beyond Equality (beyondequality.org)

brokensleepbooks.com

Masculinity, an anthology of modern voices | Broken Sleep Books

Masculinity: an anthology of modern voices is a book of poetry which aims to showcase the diversity of what it means to be a man and what it means to embrace its multitudes. These poems emphasise that...

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Broken Sleep Books (@brokensleepbooks.bsky.social) have a FLASH SALE on now until midnight tomorrow (Friday 31 May) offering 25% off many books on their website, including two anthologies I'm in, 'Masculinity' and 'Devastation Songs' www.brokensleepbooks.com/books

brokensleepbooks.com

Broken Sleep Books | Current Releases

Broken Sleep Books are dedicated to works that transcend the page, and are more than just poets writing poetry. We believe the greatest pieces of writing exist outside of expectation, and are written ...

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MatGost @matgost.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Nick Clegg says asking homeowners to willingly hand over their belongings would 'kill' the burglary industry.

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Reposted by Wes Viola

Dave Hutchinson @hutchinsondave.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

You say this as if it was a bad thing.

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Chris McCabe @mccabio.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Love Song to Alexa #alexa #love #poetry

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Thank you Lucy! Ugh I really need to sort out how it appears on my blog!! Task for later tonight.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

My poem 'Horizon', which won the Silver Pen at the Bardic contest in Glastonbury last night. More details: open.substack.com/pub/wesviola...

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

That rabbits, both male and female, have marsupial-style pouches. I only realised my error when wondering aloud why the Easter bunny was always depicted carrying a basket when he could simply carry the eggs in his pouch.

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

More details and history of the Bardic Chair of Glastonbury at www.ynyswitrin.org.uk

ynyswitrin.org.uk

Gorsedh Ynys Witrin | Glastonbury's Bardic College

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

It's always an interesting night and a joy to have a small role in it, as an Elder Bard passing the Silver Branch (better known as the Wiggly Stick) down the line. Do you have an annual Bardic contest or something similar in your area?

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Wes Viola @wesviola.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Today is St Dunstan's Day and that means the finals of the Bardic contest in Glastonbury. Local storytellers, poets and (not enough) songwriters compete to be this year's Bard of Ynys Witrin. I try to be there almost every year since I joined the Gorsedh, even now I've moved away from town.

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