I just read some of this volume at the Open Book reading is Thames Valley Texas (updates at link above or direct here https://shaunbelcher.com/writing/?cat=106) This is a kind of auto-biography of myself and my hometown of Didcot where I lived for a good part of 30 years. The title is a reference to the love…
Horseshoe Press
Thames Valley Texas
I shall be reading from new Horseshoe Press pamphlet ‘Thames Valley Texas’ next Tuesday at the Organ Grinder on Open Books second birthday. Without the hard work of the T S Eliot of Bus Drivers there would be no Open Book so thank you Neil Fulwood here’s to the next two years… http://www.openbook.org.uk/
GRASS CLOUDS – COLLECTED POEMS 2002-2022
One of the fabulous things about the modern poetry scene is the hatred of ‘self-publishing’ as somehow amateur or not professional…a opinion reinforced by those with most to lose i.e. the publishers. GRASS CLOUDS contains everything I have written as ‘poetry’ since I arrived in Nottingham in 2002 so about 20 years worth Contains 80…
GRASS CLOUDS : 20 years on the poetry bench.
I will be offering this as a free download from this evening as it Bastille day.GRASS CLOUDS contains everything I have written as ‘poetry’ since I arrived in Nottingham in 2002 so about 20 years worth Contains 80 poems and some illustrations. I will be reading from it on Tuesday August 2nd at the Organ…
Fishing in Fog: Thames Valley Texas
FISHING IN FOG A winter Sunday, fog and frost Two figures climbing a stile Boots crunching crisp grass underfoot Head toward the Thames at Clifton My father not yet seventy, still working And I back home for a day’s fishing Struggling with tackle and reels in the cold Sit expecting nothing, no fish bite in…
Burning Books: Horseshoe Press Mini Pamphlet No.1
The Horseshoe Press http://www.horseshoepress.co.uk is my self-publishing of poetry website. The latest ‘Mini Pamphlet’ is ‘Burning Books’ published to coincide with Theresa May’s attempt to drive this country even further to the right…. Eight poems about politics, books and poetry to be given away free at the Jermy and Westerman reading on Wednesday 26th…
Towns on Shallow Hills – Horseshoe Press No.1 1990
In 1990 I had a short temporary job at The Poetry Library in London. Whilst there I was inspired to both continue writing poetry and met some wonderful individuals like Ivor Cutler and Michael Donaghy (over the counter). I also met some arses but such is poetry. The job was very menial and weekend…
The Tithe Machine – Poems 1981-1985
My first poems from 1981-1985 after art college. Some were published in the first volume of a’The New Magazine’ then just started by Gerard Woodward who  went on to be a well known poet and novelist. Unsure of my writing I used the  ‘David Bell’ alter ego. 32 poems including the sequence ‘The New Country’…
Natura Morte – The Poems that became Trees 1992
In 1992 Whilst living at my parents I joined Didcot and Wallingford Friends of the Earth. We went on demonstrations (B and Q mahogany etc) with Earth First and raised funds for tree-planting. I created this small ilustrated poetry booklet and sold 25 at £2 each which equivalent to 25 new trees. I also took…
Horseshoe Press 1990-92 : 2016 – An old idea revamped
Original Horseshoe Press Pamphlets from 1990 -1992 The Horseshoe Press was first used as my self-publishing name in 1990. I have just revived it as a method of disseminating more recent work. I was then working at The Poetry Library in London and part of my job was photocopying thousands (literally) of poetry magazine and…