Review of 2025 Part 2

As spring began to arrive in the Northern hemisphere, and the cold of winter began to dissipate, Invisible Poets launched an exciting new initiative. The Invisible Poets Roadshow, sponsored by funding from Wheelsong Books, held its inaugural show in Plymouth, at 44 Embankment Road, a high street coffee bar. In the photos are Matt Elmore, Richard de Bulat and Tyrone Warren.

Guest of honour on the night was Matt Elmore (author of Constellation Road and Average Angel), who arrived in the south west of England steely eyed and ready for any adventure. After sampling the famous Cornish pasty and a cup of English tea, we arrived at the cafe and set up our lighting and sound systems. Soon Matt launched into his road show set, instantly captivating his audience with a machine-gun routine of rapid fire poems. His dynamic stage act has to be seen to be appreciated! Also in the show that night was an open mic section that featured Iain Strachan, Kate Cameron, Nadia Martelli, Richard de Bulat, Tyrone Warren (author of Stealing Fire), Kenneth Wheeler (author of Inspirations) and others. In the photo are Steve Wheeler and Nadia Martelli doing a Live Poets Society broadcast and official launch of Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 6 from Plymouth. 

The following day, there was a tour of the old city and harbours of Plymouth, and a lunch of Fish and Chips on the historic Barbican only two hundred metres away from the Mayflower Steps. Earlier that day Matt and Steve Wheeler were interviewed on radio, discussing their mutual passion for poetry and their shared Christian faith. In the afternoon several poets accompanied us on a visit to Dartmoor National Park.

Subsequent roadshow events held in Derby, Plymouth and Colchester later in the year raised more funds for Save the Children. The Colchester show, held at the Patch Cafe was hosted by Zac Warden and featured a number of poets previously mentioned as well as sets from Sarah Wheatley, Michelle Tarbin, Zac Warden, Graeme Stokes (author of Off the Top of My Head), Sean Timms and Sharon Toner. In the photos below are Zac Warden, Graeme Stokes and Michelle Tarbin, at the Colchester roadshow.

We aim to develop the roadshow further, and are now actively seeking other hosts to bring it to their own hometowns in the United Kingdom. If you have a venue you think would be suitable, and a group of poets who would love to participate, contact Steve Wheeler on wheelsong6@gmail.com to discuss. It won't cost you a penny! One of the best things about roadshows is that poets meet up for the first time, and long-lasting friendships are forged. The photo below of Kate Cameron (Minky) and Nadia Martelli meeting for the first time at the Plymouth roadshow says it all!

Wheelsong Books has also funded the design, development and production of a range of merchandising, including Invisible Poets t-shirt, embroidered baseball caps and hoodies, all of which can be purchased directly from wheelsong6@gmail.com. All proceeds from sales will be donated to Save the Children.  

Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Wheelsong Books and Invisible Poets. We hope to organise a roadshow in your home town somewhere in the UK in 2026. Do get in touch with us!

Steve Wheeler

Review of 2025 Part 1

It's that time of the year again, where we can look back on an entire year and reflect on what happened. In this short series running up to the new year, Wheelsong Books and Invisible Poets, working together have achieved a significant amount. 

Early in the year, Wheelsong published two important new books. The first, one that had been a long time in the making, featured the work of Essex poet Graeme Stokes, whose jocular and entertaining verse has been regaling Invisible Poets for so long. It was about time to enable people to own a collection of his best poetry, so Off the Top of My Head was released. It is a firm favourite with a lot of people. 

In the same month Wheelsong published Creative Deviance by Steve Wheeler. Another book that had been a long time in the making, Creative Deviance has the strap line: How to Become an Experimental Poet. It is a textbook rather than a poetry book, but features more than 50 exercises poets can practice to develop their skills in writing creatively. The result is that those who have purchased the book have found their repertoire of writing styles and range of techniques has expanded and given them greater liberty to express themselves. Look for the hashtag #invisibleEXP to discover many of the poems that have been written under the influence of Creative Deviance.

Soon February was upon us, and the second birthday of Invisible Poets arrive. To commemorate this, Wheelsong published not one, but two new Invisible Poets anthologies of all the best poems that had featured on the Live Poets Society series of broadcasts throughout the previous year. The mix is eclectic and the sequence of quality poems is stunning. The image on Anthology 2 was taken in New York City in 2015, and the image for the cover of Anthology 3 was captured in South Africa in 2009.

All of the proceeds of these two books is donated to Save the Children, our chosen charity. By the end of 2025, Wheelsong Books has donated a total of £14,000 ($18,700) to support children in crisis. 

All of these books are still available for purchase, and full details can be found on the Wheelsong Books website.  

Steve Wheeler

Seriously funny

A few remarks on my blog post from yesterday got me thinking. It seems that some poets believe they cannot be taken seriously if they write comedic material. Yes, there are those who specialise in dark and moody poetry. Many do it very well. Some though may feel rather depressed reading it, while others are uplifted by sorrowful poetry. Perhaps these are thinking, I'm glad that's not me! But generally, dark and mournful poetry tends to bring the mood down a little. 

So what about lighthearted poetry? Poetry that is comedic, absurd and even flippant? How does that make us feel, and are we still taking it seriously if we are laughing and giggling? 

Yes, very much so, otherwise, why would we be spending time reading it? Some poetry can be funny and serious at the same time. Poetry about a serious subject that has a comedic twist has impact.

Humorous poetry can be uplifting, improve our mood and perhaps it even inspire us to write our own comedy poems. I can think of many poets (some are even in my online groups) who write seriously funny poetry. One of course, is our own Graeme Stokes. His poetry is cheeky, often very droll, and sometimes contains sledgehammer wit, all wrapped up in incisive social commentary. Go and check out his Wheelsong Books collection Off the Top of My Head to appreciate what I'm saying.

Some of my favourite humorous poets include John Cooper Clarke, Roger McGough and Brian Bilston. I have collections by all three on my bookshelf, because although each is unique in his style, they all have the same effect on me - I laugh out loud, I shake my head at the brilliance of their wit and humour and I feel inspired to create something similar. Personally I like to bridge the gap and write poetry from a dark or dry humour perspective. 

Have you ever broken out of the mould of sorrowful and mournful poetry and tried to write humorous verse? Have a go and see if you can. You might be pleasantly surprised. That would be funny wouldn't it?

Steve Wheeler

Photo from Flicker used under a Creative Commons licence