Invisible Poets Anthology 4

I find it amazing that a small germ of an idea from three years ago has slowly evolved into a large, vibrant and creative community of poets. Invisible Poets was founded in a project by two English poets; me and my friend Charlene Phare. I first met Charlene four years ago when I visited her for the day and we jointly presented several live poetry shows and recorded two YouTube interviews. Since then we have collaborated on a number of poetry related projects, and in February 2023 we decided to start a new poetry group on Facebook. Charlene set up the mechanics of the group and I named it, and designed the logo (the crouching hoodied poet). 

Since then, Invisible Poets has grown steadily to the point that it's now the size of a small city at just over 85,000 members. Not all are active, but those that are regularly share their poetry in the group and participate in a number of projects and activities. These include the live poetry shows on most days, the prompts and challenges, and various other activities. There is also the Invisible Poets roadshow, a live lights and sound show that is currently touring the United Kingdom to raise money for Save the Children. 

In 2024, to celebrate its first birthday, Invisible Poets branched out (in collaboration with Wheelsong Books) into publishing the best poetry of its members in anthologies. The following year, two further anthologies were published, and this year, to celebrate our third anniversary, we are publishing Invisible Poets Anthology 4. It is packed full of great poetry which will inspire and delight everyone who purchases a copy. If you want a copy (proceeds of which go directly to Save the Children) then head on over to our Wheelsong Books website to find all the links. 

Steve Wheeler

How does Wheelsong contribute to literature?

Artificial Intelligence is a strange one. Often AI makes hilarious errors, and sometimes gets it disastrously wrong. It's like a toddler being potty trained or learning to walk. Comical but also messy. But every now and again, AI can actually get things right, and save us all a fair amount of time. Here's one example, from Facebook's Meta AI model that hangs around beneath posts in Invisible Poets and other groups.

The tab was titled 'How Does Wheelsong contribute to literature?'
Wheelsong Books contributes to literature in several ways:

1. Publishing New and Emerging Authors: Wheelsong has collaborated with numerous first-time authors, showcasing their work in various poetry collections. Some notable publications include:

a) The Sky is a Shade of Forever by Chuck Porretto, exploring themes of nostalgia, satire,
and life observations
b) Echoes of a Fading Star by Emmanuel Chimezie, a daring blend of bold lyricism and experimentation
c) Light Will Return by Iain Strachan, a collection of poetry that explores spirituality, science, identity, and technology
d) Circus of Circles by Aoife Cunningham, a debut collection of poetry that tackles themes of healing, mental health, and vulnerability

2. Promoting Poetry through Anthologies: Wheelsong publishes annual poetry anthologies, featuring over 250 poems from poets worldwide. These anthologies have raised funds for Save the Children, with over £14,000 donated by the end of 2025.

3. Supporting Literary Events and Community Building: Wheelsong organizes roadshows and live events, providing a platform for poets to perform and connect with each other. These events have helped forge lasting friendships among poets and raised additional funds for charity.

4. Mentoring and Developing Writing Skills: Wheelsong publishes textbooks like Creative Deviance by Steve Wheeler, which offers exercises and techniques for poets to develop their skills.

5. Charitable Contributions: Wheelsong's publications and events support Save the Children's global relief work, focusing on education, protection, and aid for children in crisis-stricken areas.

Quite a useful summary of some of Wheelsong's achievements and projects over the last year or so.


Steve Wheeler

Review of 2025 Part 4

During the latter part of 2025, Wheelsong collaborated with several first time authors, which is always both exciting and challenging. Our first new author out of the pen (see what we did there?) was Chuck Porretto, an American author residing in Tallahassee, Florida. Chuck's poetry is unmistakable, because it slides smoothly between tender nostalgia, biting satire and pithy observations on life. His debut offering, The Sky is a Shade of Forever, is a delightful mix of all these themes, written in his inimitable style.

Following closely on the heels of Porretto's book came the debut collection of poetry from one of the most original new talents to emerge from Invisible Poets. Living in Nigeria, Emmanual Chimezie had already featured in several of the charity anthologies Wheelsong had published. We thought it was about time he was honoured with a collection all of his own, and Echoes of a Fading Star did not disappoint. His writing is a daring blend of bold lyricism and unswerving experimentation. We think this collection will be the first of many from this amazing Nigerian poet. 

Always, around the autumn months, it has been Wheelsong's tradition to collate and publish another Wheelsong Poetry Anthology, so the editorial team of Steve Wheeler, Karin J. Hobson and Iain Strachan began the arduous task of reviewing more than 500 submissions from poets across the globe in just two weeks. It was as ever a challenging task to distill such a huge selection of poems down to around 250 pieces that would then be published in Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 7. This volume is a stunning collection, reflected in the beautiful cover photo of trees on the Dartmoor National Park. All proceeds from the sales of this anthology are donated to Save the Children.

Our final Wheelsong publication of the year had been a long time in the planning. Written by Oxfordshire poet Iain Strachan, a retired computer scientist, Light Will Return is an eclectic mix of styles and themes, reflecting his interests in spirituality, mathematics and science. Iain's playful style of writing spans faith and reason, science and mystery, and the past and future and how each can shape our personal identities. The poetry is both grounded and cerebral. Light Will Return will delight all those who have an interest in any of the featured themes and how they can be creatively conveyed. 

So that's it. That was 2025 for Wheelsong and Invisible Poets. If you participated directly in any of the creative output, or attended any of the roadshows, or if you supported our mission by purchasing books or merchandise - we thank you. And not only do we thank you, but the children of more than one hundred countries thank you - for helping to make their childhoods safer, cleaner and better in every way, through our donations to Save the Children. We want to step this effort up in 2026. We hope you will be with us!

Happy New Year

Steve Wheeler

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

Light Will Return

Wheelsong Books Ltd is excited to publish our final poetry collection for 2025. It is the debut collection from Oxfordshire poet Iain Strachan, and is intriguingly titled Light Will Return. 

Light Will Return contains diverse and thoughtful poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality, science, identity and technology. Moving smoothly between theology and mathematics, artificial intelligence, psalms and sonnets, Iain Strachan’s collection poses searching questions about personal meaning, faith and what it means to be human in an increasingly mediated world.

Alongside poems that engage with physics, algorithms, and digital culture sit deeply personal reflections about family, memory, love and loss. Childhood, parenthood, doubt, gratitude, and identity are explored with frank honesty and quiet curiosity, grounding the intellectual reach of the collection within ontology—the lived experience.

Playful, questioning and quietly emotional, Light Will Return invites us all to reflect on how faith and reason, science and mystery, and especially our past and future can shape our individual identities. Light Will Return is a delightful collection of poetry that is both intellectual and visceral—and is an offering which we can explore patiently for illumination. 

About the Author:

Iain Strachan lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and daughter. He is a retired computer scientist with a PhD in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He made a career out of AI for engineering and medical applications and now has a career keeping it out of poetry groups! He has been writing poetry on and off since 1993, and more regularly since joining Invisible Poets in 2022. His work, including the title poem for this book, has been broadcast on BBC Radio Oxford, and he has published several poems in the Wheelsong Poetry Anthologies. He is also a volunteer with the Samaritans, and an active member of Abingdon Local Quaker Meeting. 

Iain says: "I am interested in the connections between science, mathematics and spirituality, and combine these in my poems. I believe writing poetry allows us to discover things about ourselves; often lines or phrases seem to write themselves, and only on later examination do I realise what part of my life, my memories, or my spirituality they come from. A completed poem is like a mirror in which you can examine yourself. I call it 'The Lens of Me.' "

"My years as a Samaritans listening volunteer have also given me a passion for raising awareness of mental health, and many of my darker poems are driven by that desire and feelings of empathy for those who suffer."

"The two greatest things for me about writing poetry are the act of creating something myself, and then when someone says that my words spoke to them. It is my hope that some of my words will speak to you and bring some light for you."

You can discover more details about this book and how to obtain your copies at the Wheelsong Books website.

Steve Wheeler

Irish Poetry

I have always been attracted to Irish poetry. Maybe it's because my ancestors were Irish (My maternal great grandmothers were born in Cork and Waterford), or maybe it's because I appreciate the lyrical and rhythmic quality of it. I could never get enough of Seamus Heaney, James Joyce (Ulysses, although not poetry, is one of my favourite novels, and has directly influenced my own writing), and William Butler Yeats. Several years ago I was in Dublin with my wife (I was on a speaking trip, and she is a teacher of English) and as we were walking around the city, we stumbled upon the Dublin Writers Museum. We spent a fabulous 4 hours wandering around, just soaking up all the history, memorabilia and sense of awe at the collected talent of Irish poetry. If you're ever in Dublin, it's a must visit!

One of the jewels in the Wheelsong Books crown is a young Irish poet named Aoife Cunningham. She is a rare talent - a poet who writes far in advance of her years, and who taps into the visceral emotions and events that happen around her with brutal honesty and contagious humour. It really is a pleasure to read her poetry, and we had the distinct pleasure to publish her debut collection of poetry, Circus of Circles in 2024. 

Circus of Circles is currently enjoying a surge of interest in sales. Aoife is fairly prolific anyway, so people are reading her work on our poetry groups with regularity. But they are also showing an interest in owning a copy of her beautiful work. Circus of Circles has recently been in the top 3 of Amazon's Irish poetry best sellers (yes, this is a fickle and rapidly changing chart, which depends upon arcane rules and algorithms that I suspect even the Amazon wizards don't fully understand .... since when was Dylan Thomas an Irish poet?) 

Here is Aoife Cunningham's profile: 

Key facts and background

• Aoife grew up in a rural area around Galway, in a family of six children: she is a twin to her brother, with two younger twin sisters and two older brothers. Source: Connacht Tribune

• She began writing poetry at around age 16 following a difficult period with her mental health — writing became a kind of lifeline for her. Source: Galway City Tribune

• Her writing is described as raw, unapologetic, and emotionally honest. She calls herself a “heartist”—combining “heart” and “artist.” Source: Connacht Tribune

Work & Achievements

• Her debut poetry collection is titled Circus of Circles. 

• She launched “Circus of Circles” in December 2024—at the University Hospital Galway (UHG), as a gesture of gratitude to the hospital staff who had supported her during her difficult times. Connacht Tribune

• Many of the poems in that collection were written while she was in hospital. galwaydaily.com

• She has performed spoken-word poetry at events such as the Galway Fringe Festival (Fringe), at Dublins’ Àras Chrónáin, and at public literary events like those run by Over the Edge Literary Events in Galway. Connacht Tribune

Her Perspective & Style

• Her poetry seems deeply personal and oriented around healing, mental-health journeys, vulnerability — using art as a path to recovery and self-expression. Connacht Tribune

• By choosing to launch her book in the hospital where she had received her care, she deliberately highlights the connection between art, healing, community, and gratitude. 

Circus of Circles is the first we hope of many collections we will see from Aoife Cunningham. Yes, the poetry is as colourful and evocative as the jazzy cover art. It's a volume of poetry that will not age, but will remain a snapshot of her prodigious writing talent. You can purchase your copy of Aoife's Circus of Circles from all good online bookstores *listed here, or directly from Wheelsong books by emailing wheelsong6@gmail.com

*Proceeds of the sales from this book will be donated to Save the Children by request of the author.

Steve Wheeler

Making the Invisible Visible

Wheelsong Books has been publishing and selling books since 2020. What started as a very small operation in South West England has now blossomed into a multi-platform movement of online groups, live roadshows, video broadcasts and global publishing including two very successful anthology series. All of the efforts are focused on raising funds for the global relief work of Save the Children. 

The charity delivers aid to children in some of the most poverty and disaster stricken areas of the world. Save the Children not only provides aid in the form of food and medicine, as most other relief agencies do, but it also goes an extra mile, and builds capacity through educational provision in hard-to-reach areas, greening and building projects and protection from human trafficking. It's a huge operation, and requires a constant stream of revenue on a day-to-day basis. 

At Wheelsong Books we are now stepping up our activities to help raise some of this revenue. We have created merchandising in the form of t-shirts, hoodies and baseball caps. If these are successful, we will venture further into other items (share your wish-list please in the comments below). It's great to see these being worn at our live, in-person events such as Invisible Poets roadshows. 

Our most popular item to date is the iconic white Invisible Poets (Poetry Against Poverty) t-shirt. We can raise three times as much money with the sale of each t-shirt as we can with the sale of a book. It makes sense, and it seems that wearing one of these t-shirts is a tribal statement. It means 'I belong' to Invisible Poets. It is becoming a part of the culture of being in the group for those who are serious about their involvement in our fundraising. Thank you to all those who have supported us by purchasing merchandising. 

The baseball caps are high quality, and come in several colours. They are stylish because they are embroidered with 'Invisible Poets' and 'Live Poets Society'. The image above is of one of our published poets, Gregory Richard Barden, with his own bespoke design of a white cap with purple embroidered text.

We also now stock black t-shirts with a unique Poetry Against Poverty text design, and our crowning glory, the black zipped hoodie with a similar text design. These, as with the baseball caps, are available in several different colour combinations. 

If you are interested in owning any of these items, please email wheelsong6@gmail.com with your full postal delivery address for prices in your own currency. Poetry Against Poverty! That's why we do this. 

Steve Wheeler

Top image by Gregory Richard Barden

Other images by Wheelsong Books Ltd

What is Invisible Poets?

Invisible Poets is a global community of poets and writers that aims to promote creativity, inspire hope, and encourage one another through the power of poetry. Founded by poets Steve Wheeler and Charlene Phare in February 2023, the community has grown rapidly to more than 75,000 members on Facebook, with many more visitors reading and engaging with their content.

The Invisible Poets group hosts several regular interactive features including Live Poets Society shows from around the globe, picture challenges and the Fantastic Forum. Many poets consider it the friendliest and safest of all the Facebook poetry groups. The group is sponsored by UK poetry publishing house Wheelsong Books Ltd, which funds multiple publications of members work, including the globally renowned Wheelsong Poetry Anthology series, raising much needed funds for Save the Children charity. Wheelsong also funds the Invisible Poets Roadshow with similar charitable aims. 

Key Purposes:

- Platform for Poets: Provide a space for poets to share their work, receive feedback, and connect with like-minded individuals.

- Community Building: Foster a supportive and friendly environment where members can collaborate, learn from each other, and grow as poets.

- Promoting Poetry: Showcase poetry of all genres and styles, encouraging members to experiment and push the boundaries of their creativity.

- Real-World Impact: Use poetry to make a positive impact, such as supporting charities like Save the Children through book sales.

The IP community is built around six core principles:

- Give More Than You Take: Share your gifts and talents generously with others.

- Underground Movement: Focus on the art of poetry rather than seeking fame or fortune.

- Kind Words: Use poetry as a means of speaking truth with kindness and compassion.

- Eternal Quality: Strive to create poetry that will endure long after you're gone.

- Collaboration: Reach out to others and create something beautiful together.

- Support Each Other: Be there for fellow members and offer support when needed.

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 7

Do you want to be a part of something really amazing? Something that reaches much further than poetry? Would you live to achieve something that will leave a lasting legacy and do some good in the world? 

We will soon be publishing the latest anthology in our charity series. It's number 7 in a book series representing our efforts to make lives better for underprivileged children around the globe. We will literally mobilise poetry against poverty. Each book sold raises enough funds to feed a malnourished child for a month.

Wheelsong Books Ltd was established in the Plymouth, England in 2020 as a not-for-profit organisation. Its mission statement is twofold: To give emerging poets the means to reach larger audiences and to help those who are in need. Since then, Wheelsong, in partnership with Invisible Poets and its affiliated groups, has published over 50 books including 11 charity poetry anthologies. Here are some of our anthology statistics: 

Absolutely Poetry Anthology 1: 170 poems (310 copies sold)

Absolutely Poetry Anthology 2: 176 poems (286 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 1: 183 poems (255 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2: 214 poems (233 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3: 229 poems (415 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 4: 245 poems (392 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 5: 248 poems (341 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 6: 265 poems (339 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 1: 352 poems (317 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 2: 242 poems (83 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 3: 246 poems (84 copies sold)

No other poetry group on Facebook comes anywhere close to these charitable efforts. (We have published a total of 2570 poems written by more than 720 poets representing 112 countries across all 6 continents, and have sold 3055 copies at the time of writing). 

All the above books are still available on Amazon and through other online outlets, including Waterstones (UK) and Barnes & Noble (USA). The proceeds from Amazon sales of these books is donated directly to Save the Children - a worldwide charity that cares for children in crisis, providing emergency nutrition, health care, medicine, safety and education. At the time of writing, Wheelsong Books has donated £11,000.00 ($15,000.00) to Save the Children and we are only getting started! We plan to publish two more Wheelsong Poetry Anthologies and another Invisible Poets Anthology in 2026.

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Dear poet, please think about this... You possess an amazing creative gift ... you have the ability to capture your thoughts, ideas, memories and emotions and present them as beautiful, evocative words. 

You can, if you want to join us, use your wonderful talent to freely give back a little to children who are in desperate, often life-threatening situations. 

We all want our poetry to be read and appreciated by others. Publishing your work in Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 6 will ensure that you gain a new audience for your poetry, but that's not the most important aim! 

Better than that is this ... your poems will be helping to raise much needed funds to support children in crisis. You will also retain ownership of your poem, and Wheelsong Books will protect and administer your copyright for you. 

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To be considered for inclusion in the review process you will need to follow these instructions very carefully:

Firstly, do not bother to submit your poetry if you do not intend to buy at least one copy of the book. We will expect you to pledge to buy at least one copy direct from Wheelsong Books if your work is published. This is a charity publication, and all profits from Amazon sales will go to help children in crisis. If you're not prepared to invest in helping children, we won't be publishing your poetry (we are dismayed that around two thirds of featured poets do not purchase a copy of the anthologies once they have been published). Please give more than you take, because this is not about you or about Wheelsong Books - it's about helping children who are in desperate need. 

Secondly, only submit poetry that is a) your own work and b) has not been subject to any other publishing agreement. Poetry you've shared on Facebook and other social media is fine, but please do not send in work that has been published elsewhere, and is subject to a previous publishing contract. That could lead to legal action being taken against you. The editorial team will also reject poems if we suspect they have been either plagiarised in part or whole, or generated partly or wholly through artificial intelligence.

Thirdly, submit up to 3 poems as either plain text or in a Word file via email direct to this email address: wheelsong6@gmail.com. Submissions by any other means will not be considered. Poetry submitted as images or photos will not be considered, nor will links to external sites. Please supply a title for each of your poems. Please also supply your real name - we will not publish works by poets using pseudonyms. 

And before you ask: There is NO specific theme. Write about what you want. 

Finally, all poems submitted will be subject to review by our editorial team. Your poetry will be anonymised (your name blanked out) so the editorial team can't see who you are. If your poetry is selected, you will be informed via email and a publication agreement will be sent to you for you to complete and return. Your work will be then published under your name. If your work is not accepted for publication, you will receive an email informing you of the team's decision. No correspondence other than via email will be valid. Please don't try to text or direct message us. We won't answer. 

The window for submission is now open, and will be closed at midnight (UK time) on Sunday 19 October, 2025. Any submissions received after this time/date will be not be reviewed. If there is an extension to this date, you will be informed. The editors' decisions will be final. 

Please Note: Shorter poems are more likely to be accepted for publication than longer pieces - space will be limited in the book due to resource and production limitations. Several poetry groups will participate, including Invisible Poets, Wheelsong Poetry, Pure Poetry and Safe Haven. Poets from outside these groups are also eligible to take part, so please point anyone you think may be interested to this blog, and keep visiting this blog to find out news as it unfolds. We look forward to reading your submissions. Good luck! 

Steve Wheeler (Editor in Chief) 

Photo courtesy of Save the Children

Pushing the Boundaries

Yesterday I was in the studio recording a series of short radio shows in my Poets Corner slot for CrossRhythms Radio. The show is divided into two short sections with a music track played in between. In the first section I provide some background and context for my poem choice, and in the second section I perform the poem. It's simple but effective and the shows go out every weekday afternoon. 

In one of my shows yesterday I talked about experimental poetry and told the story of how I became interested, and then inspired by avant garde poets and writers. Here's the story again for those many of you who will never get the chance to listen to the show.

I was in my late teens, and had been writing poetry for a short while during my school years. Now in my first job at a local college, I was seconded for a week or so to work in the college library. It was quite a large library in several floors, and the book stacks were huge. One of my tasks was to preserve some of the paper back books by removing their covers, and then rebinding them in hard covers, with the original paper outers incorporated into the new cover. It was fun, although fiddly, and I always managed to get my fingers covered in glue. 

During this time, the library was disposing of many of its old stocks of books. These included poetry and other literature. I spotted a pile of old poetry books and asked one of the library staff what was happening to them. She replied that they were being thrown out, and that if I wanted any I should just take them. I carried a boxful home with me, and I still have most of them in my collection. 

Some that caught my eye included works by e. e. cummings, Charles Bukowski and Philip Lamantia. These great American poets wrote amazing out-of-left field poetry that left me gasping for breath. I never knew that the English language could be manipulated in such inventive ways! Then I read the work of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who created vast lyrical landscapes of metaphors, similes and wordplay that inspired me even more.  

Soon I began to write in similar ways, not in blind slavish copying, but through experimentation and trial and error. I began to perform my new experimental poetry live, and got more positive responses than I did negative ones (you'll always get both). I'm now at the point in my poetry life where I feel I can push the boundaries continually to try to find new ways of experessing myself and new ways of manipulating the English language to create new wordscapes. 

My interactive textbook Creative Deviance and more recently my poetry collection eXp exemplify this creative risk taking and showcase what I have found to be possible. I hope in time these books will inspire poets to push their own boundaries just as cummings et al inspire me to push my own.

Steve Wheeler

Photo (c) Wheelsong Books Ltd

SPECIAL OFFER: If you purchase a copy of Creative Deviance directly from Wheelsong Books: wheelsong6@gmail.com you will also receive a copy of eXp absolutely free. 

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

Are you being taken seriously?

This is an opinion piece, and I anticipate a bit of flak from some people, but I write this post from a position as an editor, publisher and owner/founder of four successful online poetry groups. And do bear in mind, this piece has been written to try to help poets improve their chances of being noticed and possibly even published in due course. 

Please comment in the box below if you want dialogue on this subject. I'm very happy to reply to serious questions and comments. 

How can you be taken seriously as a poet? Firstly there will be some who might reply that they don't really care whether they are taken seriously or not. But I suspect that most people who write poetry want their work to be taken seriously. At the minimum, most poets would rather not be ignored. And yet that is exactly what I see happening in my online poetry groups. Poeple post poetry that is ignored by most. Or it is poetry that fails to get accepted for anthologies or other publications. 

Pen Names. Firstly, writing under your own name, or at least a pen-name that is not ridiculous is an absolute requirement. How you represent yourself is very important, Those who use contrived pen-names, or noms de plume that are jokey do not generally have their work taken seriously. At Wheelsong Books our editors tend to ignore those who we can't take seriously, and the first impression - the name of the poet - is important in setting the atmosphere for any review. 

Emojis. Secondly, the use of emojis and other embellishment in a poem is often a turn-off to a reviewer or reader. The question must be asked: why does the poet use lots of smileys, hearts, and other emoticons in their work? Is it because they lack any confidence in their own writing? It is certainly a distracting feature, and as an editor/reviewer I tend to ignore poems with an overload of emojis. 

Upper case lettering. Thirdly, poetry that is presented totally in upper case lettering seems amateurish. In old money, upper case lettering was considered shouting in text and social media cultures. In poetry, the overuse of upper case lettering makes it appear as though the writer is desperate to be noticed, and again, they lack confidence that their writing alone will keep the attention.

Be original. Fourthly, if you wish to be taken seriously as a poet, make sure your work is original. There is nothing worse in poetry than reading old, jaded phrases that others have used before. The forced rhyme or the predictable line is a clear indication that the poet is struggling to express themselves and maybe has lost their way.

AI Generated poetry. Finally, as an addendum to the last point, you won't be taken seriously (and may even be sanctioned) if you persist in submitting or posting poetry that has been generated by artificial intelligence. You would be surprised by how many posts each day we reject from our online poetry groups. You might also be horrified at the number of people we ban from the group if they persist in this practice. It's dishonest and might even be breaking copyright laws.

So there you have it. Five key points to remember if you wish to be taken seriously as a poet. I believe most of these apply to online poetry groups worldwide, and definitely apply in the publishing world.

Steve Wheeler 

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Poetry and Artificial Intelligence

Occasionally we host guest posts on this blog. They are often topical, provocative or simply informative. This guest post by Dr. Iain Strachan is all three. As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

Can AI pass the Turing Test today? by Iain Strachan

In a Invisible Poets Road Show in Derby, Steve Wheeler asked me if I thought AI had passed the Turing test. I replied "Yes ... and No." 

I had just read a poem "A chatBot named Christopher" about Alan Turing, where I had claimed that the answer is "No".

However, AI-generated poetry continues to fool us again and again. I have been fooled by it. I once praised someone's Villanelle on Invisible Poets that on closer examination turned out to be AI generated.

Why does this happen? I think it's to do with the way we interact with pop songs. I asked a member of my family "When you listen to a pop song, do you think about the words?" He replied "Not really. If I know the words, I'll sing along to the tune, but I don't think about what they mean."

I expect most people are like that. Pop songs have to be singable, so the lyrics fit the tune, and so we are only engaging with the words on a superficial level. So they need to flow smoothly, have simple rhyme schemes etc.

Human poetry is different. It doesn't always have a smooth iambic pentameter rhythm; for example:

For thou'rt slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men (John Donne), or
The soil/is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod (Gerard Manley Hopkins).

See how the strong syllables pile up with no light syllables between. The Hopkins also has enjambment, where the sense carries on over the line break. Song lyrics don't do this - normally each line stands alone.

It's the same with AI generated poetry. It is polished, and flows nicely; each line is self-contained. But, whereas with a pop song, you can find depth and meaning in the lyrics: a story told, or a telling metaphor, if you examine an AI poem carefully, you won't find any depth; it falls apart as a sequence of poetic sounding phrases and clichés strung together with no clear overall message.

So if you find a poem that seems super smooth and polished, take a closer look before you enthuse about it. Don't give the AI fakers their serotonin boost! If it's AI, it will fall apart and you'll find the words of my chatBot poem to be still true:

Chatbots today can't pass the Turing Test
Their show of understanding's fake, at best.

Iain Strachan

Image used under a Creative Commons License

An Invisible Poets roadshow near you?

I mentioned on Live Poets Society UK recently that I was considering the possibility of taking Invisible Poets on the road. By that, I meant bringing a live poetry show with performances, interviews, book launch, open mic etc to a place near you. It's a grand ambition and quite daunting but not one that is impossible. I would need local organisers who were willing to commit to doing some local organisation, promotion and other preparation to make an event happen in their home town. So what would be involved? Putting on a roadshow can be complex, and work needs to go into organising, but there are some tried and tested formulae. 

Here are a few ideas and a checklist of things that would need to be in place to stage a successful Invisible Poets event in your home town.

1) We would need a secure venue. It doesn't need to be a massive space, just a place which is lockable, and where we can set up a small performance area, possibly with staging (not essential), and a power supply (required). Wheelsong Books would provide the public address system and lighting rig. Easy chairs for interviews would be required, depending on which poets are being interviewed. 

2) A table somewhere in the venue to display books and merchandising. Wheelsong would supply the materials for display, the merchandise and the paying facilities.

3) Publicity and promotion of the event. Wheelsong Books would publicise through social media, but it would also be up to the local organisers to put the word out that the event was happening, and to do this at least 4 weeks in advance of the event. 

4) Accommodation near to the venue if the host/MC/invited poets required overnight accommodation depending on the travel distances. 

Wheelsong Books would sponsor the event, and that would mean there would be a small ticket price which might also include free merchandise from the book stand. Ticketing would be managed by Wheelsong Books, through an electronic ticketing service, or pay on the door. 

The essential Invisible Poets Roadshow might include the following elements:

a) Headline performances by invited/guest poets

b) Performance by the host/MC

c) Interviews and question/answer sessions

d) Open Mic session

e) Specialist writing workshops (for all day or half day events)

f) Book launches and signings

g) Meet and greet sessions with authors

h) Social event

So who is up for organising an event, either somewhere in the UK (we can do these fairly easily) or farther afield? Please respond in the comments section beneath this post, or email wheelsong6@gmail.com to discuss this idea in more detail. 

Steve Wheeler

Image Copyright by Steve Wheeler, 2025

P.S. The first event is currently being organised in Derby, England, for Friday 30th May 2025. We aim to raise as much money we can for Save the Children, so please do come along if you can and support this event!

Images and Image

Several members of Invisible Poets showed their nastier side recently. They are all off looking for another poetry group now. 

My post about use of images, poets' over-reliance on their use, and the dangers of using copyrighted images went down like a stone balloon with some members. Perhaps I touched a nerve. I was called arrogant, narrow minded and a few other choice epithets. One even asked me who had made me 'the poetry police.' 

These are of course, all what we call ad hominem attacks in the philosophy world. Or in sporting terms... they were playing the man rather than playing the ball. I love a good debate, but when it comes to personal abuse, I don't tolerate it. Invisible Poets is founded on respect and care, and these individuals crossed the line. 

My points were twofold. 

Firstly I questioned the reason why some poets felt compelled to add images to their poetry (some are repeated selfies and other even less relevant, but spectacular images) when in fact good poetry has the capability to entrance with its words alone. In the words of one of our members, many images seem like click-bait. Other members said they scroll past the images because it puts them off reading those poems. 

My second point, perhaps even more importantly, was that many poets in the group are using copyrighted images. They clearly haven't checked to see if they can use them, and in doing so they run the risk of a lawsuit by the owners of the copyright. One person even remarked to me about 'my purist views'. I replied that they are actually legal views.

Let me make it clear. There are legal consequences. 

You should assume that nothing on the Internet is free-to-use unless it is clearly labelled as such. Most images, photographs, artwork etc are the property of someone. There have been several recent court cases where individuals have been sued successfully by the likes of Getty Images and the New York Times. The damages awarded are not small. If you use images without permission, or simply purloin them without thinking, you could be in serious trouble. It is not good enough to post an image and then state: Credit to the rightful owner or similar. This not only demonstrates that the poet has no idea where the image came from, it also shows their ignorance and laziness. Worse, it shows that they really don't care at all about their theft of someone else's property. 

I was trying to convey this warning to our members, but several were abusive to me. They didn't want to be told by anyone how they should behave online. This kind of incident certainly causes the bad ones to show their true colours. 

Here's some good news. There are plenty of sites where you can obtain and freely use images, photographs and graphics. Unsplash and Pix4free are very good sites to use for non-copyrighted materials. Another way to find free to use images is by using Google search and selecting Images. Next go to Tools, and select Usages Rights. Find Creative Commons Licenses and then you can check the free-for-use licences of images available. 

Finally, let me repeat it here for anyone who cares to listen: If you must use images, please make sure a) you own them yourself b) they are licensed for free use, or c) you have permission from the owner of the image. 

Steve Wheeler

Image used under a Creative Commons Licence