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Ben Banyard

@benbanyard

Dad, poet-type & editor of Black Nore Review (@blacknorereview.bsky.social). Birmingham City fan & Bristol Bears RFC season ticket holder. https://ben.banyard.wordpress.com

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29.04.2025
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Latest posts by Ben Banyard @benbanyard

I always feel especially honoured to have a poem on the excellent @atriumpoetry.bsky.social - many thanks to @clairewalkerpoetry.bsky.social and @hollyannepoet.bsky.social for taking "Spliff Kid".

13.01.2026 09:09 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Poem 2/2 of mine on @eunoiareview.bsky.social. Thanks to the hard-working editor, Ian Chung.

28.11.2025 10:50 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The first of two poems which were published earlier this week on @eunoiareview.bsky.social

28.11.2025 10:49 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Musk is the sort of person who'd attempt a Panenka, only to see it nestle tamely in the keeper's grateful gloves.

20.11.2025 22:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
The Stone Roses - Fools Gold (Official Video)
The Stone Roses - Fools Gold (Official Video) YouTube video by StoneRosesVEVO

Gutted to hear of Mani's untimely passing. I fondly remember the sound of his funk-heavy basslines shaking dance floors at Brum's Snobs and Institute in the early 90s. What a legacy. youtu.be/NSD11dnphg0?...

20.11.2025 22:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Chuffed to have three poems out today on Starbeck Orion, courtesy of @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social - I recorded them in my airing cupboard!

15.11.2025 09:11 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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To celebrate #NationalPoetryDay here in the UK, here's one from my last collection, "Hi-Viz".
Copies of the book are available from my website for a bargain Β£7 (including P&P). benbanyard.wordpress.com/hi-viz/
@poetrydayuk.bsky.social @yaffles-nest.bsky.social #poetry

02.10.2025 10:27 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Can't eat - or even contemplate - an orange without thinking of this poem by Brian Patten. RIP. πŸŠπŸ’” 🍊

30.09.2025 19:47 πŸ‘ 35 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
Finding the β€œnew normal” Firstly, let’s get one thing straight – it didn’t come as a shock to me at all to realise that it’s been over two years since I last posted on this blog. Although never as regular as I’d like, up u…

I expect you've been wondering why I haven't posted on my blog in two years? No. Oh. Well, this is awkward. benbanyard.wordpress.com/2025/09/30/f...

01.10.2025 09:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Hi-Viz My second full collection, published by Yaffle Press in November 2021.

I've reduced signed copies of my last #poetry collection, Hi-Viz, to just Β£5.00 (Β£7.00 including P&P) on my site!
Don't delay - there aren't many left!
For more info, sample poems and the lovely things that people have said about the book, head to my website.
benbanyard.wordpress.com/hi-viz/

30.09.2025 09:28 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Does it come with a chain of custardy?

29.09.2025 20:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
18.09.2025 19:56 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thrilled that "Day of the Dead" has been shortlisted for IS&T's Pick of the Month for August. Voting closes this Thursday!

15.09.2025 20:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
https://stepawaymagazine.com

Great to see my poem "Indoor Market" alongside some excellent work in the latest issue of @stepawaymag.bsky.social - always a brilliant read. stepawaymagazine.com

29.08.2025 10:30 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Season 2: Volume 2 / August 2025 Welcome to the latest issue of Mugwort Magazine. Summer is winding down, the harvest is well underway, and there’s a nip of autumn in the air even on the hotter days. In keeping with that Aug…

A lovely selection of late summer-themed writing in the latest issue of @mugwortmagazine.bsky.social including my poem about the charmingly old fashioned East Devon town of Sidmouth. #poetry mugwortmag.wordpress.com/2025/08/23/s...

23.08.2025 19:06 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Many thanks for giving it such a good home!

11.08.2025 10:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The site will take a break from the usual Monday and Thursday schedule while I take a much-needed holiday. Keep an eye out for the next poem on Monday 18th August!

01.08.2025 15:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Newcastle Falcons: Red Bull takeover expected to be finalised, club to be renamed Newcastle Red Bulls Red Bull's takeover of Newcastle Falcons is close to going through, with the club set to be renamed Newcastle Red Bulls.

This is fantastic news not only for Newcastle, but also the newly rebranded Prem as a whole in terms of having ten fully competitive teams in the league. #rugbyunion #premrugby www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...

31.07.2025 13:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I'd sooner watch women's football any day over the men's Premier League. No theatrical dives, whinging, gamesmanship, overpaid show ponies. Sickening how much the men are paid when the women's game operates on a shoestring by comparison.

29.07.2025 08:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This cracker on Atrium today by @lauratheis.bsky.social reminds me of one of my favourite tunes! youtu.be/Ijlk0GTQbB4?...

29.07.2025 08:26 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Coincidentally I just searched here to see if anyone else has noticed that the smug purveyor of schmaltz-waltz is always on Sky Arts.

21.07.2025 20:16 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My poem "Hippy Market", about a visit to Es Cana in Ibiza, has found a lovely home in Mugwort Magazine today. Many thanks to @kategarrettwrites.bsky.social for choosing it.

19.07.2025 16:10 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

#poets of the UK and Europe! @blacknorereview.bsky.social needs your #submission - send your work my way ASAP! The site can't operate without your excellent #writing

12.07.2025 23:10 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Superb!

01.07.2025 21:18 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Are you, like me, a relative newcomer to Bluesky whose fancy is tickled by #poetry? It can be daunting for those of us who have fled from X to rebuild contact lists pieced together over several years, but @hannahl1n.bsky.social has the answer!

30.06.2025 20:56 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy (Official Music Video)
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy (Official Music Video) YouTube video by GinBlossomsVEVO

Say what you like about the Brewers Fayre restaurant chain, but my local branch is pretty much the only place since the mid 90s that I've heard tracks from Gin Blossoms' debut album on the playlist! Love it. youtu.be/ah5gAkna3jI?...

30.06.2025 12:49 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks. I'm easing myself back into new work after a long period of not really feeling like it. Some poems should be seeing the light of day in journals quite soon - watch this space!

28.06.2025 08:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This poem on @atriumpoetry.bsky.social today is a quacker...sorry, I'll see myself out.

27.06.2025 10:34 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Extended interview: Anne Tyler
Extended interview: Anne Tyler YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

I've loved Anne Tyler's books for many years, but I think this is the first time I've seen her interviewed. A really interesting insight into her life and creative practice. #writinglife youtu.be/i8qr2xFu-Ok?...

27.06.2025 10:16 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Here's a poem taken from my last collection, "Hi-Viz" (Yaffle Press). Copies are available from my website at benbanyard.wordpress.com/hi-viz/ #poetry #grief

24.06.2025 09:49 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0