'The Best British Poetry 2014' presents the finest and most engaging poems found in literary magazines and webzines over the past year. The material gathered represents the rich variety of current UK poetry. Each poem is accompanied by a note by the poet explaining the inspiration for the poem.

Inspired by a true story, a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from home. From award-winning poet Liz Berry. 'A profound act of witness to a long injustice, and a beautifully crafted conjuring of a life lived as truly as possible' Guardian 'Book of the Day' 'Ground-breaking' Benjamin Zephaniah 'Exquisite' Hannah Lowe, author of The Kids 'Home's not a place, you must believe this, but one who names you and means beloved.' In 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return to Britain or see her family again. She is a Home Child, one of thousands of British children sent to Canada to work as indentured farm labourers and domestic servants. In Nova Scotia, Eliza's world becomes a place where ordinary things are transfigured into treasures - a red ribbon, the feel of a foal's mane, the sound of her name on someone else's lips. With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of Cape Breton is the only solace Eliza has - until another Home Child, a boy, comes to the farm and changes everything. Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry's great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home. 'A haunting, deeply compelling narrative' Andrew McMillan, author of physical 'Only Liz Berry could write such raw and staggeringly beautiful poems' Fiona Benson, author of Vertigo & Ghost

PURE WICKED by Shayla Black During his decade as an international pop star, Jesse McCall has lived every day in the fast lane. A committed hedonist reveling in amazing highs, globetrotting, and nameless encounters, he refuses to think about his loneliness or empty future. Then tragedy strikes. Shocked and grieving, he sheds his identity and walks away, searching for peace. Instead, he finds Bristol Reese, a no-nonsense beauty scraping to keep her business afloat while struggling with her own demons. He’s intent on seducing her, but other than a pleasure-filled night, she’s not interested in a player, especially after her boyfriend recently proposed to her sister. In order to claim Bristol, Jesse has to prove he’s not the kind of man he’s always been. But when she learns his identity and his past comes back to haunt him, how will he convince her that he’s a changed man who wants nothing more than to make her his forever? ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham Salem was a place near and dear to Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall — it was where they’d met on a strange and sinister case. They never dreamed that they’d be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion. But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other-and perhaps even their very souls. HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye After identifying her employer's dangerous enemies, Jessica Jakes takes refuge at the compound of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. Fellow Hard Ink tattooist and Raven leader Ike Young promises to keep Jess safe for as long as it takes, which would be perfect if his close, personal, round-the-clock protection didn't make it so hard to hide just how much she wants him--and always has. Ike Young loved and lost a woman in trouble once before. The last thing he needs is alone time with the sexiest and feistiest woman he's ever known, one he's purposely kept at a distance for years. Now, Ike's not sure he can keep his hands or his heart to himself--or that he even wants to anymore. And that means he has to do whatever it takes to hold on to Jess forever. STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian Born to a noble Breed lineage steeped in exotic ritual and familial duty, vampire warrior Jehan walked away from the luxurious trappings of his upbringing in Morocco to join the Order’s command center in Rome. But when a generations-old obligation calls Jehan home, the reluctant desert prince finds himself thrust into an unwanted handfasting with Seraphina, an unwilling beauty who’s as determined as he is to resist the antiquated pact between their families. Yet as intent as they are to prove their incompatibility, neither can deny the attraction that ignites between them. And as Jehan and Seraphina fight to resist the calling of their blood, a deadly enemy seeks to end their uneasy truce before it even begins….

*'The Republic of Motherhood' Winner of the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem* 'I crossed the border into the Republic of Motherhood and found it a queendom, a wild queendom.' In this bold and resonant gathering of poems, Liz Berry turns her distinctive voice to the transformative experience of new motherhood. Her poems sing the body electric, from the joy and anguish of becoming a mother, through its darkest hours to its brightest days. With honesty and unabashed beauty, they bear witness to that most tender of times - when a new life arrives, and everything changes.

The Best British Poetry 2012 presents the finest and most engaging poems found in literary magazines and webzines over the past year. The material gathered represents the rich variety of current UK poetry. Each poem is accompanied by a note by the poet explaining the inspiration for the poem. An indispensable guide to British poetry and a must-have purchase for anyone interested in the art, from newcomers to the most experienced professional and all creative writing students working in English.

The gorgeous, crystalline debut collection from rising star Liz Berry.
In "Black Country," Liz Berry takes us home: to Wrens Nest, Gosty Hill, Bilston; to the summer where she first learned to talk; to the woods where the secrets are hidden. A parade of riotous characters abound: the Bone Orchard Wench, the Lady Rotcatcher, Carmella 'Ower Lady of the Hairdresser'.
But her poems also transport us into other, different worlds of the poet's imagination: the memories and magic of childhood to the dawning of adulthood and the dark, sweet mysteries of love and sexuality. Ablaze with energy and colour, and alive with a thrilling command of language, Liz Berry's poems are transformative, almost magical: her characters are protean, her eye unusual; all rooted in the sights and sounds of her native Black Country: 'vowels ferrous as nails, consonants you could lick the coal from.'
This is a distinctive, assured, and unforgettable debut full of fierce poems of wonder and incandescent joy. It marks the arrival of a luminous talent in British poetry.

"The Best British Poetry 2011" presents the finest and most engaging poems found in British-based literary magazines and webzines over the past year. The material gathered represents the rich variety of current UK poetry, including lyric, formal and experimental poetry. Each poem is accompanied by a note by the poet themselves, explaining the inspiration for the poem and why they decided to write the poem in that form. The format of the book will be familiar to those who have seen similar annual selections made in other countries such as Ireland, Australia and especially the US, where the equivalent annual book is a popular yet controversial landmark in each year's literary calendar. At a time when print journals still retain their significance and popularity and when new sites are flourishing on the web, this book offers a snapshot of current poetry practices in the country by offering a diverse selection of excellent poems.