Joe Williams

Biography

Joe Williams is an award-winning writer and performing poet from Leeds. He tells tales about lost love, people in pubs, and the best ways to insult footballers in Spanish. His latest book, ‘The Taking Part’, published by Maytree Press in 2021, is a short collection of poems on the theme of sport and games. His previous book publications are the critically acclaimed pamphlet ‘This is Virus’, composed of erasure poems made from Boris Johnson’s lockdown letter to the UK; the verse novella ‘An Otley Run’, which was shortlisted for a Saboteur Award; and his debut poetry pamphlet ‘Killing the Piano’. His poems and short stories have been included in numerous anthologies, in magazines online and in print, and broadcast on BBC Radio. He won the Open Mic Competition at Ilkley Literature Festival in 2017, and is the founder and host of Chemistry in Leeds and Words on the Wall in Hexham. Despite all of that, he is probably most widely read thanks to his contributions to Viz.

Samples

Penalty Shootout in Zero Gravity (from 'The Taking Part') It was Barry’s idea, so he only has himself to blame. For all the thrill of orbital flight, of seeing the Earth from space, those journeys are so damn boring. I admit to sneaking the ball in, and that Barry was winding me up. The running commentary didn’t help, calling me Gareth Southgate, him being Andreas Köpke. No one could have predicted the ball would hit the airlock button, just when Barry was leaping up, trying to stop my rocket blast, straight to the top left corner. Perhaps he’ll be a hero yet, get a glove to an asteroid hurtling towards the Earth. The slightest of deflections, nudging it over the bar. - Killing the Piano (Chosen as WoL's poem of the week, 30/04/18: https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=77424) We tried to save you with small ads. "Free to good home, must collect" but nobody called. We tried schools and churches, community centres, but none were prepared to accommodate you. No room for the past, no use for tradition, and each back turned was another key condemned. Once we dragged you a hundred miles north, and later a hundred back, my faithful friend as I learnt how to play, from 'Three Blind Mice' to 'Für Elise' and the 'Nut Rocker'. But for years you stood, lid down, barely touched, except by the clumsy fists of children, bashing a blind fortissimo, untroubled by rhythm or melody, unaware that every good boy deserves favour. For years you stood, an obstacle, an inconvenience, silently slipping out of tune. It fell to me to strike the killing blow, consign you to the fate we’d tried to swerve. Behind the crack of splintering walnut I could hear a heart breaking. - Cathedrals (from 'The Taking Part') There’s something in the angles, those webs of knitted steel. How many million voices have been captured in that silk? How many cries of victory, frustration and despair have risen from these terraces, the edges of these flip-down seats, to echo in the rafters long after we are dead? Have you ever been alone in a cathedral? Just you, and all history’s ghosts.

Gigs

Wednesday 28 June, 7pm: The Triangle, Shipley Guest poet at Rhubarb https://www.facebook.com/events/1352157128979595 Sunday 16 July, 5.00pm: Left Bank, Leeds The Poetry Supertram at Leeds Poetry Festival https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-poetry-supertram-tickets-639525938297 https://www.facebook.com/events/706973594772844/706973594772844 https://www.leedsinspired.co.uk/events/poetry-supertram-leeds-poetry-festival Friday 28 July, 7.15pm: The Chemic Tavern, Leeds Hosting Chemistry, with guests Hannah Davies and Andy Jackson https://www.facebook.com/events/975224093611472 https://www.leedsinspired.co.uk/events/chemistry-8-hannah-davies-andy-jackson-and-o-oxygen Friday 20 September, 7.15pm: The Chemic Tavern, Leeds Hosting Chemistry, with guests Mark Pajak and Jonathan Kinsman Tuesday 3 October: The Crooked Man, Prestwich Guest poet at Crooked Poets Saturday 21 October, 2.30pm: The Coach and Horses, Hexham Hosting Words on the Wall, with guests Kirsten Luckins and Katie Hale Friday 24 November, 7.15pm: The Chemic Tavern, Leeds Hosting Chemistry, with guests Kayleigh Campbell + one tbc Monday 11 December, 2pm: Balby Library, Doncaster Guest poet at Read to Write

Links

Website: www.joewilliams.co.uk An Otley Run: www.anotleyrun.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/haikuhole Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeWilliamsPoet YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/joewilliamsyt

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

Blog entries by Joe Williams

Jacob Marley’s Ghost Returns to London (20/12/2023)

If Only I'd Made the Team (16/08/2022)

Hot or Not? (17/07/2022)

I Saw Prince Andrew in Pizza Express (02/06/2022)

Throwing Eggs at Thatcher (15/05/2022)

Limerick #18 (12/05/2022)

Nana's House (23/04/2022)

Results (15/04/2022)

Shadow Puppets (21/03/2022)

Cold (28/02/2022)

Read more entries by Joe Williams…

Blog link: https://www.writeoutloud.net/blogs/joewilliams

Favourite Profiles

Alicia Fernandez