We at Write Out Loud are delighted to welcome a new poetry reviewer to our team. Mark Connors is a poet, novelist, creative writing facilitator, open mic organiser … well, you name it!

Mark, from Leeds, will be contributing regular poetry reviews to Write Out Loud. His debut poetry pamphlet Life is a Long Song was published by OWF Press in 2015. His first full length collection Nothing is Meant to be Broken was published by Stairwell Books in 2017. His second poetry collection, Optics, was published in 2019. His third collection, After, was published in 2021. A joint collection with his Yaffle colleagues, Reel Bradford was published in association with Bradford City of Film in 2019.

His debut novel Stickleback was published by Armley Press in 2016. It was longlisted for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize. His second novel, Tom Tit and the Maniacs, was also published by Armley Press in 2018. It was one of Culture Vulture’s novels of the year. He is currently at work on MMXXII, a hybrid book containing poetry, fiction, memoir and travel writing. Mark is a co-founder and a managing editor of Yaffle Press.

He has also worked in radio and has run and compered poetry nights such as Word Club and Shaken in Sheeptown with his partner, Gill Lambert. Mark was a creative partner of the Bronte Society, curating Poetry at the Parsonage Festival in 2016. He has also run other events for The Bronte Society with Gill Lambert, centred around the 200th birthday celebrations of the Brontes. 

Mark was also the poetry correspondent for Northern Soul Arts magazine from 2019 to 2021. He has also reviewed independently under the Write Well label and his reviews have featured on The Poetry Shed and the websites of publishers such as Bloodaxe and 4Word Press.

Welcome to Write Out Loud, Mark! Good to have you aboard!