Tough Elma Mitchell

Tough Elma MitchellTough is the bitter sweet taste of urban romanticism, barbecued bear and the bright lights of Grangetown, from the biggest mouth on Teesside. Poet Andy Willoughby goes back to the estates where you have to be tough to survive. Sometimes he acts tough, sometimes he talks tough. Sometimes he is not so tough after all. Tough is his first full length collection. If you don't like it tough. " a poetical manifesto chronicling the hopes, fears, rituals,

she is a player

whether dealing wittily with sexual errantry

John Lucas’ ninth full collection of poetry begins with a long poem echoing Auden’s 'Letter to Lord Byron'

for what comes next

"We are offered London as a test case for a new diversity of means and manner

novelists like Lily Tobias

The book does not read like a first collection

Dizzy Gillespie

What’s that sir

He appeared regularly on Thought for the Day

His work is featured in anthologies

These poems are the real thing: serious about being human and being at home in the world