Ten working class poets are represented in this anthology including Keith Armstrong, Jane Burn, Nev Clay, Lisa Matthews, Joan Johnston and Paul Summers, and, pleased to report, it’s a volume that contains little nuggets of delight on every page. In her introduction, Lisa Matthews writes: “Poetry speaks from the heart to the heart” and never has that been more true than in these collected works, which tap into the deep connection that many of us feel with the north-east and its people. Many of the poems serve as little snap-shots of life on Tyneside, from Rob Wilton’s ‘That pizza place in the Grainger Market’ to Ally May’s ‘Hoppings ‘86’, and, yes, those ever evocative Dog Leap Stairs get more than one mention. If you’re looking for a slim volume that’ll keep giving in 2022, then step right up. RM

Edited by Paul Summers, Culture Matters