I’ve seen people express the belief that you need an MA to “make it” in poetry. I appreciate everyone has different goals, but speaking personally I can say that this is patently untrue. I do not have an MA or formal training, & have not been involved in any kind of mentorship-

writing retreats or workshops. I am entirely self-taught. I mention this not to diss MAs or the hard work poets put into running workshops, but to disabuse people of a false belief that has the potential to turn them off poetry altogether. I’m also strongly opposed to the idea

that poetry is only for those who can afford it. With this in mind, I wanted to share some of the landmarks of my publication history. I really hope this doesn’t look like bragging – I do this not to brag, but to share my personal path with you all, & shed some light...

So, I started writing poetry in 2007. Poetry Wales was the first magazine I set my sights on. It was about one year before I submitted to them. I had 2 rejections, but very encouraging feedback. 3rd time lucky – my first poem was published in PW in 2009...

I had some work published in online journals following this – Pomegranate and The Cadaverine were pretty big back in the day. I was reading as much as I could, classics and contemporary, copying everything as a means to finding my own voice...

In 2011 The Guardian published one of my poems. They were running a kind of online discussion portal at the time and would feature poems on a specific theme for an editor to discuss and comment on...

Next on my hit list was Magma. I’d been buying the magazine regularly and enjoyed the work in it. I submitted to Magma 5 times & got 5 rejections, but I was so stubborn it just made me more determined. Finally I had a poem accepted on my 6th attempt...

Next was Poetry London. I sent them the weirdest poem I had at the time. They accepted it, first time – sometimes it’s lovely & surprising & not always a struggle to get an acceptance...

Onto 2012. I’d been an avid fan of the work Sidekick Books were putting out & saw that they were producing a bumper anthology inspired by video games. This was too good to miss, so I cheekily messaged them directly with a poem & was thrilled when they took it on – my first

anthology! Between 2013 and 2018 I primarily focused on placing work in anthologies – with both Sidekick Books and The Emma Press, who had appeared on my radar. Both presses offered opportunities to experiment with form & challenge myself with poems for children as well

as adults, plus visual poetry. I placed work in 7 anthologies between the two presses. In 2018 I submitted my first pamphlet manuscript to Broken Sleep Books & was stunned when they said yes. This was the culmination of a little over 10 years’ worth of writing, reading,

developing, honing. Shortly after, Chris from Salt Publishing approached me directly & asked whether I’d like to send him a manuscript for a debut full collection. I’d been a lover of Salt authors for years &, all cheesiness aside, this was a dream come true...

I said yes, obviously, & Death Magazine was born. In 2019 I had an acceptance from The Rialto. This was a real shock as I just thought they were too big for me & the response time was like 10 months, so I’d given that poem up for dead...

In the same year a poem from Death Magazine was highly commended in the Forward Prizes, & was published in the Forward anthology – another unexpected thing that knocked me for six...

I want to stress that through all of this, I was focused on the love of poetry. I was always thinking about poetry, reading, writing, editing. I did not want to become “A POET” – I wanted to write the best poetry I was capable of...

I did not really bother too much with social media, I had no insider knowledge or contacts, no tricks. I’ve never been interested in getting involved in arguments or being controversial for the sake of raising my profile...

There is no mystery in all this - it was a decade of work that bore fruit. I really hope this sheds light, at least on how the process *can* work, and helps boost the confidence of anyone reading this...

I realise it’s not glamorous – it’s just work, love, time, energy. But it absolutely worked for me, & if your focus is on the love of poetry & the desire to write to the highest standard you’re capable of, I don’t see why it can’t work for you as well.