A thousand likes

I can't quite believe that my poem ‘The Last Carry’ has now reached over a thousand likes on Bluesky, many of them from people beyond the poetry bubble. Oh, and a fair few of those likes have then gone on to generate sales of Whatever You Do, Just Don't. All in all, a terrific example of how social media, when functioning at its best, can generate new readers for poetry.

Poetry on Bluesky

So far, I can't recommend Bluesky enough for poetry. Over the past few months, it's enabled me to connect with a lot of poetry people who were new to me, while also finding a whole host of additional readers from beyond the poetry bubble. One excellent example has been the reception for my poem ‘The Last Carry’, first published in The Spectator and then included in my second collection, Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023). As of today, it's garnered well over 600 likes and more than 100 shares, all along with numerous generous comments from readers. This is the nearest I've ever come to going viral! In fact, not a week goes by without a trip or two to the post office for me with books that I've sold via Bluesky. From my experience, it's really worthwhile in terms of finding a new audience for my poems, though perhaps the most significant bit has been the lovely people I've encountered on there...!