Martin Kennedy Yates
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martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Martin Kennedy Yates
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
550 followers 460 following 82 posts
Writer - Artist - Tutor
I make things with words, paints & stuff.
Winner of Broken Spine Chapbook Comp 2024 - debut poetry pamphlet out now - DM me for signed copy.
Poems in Rialto, Stand, Poetry Wales, Magma, Butcher's Dog, Finished Creatures & others.
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martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Martin Kennedy Yates @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social · Sep 5
I'm so excited to say "This Wilderness & Other Concerns" is released today. You can buy it from The Broken Spine website, or order a signed copy with original handcrafted bookmark with bonus poem direct from me - just drop me a DM. 😎
@thebrokenspine.co.uk #poetry #poetrylovers #poetrycommunity
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Come on, people of the West Midlands... get yerselves to the Great Western in Wolvo on Sunday night. Emilie, me and a load of open mic-ers will be givin' it our best. I'm puttin' down a deposit on a Cheese & Onion cob - see yer there! 😎👍
pandemonialists.bsky.social poets and prattlers @pandemonialists.bsky.social · 18d
Next Sunday, Yes We Cant is back at the Great Western. Expect great poetry from Emilie Lauren Jones and @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social, cheese & onion cobs the size of a small house, and a fantastic atmosphere! Get in touch for a) an open mic spot, or b) if you want to join us on Zoom. 😊
A pink and yellow poster. Text reads: Top-notch spoken word. Yes We Cant. Emilie Lauren Jones, 7.30pm Sunday 2nd November 2025. 'Alf Ender Martin Kennedy Yates. A pay-as-you-feel event
October 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
It's very gratifying that my response/homage to Eliot's masterpiece is really landing & connecting with people. It seems we're living in times when a fragmented, unsettling & somewhat ranting urban poem still resonates. Please DM me if you'd like a signed copy with unique hand-painted bookmark.
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 23d
"These blistered walls are the pages of our Bible."
Still Birmingham. Still burning.
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness
www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...
Book cover of This Wilderness & Other Concerns by Martin Kennedy Yates, published by The Broken Spine. The cover artwork depicts an urban canal or waterway running between old brick and industrial buildings, with graffiti on one wall and a dark, moody atmosphere. A quote from writer and poet Jonathan Davidson reads: “These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.”
October 19, 2025 at 8:30 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
It's very gratifying that my response/homage to Eliot's masterpiece is really landing & connecting with people. It seems we're living in times when a fragmented, unsettling & somewhat ranting urban poem still resonates. Please DM me if you'd like a signed copy with unique hand-painted bookmark.
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 25d
103 years since The Waste Land first landed. Yates replies from the wreckage of modern Birmingham. A century later, the questions still rot.
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness
www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...
Book cover of This Wilderness & Other Concerns by Martin Kennedy Yates, published by The Broken Spine. The cover artwork depicts an urban canal or waterway running between old brick and industrial buildings, with graffiti on one wall and a dark, moody atmosphere. A quote from writer and poet Jonathan Davidson reads: “These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.”
October 19, 2025 at 8:27 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Posted this for Top Tweet Tuesday over on X on the theme #mystical - feeling those Celtic vibes on the Dyfi estuary this morning.
October 7, 2025 at 8:30 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Big thanks to all of you who bought my book in the first month. Hope you've been enjoying it.
If you'd like to get your hands on a copy, either use the Amazon link below or DM me for a signed copy plus a handcrafted bookmark with bonus poem. For more info...
thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/08/17/r...
October 5, 2025 at 10:09 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
How exciting to get a #BestOfTheNet nomination for my essay exploring the creation of my 'Scousenlish' poems & their relationship to the alliterative form of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' - follow link...
alliteration.net/poets/martin...
Thank you @rhunedhel.bsky.social for the love 🥰
#BOTN
Martin Kennedy Yates: Alliterative Poet
Martin Kennedy Yates is an emerging poet who has had work in recent editions of The Rialto, Stand, Poetry Wales, Butcher’s Dog, Anthropocene, Ink Sweat & Tears, The Storms, and Finished Creatures.
alliteration.net
October 5, 2025 at 3:27 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
How exciting to get a #BestOfTheNet nomination for my essay exploring the creation of my 'Scousenlish' poems & their relationship to the alliterative form of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' - follow link for more - alliteration.net/poets/martin...
Thank you @rhunedhel.bsky.social for the love 🥰
October 5, 2025 at 3:22 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Friends, fam and poetry pals lend me your ears. Happy #nationalpoetryday on the theme of #play ❤️
Hope you enjoy 'Let Us Play' - my cheeky, playful, rule-breaking nonet, inspired by this week's prompt on Top Tweet Tuesday over on X
For more on the nonet... www.masterclass.com/articles/how...
October 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Absolutely, just the start!!! "This Wilderness & Other Concerns" has been out for just over 3 weeks - lots of copies are out in the world. I've had some lovely feedback & done the first of many gigs IRL and read a few snippets online. If you want to get a copy or book me for an event, just DM me😎
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · Sep 29
End of month, but just the start. Thanks to everyone who's made this launch matter.
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness
www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...
Book cover of This Wilderness & Other Concerns by Martin Kennedy Yates, published by The Broken Spine. The cover artwork depicts an urban canal or waterway running between old brick and industrial buildings, with graffiti on one wall and a dark, moody atmosphere. A quote from writer and poet Jonathan Davidson reads: “These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.”
September 29, 2025 at 12:50 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Well, that went well. I totally enjoyed performing the whole of "This Wilderness" to an audience tonight - all 23 minutes of it - the rhythm & flow, the drift & shift through the scenes and scenarios felt amazing - got some great feedback from the audience and sold a few copies of the book. 🤗
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social Martin Kennedy Yates @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social · Sep 25
I'm excited to be getting out and about with my prize-winning debut collection. Details of more gigs to follow. But it all kicks off tonight at half-seven in my hometown, at The Albionn in Stone Street. If you're local, do come along tonight, if you can. It would be lovely to see you! 😍
September 25, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Martin Kennedy Yates
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
I'm excited to be getting out and about with my prize-winning debut collection. Details of more gigs to follow. But it all kicks off tonight at half-seven in my hometown, at The Albionn in Stone Street. If you're local, do come along tonight, if you can. It would be lovely to see you! 😍
September 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
I'm excited to be getting out and about with my prize-winning debut collection. Details of more gigs to follow. But it all kicks off tonight at half-seven in my hometown, at The Albionn in Stone Street. If you're local, do come along tonight, if you can. It would be lovely to see you! 😍
September 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Martin Kennedy Yates
thebrokenspine.co.uk
Bought it? Loved it? Say so. Tag us. Share your favourite line. Let’s show the world why poetry still matters.
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness
www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...
Book cover of This Wilderness & Other Concerns by Martin Kennedy Yates, published by The Broken Spine. The cover artwork depicts an urban canal or waterway running between old brick and industrial buildings, with graffiti on one wall and a dark, moody atmosphere. A quote from writer and poet Jonathan Davidson reads: “These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.”
September 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
As winner of the Broken Spine Chapbook Competition in 2024, my debut poetry book, "This Wilderness & Other Concerns" is out now. It's in 3 sections & fuses various forms and styles. It's both direct & lyrical, gritty & compassionate, specific & universal. Want to know more? bsky.app/profile/mart...
September 17, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Martin Kennedy Yates
drnaturegirl.debbiemross.co.uk
Weekend #poetry post from @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social and @thebrokenspine.co.uk Delicious and delightful. Can’t wait to tuck in!
A photo of a poetry book and a bookmark. The book is dark blue in colour and has a painting of a wet city street with partial buildings visible an a wall on the right with graffiti. Text as follows Martin Kennedy Yates This Wilderness 8c Other Concerns 'These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.' - Jonathan Davidson, writer and poet
September 13, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Martin Kennedy Yates
rhonagreene.bsky.social
Today’s post arrived at the speed of light⚡️

‘This Wilderness & Other Concerns’
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
published @thebrokenspine.co.uk💫
September 16, 2025 at 2:13 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Those books and bookmarks are getting out and about. You got yours yet? Drop me a DM for a signed copy with handcrafted bookmark. To whet your appetite and get a flavour of the book try this short article on @thebrokenspine.co.uk's website: thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/08/17/r...
September 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Martin Kennedy Yates
thebrokenspine.co.uk
Every order counts. You’re helping a poet’s voice cut through the noise. You’ve made this real.
@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social #ThisWilderness
www.amazon.co.uk/Wil...
Book cover of This Wilderness & Other Concerns by Martin Kennedy Yates, published by The Broken Spine. The cover artwork depicts an urban canal or waterway running between old brick and industrial buildings, with graffiti on one wall and a dark, moody atmosphere. A quote from writer and poet Jonathan Davidson reads: “These poems are a pleasure both to encounter and to read.”
September 12, 2025 at 5:48 PM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
My debut poetry book's been out for a week. Lots have gone out into the world - thank you everyone. You can still order a signed copy with lovely handmade bookmark - just drop me a DM. Rick Sanders says it's "a compelling collection" that will draw you in from the start, so treat yourself today 😎
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · Sep 1
🖋️ Rick Sanders: “Martin’s collection drew me in from the very start. A compelling collection.”
It has to be the saddest graffiti I’ve ever seen… all it says is simply this: I loved you x.
🗓️ Sept 5. #ThisWildernessAndOtherConcerns
📡 @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Graphic promoting This Wilderness & Other Concerns. A handwritten note reads: "@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social Advance Praise This Wilderness & Other Concerns 'I am a sucker for form poetry and Martin’s collection drew me in from the very start. A compelling collection.' — Rick Sanders" Bright green background with dynamic white scribbles. Urban canal scenes with graffiti and derelict buildings frame the graphic. The Broken Spine logo appears in the top corner.
September 13, 2025 at 7:36 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
This snippet is from the #tseliot -inspired poem in my new #poetry book which is set in #Birmingham
You can order a signed copy, with free handcrafted bookmark with a bonus poem, from me - just drop me a DM to ask more😊 And here's an article about it... thebrokenspine.co.uk/2025/08/17/r...
September 9, 2025 at 7:45 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
My author copies have arrived & are looking amazing: the superbly-designed bookjacket with its classy matte finish; the generously-sized, natural white, pages that allow the poems to breathe; the whole look & layout are just perfect. Thank you, Alan Parry & @thebrokenspine.co.uk for a great job! 😎
September 6, 2025 at 8:01 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
I'm so excited to say "This Wilderness & Other Concerns" is released today. You can buy it from The Broken Spine website, or order a signed copy with original handcrafted bookmark with bonus poem direct from me - just drop me a DM. 😎
@thebrokenspine.co.uk #poetry #poetrylovers #poetrycommunity
September 5, 2025 at 8:10 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
If you like poems that are quite raw at times, yet intricately crafted, you might like mine! I'm chuffed that JD's endorsement below highlights the artistry of my work. My debut chapbook is out with @thebrokenspine.co.uk tomorrow. You can order a signed copy with original bookmark - just DM me. 😎
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · Aug 30
📖 Jonathan Davidson: “Yates follows a tradition… historically significant but demands real craft as well as art.”
There’s redemption in this place for the discarded, the disregarded.
🗓️ Sept 5. #ThisWildernessAndOtherConcerns
📡 @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
Graphic featuring praise for This Wilderness & Other Concerns. A note-style layout reads: "@martinkennedyyates.bsky.social Advance Praise This Wilderness & Other Concerns 'Yates follows a tradition of practice that is historically significant but demands real craft as well as art.' — Jonathan Davidson" Bold blue background with expressive white scribbles. Photos of canal-side urban decay and post-industrial greenery add grit and atmosphere. The Broken Spine logo sits top right.
September 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
"This Wilderness" features various aspects of modern day Birmingham and weaves them into its own mythopoesis. Brum's rather grim river, The Rea, pronounced Rae, features on the bookjacket and in the quote below.

See recent posts for more info about my book.
DM me to ask more and/or pre-order.
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · Aug 27
The River Rae runs black through history. #ThisWildernessAndOtherConcerns speaks its drowned truths. Out Sept 5. Follow @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social. #ComingSoon
Black background with white serif text. Title This Wilderness & Other Concerns. Quotation about the River Rae: cold, silenced, filled with burnt carcasses and ashes. Release date 05.09.25 and social handles bottom right.
September 1, 2025 at 8:20 AM
martinkennedyyates.bsky.social
"This Wilderness" is a five-part sequence inspired by Eliot's "The Wasteland" - 1920s London becomes 2020s Birmingham. Post-war/influenza becomes post-pandemic/Brexit.
The lines below were prompted by the exposure & removal of Victorian & Edwardian graves for the arrival of HS2 lines in the city.
thebrokenspine.co.uk The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · Aug 25
The countdown begins. #ThisWildernessAndOtherConcerns tears open the carcass of Eliot’s Waste Land for our times. Out Sept 5. Follow @martinkennedyyates.bsky.social. #ComingSoon
Black background with white serif text. Title This Wilderness & Other Concerns at top. Quotation: “What is there of life here? Limbs sawn… dry bones and a few sentimental trinkets?” Release date 05.09.25 and social handles bottom right.
September 1, 2025 at 7:30 AM