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Rachel Burrows

@rburrows.bsky.social

1.5K followers 840 following 2.4K posts

Pushcart Prize Nominated. Cheshire Novel Prize SL‘25, Guppy Open Submission LL’25 Write Mentor Picturebook SL’23/LL’24 Poetry - The Dirigible Balloon, Northern Gravy, Tyger Tyger, The Toy, The Yorkshire Times, Motherhood Uncensored, LTP, BBC Upload.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · Dec 30

Orcadia is in print! 🐋 @adamcrowther.bsky.social Thanks for broadcasting it on BBCUpload.
Sky Surfing is a wonderfully illustrated anthology of children’s poetry, edited by @northernjim.bsky.social All proceeds go to Juvenile Arthritis Research. Available at dirigibleballoon.org #poetry #kidlit

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2h

Thanks!

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

The Beautiful Sausage @beautifulsausage.bsky.social · 2h

The poetry of Rachel Burrows

Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Evening @hool415.bsky.social and #PromptCombo #visitor friends. Here is a shockingly indulgent piece about an unwanted visitor. Sorry it’s a long one!

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

The Beautiful Sausage @beautifulsausage.bsky.social · 3h

An illustration by
Kyle Beaudette

Kyle Beaudette @kylebeaudette.bsky.social · 10d

Sea Monkeys

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

Paul Brookes @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social · 3h

Hi @hool415.bsky.social Ju, here's my fourth response to your excellent #promptcombo #Visitor. It's the first poem of three called "Old Gent Trio" from my collection "Please Take Change:

OLD GENT TRIO
1. OLD GENT
Regular old gent works his stick
buys a loaf of bread, his stutterful
fingers offer a palmside up
full of change for me to focus
upon and pick out the correct change
whilst his uncut nails tremble.
On one occasion he told me,
Never get to ninety, lad.
As usual I loudly and clearly
wish him a grand day.
He pauses then says I was woken
up this morning to hear my wife had died
in old folks home.
I say I’m sorry to hear that
give condolences as he pauses
and the queue at my till grows.
The next customer who overheard
says He needed to tell someone.

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 3h

🥰

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The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 7d

One of the most quietly powerful presses out there, @epistemiclit.bsky.social, has been spotlighted for #IndieLitMagGala 2025.

Big thanks to Jennifer (@einetogi.bsky.social) for the heartfelt nomination—this one hit us deep.

Read the full feature here:
thebrokenspine.co.uk...

#SmallPressLove

#IndieLitMagGala 2025 Spotlight: Epistemic Literary - The Broken Spine

This isn’t a competition. It’s a celebration.

thebrokenspine.co.uk

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Epistemic Literary- Read Issue 6: Nostalgia now! @epistemiclit.bsky.social · 7d

Subs are open!!

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Jim! 😊

Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 1d

For three years of my life (5-8yrs-old) I was terrified of the dark. They were the three years we lived in this house.
Written yesterday for Top Tweet Tuesday.
#poetry #haunted #poetrycommunity

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

The Poetry Society @poetrysociety.org.uk · 6d

In the spirit of National Poetry Day, Jon Stone has contributed a writing resource for the National Poetry Competition on the theme of 'Play', in which he explores past prizewinning poems 'The Crab Man' by Eliot North and 'Don't Put your Daughter into Space, Mrs. Kirk' by Valerie Laws.

A quote from Jon Stone's resource: 'Don't Put your Daughter into Space, Mrs. Kirk' flies in the face of what we're told poems ought to be about, and how they ought to be written - that is, big, universal human themes, explored with sensitivity and tact. Instead, it's picking a fight - with a dead guy, at that - and doing so with glee, risking criticism for its naked agenda. What makes it especially good fun is that Valerie Laws isn't all that concerned with accurate Star Trek lore - the idea that you can pull a plug out on the Enterprise's bridge, plunging Kirk himself into darkness, is wonderfully absurd.

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The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 1d

#PoemsAbout #ImperfectMe kicks off Friday. Think fractured reflections, messy middles, scars that still speak. Draft, hold, then post from Friday. Use Alt Text. Tag properly or we won’t find it. For inbox prompts every Saturday: shorturl.at/0Xm7A

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 1d

Ha! I hear you! 👏👏

Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Dave - that means a lot! 😊

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Rose Ruane @regretteruane.bsky.social · 1d

New Puffin Post acquisition. What can I say, I am powerless before the incredible art of Jill McDonald.
I have a personal Puffin pusher and everything now, one who knows my proclivities, my weaknesses, my unappeasable appetite for 20th century illustration

Cover of a 1968 puffin post magazines with two carton puffins in wizard robes and hats patterned with stars, on the left red, on the right bright blue, standing over a cauldron filled with bubbling yellow and orange liquid over a fierce burning fire emitting grey curls of smoke from which are emerging sparkly clouds filled with cartoonish characters - the three little pigs, a witch, a lion, a dog, a puffin and some musical instruments with faces.
To the top right, puffin post is written in curly black letters inside a zig zag shape in pink

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 1d

He was one - but it was a different inspection - a dummy run. And yes - so many!

Reposted by Rachel Burrows

𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒃 ~ 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 @iambapoet.com · 3d

**PUSHCART PRIZE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED**

Please join @iambapoet.com in congratulating Theresa Donnelly, Kerry Trautman, Rishika Williams, @jahshabby.bsky.social, @victoriaspires.bsky.social and @johnglenday.bsky.social on their nominations for the next edition of the @pushcartprize.bsky.social.

Promotional poster announcing the six nominees for the 51st edition of The Pushcart Prize, as chosen by the editor of online poetry quarterly iamb.

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

Glenn Barker @rotherwrites.bsky.social · 2d

This week I want to #LiftToTheSky poet Brian Patten, who died September 29th; not so much for his poetry but this quote from him in a newspaper obituary, which goes to the heart of why we come together every week for #PoemsAbout #PromptCombo and others.

@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#PoetsInBluesky

Brain Patten, Poet, 1946-2025

Writing poetry was a kind of therapy
for him. “You think about things which
are in you and sensations that are going
through you and if you understand them
you can grow in that knowledge. That
is what poems are for”.

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks Jude - appreciated!

Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Slap on the back of the head!

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks Jan!

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah - very indulgent - as I said! 😊
But maybe I will bear your response in mind and throw a chip at him if ever I see him again!

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Ha - nothing that dramatic I’m afraid! Thanks for reading!

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Ha - impish delight! 👏

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Rachel Burrows @rburrows.bsky.social · 2d

Evening @hool415.bsky.social and #PromptCombo #visitor friends. Here is a shockingly indulgent piece about an unwanted visitor. Sorry it’s a long one!

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Reposted by Rachel Burrows

Little Thoughts Press @littlethoughtspress.com · 2d

And if you missed our interview with Sadie Maskery about her poems featured in this issue, be sure to check that out on the blog!

www.littlethoughtspress.com/post/intervi...

Interview: Sadie Maskery

Sadie Maskery lives in Scotland by the sea. Her latest poetry collection, The Usual Apologies, is published by Red Ogre Press. A short story collection, Overboard, will be published in Fall 2025 by A...

www.littlethoughtspress.com

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