Matthew Stewart
@roguestrands.bsky.social
Weaving ways through poetry. Second full collection, ‘Whatever You Do, Just Don’t’, a Poetry Society Book of the Year 2023, available from HappenStance Press.
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Matthew Stewart
@roguestrands.bsky.social
· Dec 15
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
I just can't bring myself to sub journals with reply times of 6-8 months.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
November 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I just can't bring myself to sub journals with reply times of 6-8 months.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
The pauses, the accelerations, the cadences, the stresses, the aural textures...all of these come alive when the poem's read aloud...
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
The Last Carry, a poem by Matthew Stewart
YouTube video by Matthew Stewart
youtube.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The pauses, the accelerations, the cadences, the stresses, the aural textures...all of these come alive when the poem's read aloud...
I just can't bring myself to sub journals with reply times of 6-8 months.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
November 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I just can't bring myself to sub journals with reply times of 6-8 months.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
For me, the point of mags is to act as a testing ground for poets and a snapshot of the scene for readers. And these criteria aren't met when decisions take so long. Print must be more agile if it's to maintain relevance.
The pauses, the accelerations, the cadences, the stresses, the aural textures...all of these come alive when the poem's read aloud...
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
The Last Carry, a poem by Matthew Stewart
YouTube video by Matthew Stewart
youtube.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The pauses, the accelerations, the cadences, the stresses, the aural textures...all of these come alive when the poem's read aloud...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
The poem is sitting opposite you, watching while you read it through...
roguestrands.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
roguestrands.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
The poem and you
The poem is sitting opposite you, watching while you read it through. Once you raise your eyes from the page, it catches your glance. Takes ...
roguestrands.blogspot.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:21 PM
The poem is sitting opposite you, watching while you read it through...
roguestrands.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
roguestrands.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
The local olives, the ones that were just picked a few weeks back, the ones that don't travel well, the one that taste ace but only till the end of November.
November 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
The local olives, the ones that were just picked a few weeks back, the ones that don't travel well, the one that taste ace but only till the end of November.
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
An only child, I often feel I write as an act of commemoration and remembrance, as an attempt to stop the memories of my family from escaping, given that I have no close relatives left to remind me of them...
Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why?
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
November 21, 2025 at 7:39 PM
An only child, I often feel I write as an act of commemoration and remembrance, as an attempt to stop the memories of my family from escaping, given that I have no close relatives left to remind me of them...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
The Last Carry, a poem by Matthew Stewart
YouTube video by Matthew Stewart
youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Can't quite believe The Last Carry has now hit a thousand likes on here, many of them from people beyond the poetry bubble...
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
November 27, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Can't quite believe The Last Carry has now hit a thousand likes on here, many of them from people beyond the poetry bubble...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Oh, go on then...!
November 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Oh, go on then...!
The local olives, the ones that were just picked a few weeks back, the ones that don't travel well, the one that taste ace but only till the end of November.
November 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
The local olives, the ones that were just picked a few weeks back, the ones that don't travel well, the one that taste ace but only till the end of November.
Oh, go on then...!
November 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Oh, go on then...!
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
December 15, 2024 at 11:24 AM
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
What's it like to return to your home town years after leaving?
This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...
This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...
November 2, 2025 at 11:13 AM
What's it like to return to your home town years after leaving?
This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...
This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why?
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
September 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Certain numbers accompany us through our lives, connected to our memories of people and places, of significant events. What numbers remain with you decades later? And why?
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is taken from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
Can't quite believe The Last Carry has now hit a thousand likes on here, many of them from people beyond the poetry bubble...
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
November 27, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Can't quite believe The Last Carry has now hit a thousand likes on here, many of them from people beyond the poetry bubble...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Copy by copy, every hard-earned sale of a poetry collection is an act of trust, a contract between the poet and the reader that reaches far beyond cash. This is why I refuse to shy away from reminding you about Whatever You Do, Just Don't.
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you...
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you...
August 20, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Copy by copy, every hard-earned sale of a poetry collection is an act of trust, a contract between the poet and the reader that reaches far beyond cash. This is why I refuse to shy away from reminding you about Whatever You Do, Just Don't.
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you...
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy for you...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Poetry as an anchor for the poet. To places. To moments. To people.
Poetry that then implicitly reveals ia reader's anchors. That casts those anchors in a different imaginative light. That layers them with fresh nuances. That renews them in the reader's heart and mind.
Poetry that then implicitly reveals ia reader's anchors. That casts those anchors in a different imaginative light. That layers them with fresh nuances. That renews them in the reader's heart and mind.
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
November 16, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Poetry as an anchor for the poet. To places. To moments. To people.
Poetry that then implicitly reveals ia reader's anchors. That casts those anchors in a different imaginative light. That layers them with fresh nuances. That renews them in the reader's heart and mind.
Poetry that then implicitly reveals ia reader's anchors. That casts those anchors in a different imaginative light. That layers them with fresh nuances. That renews them in the reader's heart and mind.
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
November 25, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
The Last Carry, a poem by Matthew Stewart
YouTube video by Matthew Stewart
youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
November 25, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Here's a video of me reading The Last Carry, now up on my YouTube channel...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
youtube.com/shorts/W3oTH...
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Ten consecutive defeats - that's Aldershot Town's recent record. On reflection, choosing to support my local team back in the 1980s was perfect prep for becoming a poet.
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
November 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Ten consecutive defeats - that's Aldershot Town's recent record. On reflection, choosing to support my local team back in the 1980s was perfect prep for becoming a poet.
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
A perfect gift for the poetry lover in your life this Christmas. Or for your lover who mistakenly thinks poetry's not for them!
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy...!
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy...!
November 23, 2025 at 12:21 PM
A perfect gift for the poetry lover in your life this Christmas. Or for your lover who mistakenly thinks poetry's not for them!
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy...!
Drop me a DM and I'll sort out your signed copy...!
Ten consecutive defeats - that's Aldershot Town's recent record. On reflection, choosing to support my local team back in the 1980s was perfect prep for becoming a poet.
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
November 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Ten consecutive defeats - that's Aldershot Town's recent record. On reflection, choosing to support my local team back in the 1980s was perfect prep for becoming a poet.
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
The experience of rejection after rejection, just like loss after loss, makes the eventual acceptance or victory so much sweeter!
Reposted by Matthew Stewart
Poets, if they're lucky, end up having signature poems. But they don't choose them for themselves.
Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people...
Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people...
As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more.
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...
September 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Poets, if they're lucky, end up having signature poems. But they don't choose them for themselves.
Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people...
Instead, certain poems take on lives of their own once they're published. The Last Carry is one such example. When I first posted it here, I didn't have a clue it would reach so many people...