John Adlam 🌈🌍
@johnadlam.bsky.social
groups 🔄 activist research ✍ #welcometheboats ⛵ #antiracistpractice ✊ #traumanotpd ❌ Gaia theory 🌍 psychosocial studies 📚 practices of equality 🤝 open mic poetry 🎤 Bob Dylan 🎸 Brixton 🧡 https://barrelblog.org https://open.substack.com/pub/johnadlampoems
Thank you for these, @victoriaspires.bsky.social - here are a couple of mine, with particular apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein, who would have furiously refuted this once-fashionable take on his great book (for him, the metaphysics was where it was at) - no doubt Hegel would also be wincing....🥰
November 20, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Thank you for these, @victoriaspires.bsky.social - here are a couple of mine, with particular apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein, who would have furiously refuted this once-fashionable take on his great book (for him, the metaphysics was where it was at) - no doubt Hegel would also be wincing....🥰
#LiftToTheSky
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today it must be @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social who lately joined the illustrious ranks of @zoomburst.substack.com 's 'Sixty Odd Poets (and counting!)' substack.com/home/post/p-... and blew us all away at the @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social open mic on Wednesday...👏
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today it must be @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social who lately joined the illustrious ranks of @zoomburst.substack.com 's 'Sixty Odd Poets (and counting!)' substack.com/home/post/p-... and blew us all away at the @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social open mic on Wednesday...👏
November 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM
#LiftToTheSky
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today it must be @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social who lately joined the illustrious ranks of @zoomburst.substack.com 's 'Sixty Odd Poets (and counting!)' substack.com/home/post/p-... and blew us all away at the @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social open mic on Wednesday...👏
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today it must be @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social who lately joined the illustrious ranks of @zoomburst.substack.com 's 'Sixty Odd Poets (and counting!)' substack.com/home/post/p-... and blew us all away at the @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social open mic on Wednesday...👏
Oh dear a very quiet day for #WednesdayWIPs @thebrokenspine.co.uk
I have been kicking around something outdoorsy with trees and that, and getting ready meantime for this evening's webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social on 'Writing with Bishop' 🥰
I have been kicking around something outdoorsy with trees and that, and getting ready meantime for this evening's webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social on 'Writing with Bishop' 🥰
October 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Oh dear a very quiet day for #WednesdayWIPs @thebrokenspine.co.uk
I have been kicking around something outdoorsy with trees and that, and getting ready meantime for this evening's webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social on 'Writing with Bishop' 🥰
I have been kicking around something outdoorsy with trees and that, and getting ready meantime for this evening's webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social on 'Writing with Bishop' 🥰
I wholly forgot #LiftToTheSky last week! I meant to and now do raise up the learned and irrepressible @zoomburst.substack.com, capo of the long-running Sixty Odd Poets, who did a fab gig at the Colony Room, downstairs at Ziggy Green, Saturday before last. A joy to behold! 🙏❤️
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I wholly forgot #LiftToTheSky last week! I meant to and now do raise up the learned and irrepressible @zoomburst.substack.com, capo of the long-running Sixty Odd Poets, who did a fab gig at the Colony Room, downstairs at Ziggy Green, Saturday before last. A joy to behold! 🙏❤️
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#PoemsAbout #BreakTheMould
@thebrokenspine.co.uk @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @alanparrywriter.co.uk
"I reckon I broke the mould": this older poem of mine, first published in @asylummagazine.bsky.social, is right on theme. Also here with brief commentary:🙏 johnadlampoems.substack.com/p/the-death-...
@thebrokenspine.co.uk @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @alanparrywriter.co.uk
"I reckon I broke the mould": this older poem of mine, first published in @asylummagazine.bsky.social, is right on theme. Also here with brief commentary:🙏 johnadlampoems.substack.com/p/the-death-...
October 17, 2025 at 8:08 AM
#PoemsAbout #BreakTheMould
@thebrokenspine.co.uk @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @alanparrywriter.co.uk
"I reckon I broke the mould": this older poem of mine, first published in @asylummagazine.bsky.social, is right on theme. Also here with brief commentary:🙏 johnadlampoems.substack.com/p/the-death-...
@thebrokenspine.co.uk @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social @alanparrywriter.co.uk
"I reckon I broke the mould": this older poem of mine, first published in @asylummagazine.bsky.social, is right on theme. Also here with brief commentary:🙏 johnadlampoems.substack.com/p/the-death-...
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Did an unusual thing y'day, scribbled something on the tube in memoriam Lou Reed, read it right away, in roughly v.2 form, at the Survivor Poetry open mic. Felt like it landed well, now fine tuning. Title was wrong: not 'Me and Lou', natch, but 'Lou and I'...🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Did an unusual thing y'day, scribbled something on the tube in memoriam Lou Reed, read it right away, in roughly v.2 form, at the Survivor Poetry open mic. Felt like it landed well, now fine tuning. Title was wrong: not 'Me and Lou', natch, but 'Lou and I'...🥰
October 15, 2025 at 12:27 PM
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Did an unusual thing y'day, scribbled something on the tube in memoriam Lou Reed, read it right away, in roughly v.2 form, at the Survivor Poetry open mic. Felt like it landed well, now fine tuning. Title was wrong: not 'Me and Lou', natch, but 'Lou and I'...🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Did an unusual thing y'day, scribbled something on the tube in memoriam Lou Reed, read it right away, in roughly v.2 form, at the Survivor Poetry open mic. Felt like it landed well, now fine tuning. Title was wrong: not 'Me and Lou', natch, but 'Lou and I'...🥰
Another great evening of open mic with Survivors Poetry at the Harrison in London Kings Cross ❤️❤️
October 14, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Another great evening of open mic with Survivors Poetry at the Harrison in London Kings Cross ❤️❤️
For #PoemsAbout #ImperfectMe on #worldmentalhealthday, here's one of mine posted here earlier this year 🤜🤛
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
October 10, 2025 at 10:57 AM
For #PoemsAbout #ImperfectMe on #worldmentalhealthday, here's one of mine posted here earlier this year 🤜🤛
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
'The Uncertainty of the Poet' by Giorgio de Chirico (part of the open collection at Tate Modern)
Seemed apt for this space! 🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
'The Uncertainty of the Poet' by Giorgio de Chirico (part of the open collection at Tate Modern)
Seemed apt for this space! 🥰
October 8, 2025 at 9:52 AM
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
'The Uncertainty of the Poet' by Giorgio de Chirico (part of the open collection at Tate Modern)
Seemed apt for this space! 🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
'The Uncertainty of the Poet' by Giorgio de Chirico (part of the open collection at Tate Modern)
Seemed apt for this space! 🥰
Oh my there is SO MUCH POETRY in this collection (at the Royal Festival Hall), and SO little time... 😆❤️
October 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Oh my there is SO MUCH POETRY in this collection (at the Royal Festival Hall), and SO little time... 😆❤️
This just arrived today - I have three poems included - clustered together as a mini-section of the Journal under the heading "At Gordium: of Fog and Storm and Hubris". I am very excited! Massive thanks to Anthony Barnett and Ian Brinton for all that they do abar.net/snow.pdf
October 1, 2025 at 4:38 PM
This just arrived today - I have three poems included - clustered together as a mini-section of the Journal under the heading "At Gordium: of Fog and Storm and Hubris". I am very excited! Massive thanks to Anthony Barnett and Ian Brinton for all that they do abar.net/snow.pdf
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
That rollercoaster ride when you dig out a poem you thought might work for a call for contributions, find that it won't do at all, rewrite the thing in a flurry of seeing suddenly where it should have gone all along - then worry you've made it worse....anyone? 🤔🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
That rollercoaster ride when you dig out a poem you thought might work for a call for contributions, find that it won't do at all, rewrite the thing in a flurry of seeing suddenly where it should have gone all along - then worry you've made it worse....anyone? 🤔🥰
October 1, 2025 at 11:12 AM
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
That rollercoaster ride when you dig out a poem you thought might work for a call for contributions, find that it won't do at all, rewrite the thing in a flurry of seeing suddenly where it should have gone all along - then worry you've made it worse....anyone? 🤔🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
That rollercoaster ride when you dig out a poem you thought might work for a call for contributions, find that it won't do at all, rewrite the thing in a flurry of seeing suddenly where it should have gone all along - then worry you've made it worse....anyone? 🤔🥰
@rfsmith.bsky.social
#promptcombo #characters
Thank you for this lovely prompt. This is one of an occasional series of poems (revised; first posted for #PoemsAbout), touching on legends of figure of Diogenes - a character for our times... South London is also a character in my writing, I think...😊🙏
#promptcombo #characters
Thank you for this lovely prompt. This is one of an occasional series of poems (revised; first posted for #PoemsAbout), touching on legends of figure of Diogenes - a character for our times... South London is also a character in my writing, I think...😊🙏
September 30, 2025 at 12:42 PM
@rfsmith.bsky.social
#promptcombo #characters
Thank you for this lovely prompt. This is one of an occasional series of poems (revised; first posted for #PoemsAbout), touching on legends of figure of Diogenes - a character for our times... South London is also a character in my writing, I think...😊🙏
#promptcombo #characters
Thank you for this lovely prompt. This is one of an occasional series of poems (revised; first posted for #PoemsAbout), touching on legends of figure of Diogenes - a character for our times... South London is also a character in my writing, I think...😊🙏
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
A #LiftToTheSky for this wonder-filled & venerable anthology. Choice moments so far: "...the other hand fingered the pistol. My asshole / dropped out / and crawled all the way back to El Paso" (Paul Blackburn); "Everything is water / if you look long enough" (Robert Creeley) ❤️
A #LiftToTheSky for this wonder-filled & venerable anthology. Choice moments so far: "...the other hand fingered the pistol. My asshole / dropped out / and crawled all the way back to El Paso" (Paul Blackburn); "Everything is water / if you look long enough" (Robert Creeley) ❤️
September 29, 2025 at 10:00 AM
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
A #LiftToTheSky for this wonder-filled & venerable anthology. Choice moments so far: "...the other hand fingered the pistol. My asshole / dropped out / and crawled all the way back to El Paso" (Paul Blackburn); "Everything is water / if you look long enough" (Robert Creeley) ❤️
A #LiftToTheSky for this wonder-filled & venerable anthology. Choice moments so far: "...the other hand fingered the pistol. My asshole / dropped out / and crawled all the way back to El Paso" (Paul Blackburn); "Everything is water / if you look long enough" (Robert Creeley) ❤️
#PoemsAbout #NeverAgain
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
At serious risk of over-exposing this poem from the Spring 2025 anthology, but partly based on 'The Zone of Interest' as it is, it stands for the sorrow that #neveragain is often just words, even when it comes to genocide 😔🙏
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
At serious risk of over-exposing this poem from the Spring 2025 anthology, but partly based on 'The Zone of Interest' as it is, it stands for the sorrow that #neveragain is often just words, even when it comes to genocide 😔🙏
September 26, 2025 at 9:07 AM
#PoemsAbout #NeverAgain
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
At serious risk of over-exposing this poem from the Spring 2025 anthology, but partly based on 'The Zone of Interest' as it is, it stands for the sorrow that #neveragain is often just words, even when it comes to genocide 😔🙏
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
At serious risk of over-exposing this poem from the Spring 2025 anthology, but partly based on 'The Zone of Interest' as it is, it stands for the sorrow that #neveragain is often just words, even when it comes to genocide 😔🙏
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today is week two of the 'Writing with...' webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social. Last week it was @dharmabam.bsky.social on Sylvia Plath. Thanks to him & Sylvia I seem now only to be able to write in 3-line stanzas of (7-)syllabic verse. Two of these so far!🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today is week two of the 'Writing with...' webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social. Last week it was @dharmabam.bsky.social on Sylvia Plath. Thanks to him & Sylvia I seem now only to be able to write in 3-line stanzas of (7-)syllabic verse. Two of these so far!🥰
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today is week two of the 'Writing with...' webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social. Last week it was @dharmabam.bsky.social on Sylvia Plath. Thanks to him & Sylvia I seem now only to be able to write in 3-line stanzas of (7-)syllabic verse. Two of these so far!🥰
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
Today is week two of the 'Writing with...' webinar from @northseapoets.bsky.social. Last week it was @dharmabam.bsky.social on Sylvia Plath. Thanks to him & Sylvia I seem now only to be able to write in 3-line stanzas of (7-)syllabic verse. Two of these so far!🥰
Survivors' Zoom Poetry Cafe again this evening - looking forward to another session of open mic creative energies surging....🥰
September 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Survivors' Zoom Poetry Cafe again this evening - looking forward to another session of open mic creative energies surging....🥰
I think before that the smoke must have got in my eyes, because I have realised there's an obvious revision that I completely missed - all those lines were pressed too close together, most unlike cigarette smoke - or dominoes - or cards! So here's v2 - still free-form, but no longer amorphous!!! 🥰
September 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I think before that the smoke must have got in my eyes, because I have realised there's an obvious revision that I completely missed - all those lines were pressed too close together, most unlike cigarette smoke - or dominoes - or cards! So here's v2 - still free-form, but no longer amorphous!!! 🥰
@victoriaspires.bsky.social
#PromptCombo #ancestry
Wonderful prompt, Victoria! Sorry I have lately not been much around these parts, mining some side-tunnels in my writing at the mo, but here's one of my ancestors, my mother's father - a free-form poem I posted in January for #PoemsAbout #smoke 🙏😊
#PromptCombo #ancestry
Wonderful prompt, Victoria! Sorry I have lately not been much around these parts, mining some side-tunnels in my writing at the mo, but here's one of my ancestors, my mother's father - a free-form poem I posted in January for #PoemsAbout #smoke 🙏😊
September 23, 2025 at 11:06 AM
@victoriaspires.bsky.social
#PromptCombo #ancestry
Wonderful prompt, Victoria! Sorry I have lately not been much around these parts, mining some side-tunnels in my writing at the mo, but here's one of my ancestors, my mother's father - a free-form poem I posted in January for #PoemsAbout #smoke 🙏😊
#PromptCombo #ancestry
Wonderful prompt, Victoria! Sorry I have lately not been much around these parts, mining some side-tunnels in my writing at the mo, but here's one of my ancestors, my mother's father - a free-form poem I posted in January for #PoemsAbout #smoke 🙏😊
Look what landed here this morning, because, you know, I am always well ahead of the curve in my reading matter...🥰
September 23, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Look what landed here this morning, because, you know, I am always well ahead of the curve in my reading matter...🥰
This morning may I #LifttotheSky the wonderful @rosannamcglone.bsky.social , whose fascinating book on the process of poetry and the journey of different writers, from first draft to published piece, arrived on my doormat Saturday...?👌🥰
September 22, 2025 at 6:47 AM
This morning may I #LifttotheSky the wonderful @rosannamcglone.bsky.social , whose fascinating book on the process of poetry and the journey of different writers, from first draft to published piece, arrived on my doormat Saturday...?👌🥰
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
On the stove - an essay about anger; an essay about reflective practice groups; an essay about hospitality; a poem about friendship; a mound of correspondence; two training sessions to deliver in the next two days; a mound of reading; and then it gets serious...
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
On the stove - an essay about anger; an essay about reflective practice groups; an essay about hospitality; a poem about friendship; a mound of correspondence; two training sessions to deliver in the next two days; a mound of reading; and then it gets serious...
September 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#WednesdayWIPs
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
On the stove - an essay about anger; an essay about reflective practice groups; an essay about hospitality; a poem about friendship; a mound of correspondence; two training sessions to deliver in the next two days; a mound of reading; and then it gets serious...
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
On the stove - an essay about anger; an essay about reflective practice groups; an essay about hospitality; a poem about friendship; a mound of correspondence; two training sessions to deliver in the next two days; a mound of reading; and then it gets serious...
🎶 "Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh..." 🎶
New #poetrytheme prompt from @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social 👏👏
New #poetrytheme prompt from @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social 👏👏
September 15, 2025 at 11:45 AM
🎶 "Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh..." 🎶
New #poetrytheme prompt from @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social 👏👏
New #poetrytheme prompt from @thepaulconnolly.bsky.social 👏👏
Online launch event Friday 26/9 for the @asylummagazine.bsky.social Autumn issue. I am looking forward to hearing contributors speak to their work, and to reading my poem, 'A psychiatric hospital is not a factory' (an obvious point, you'd think, but one sadly now only upheld from the margins) 😠🤜🤛🙏
September 9, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Online launch event Friday 26/9 for the @asylummagazine.bsky.social Autumn issue. I am looking forward to hearing contributors speak to their work, and to reading my poem, 'A psychiatric hospital is not a factory' (an obvious point, you'd think, but one sadly now only upheld from the margins) 😠🤜🤛🙏