I am really pleased to have two poems included in the most recent anthology from Offa’s Press: The Poetry of Worcestershire. One is a poem from my pamphlet, Bella, also published by Offa’s, and the other is a previously unpublished piece.
One of my earliest poems was included in the Offa’s Press anthology The Poetry of the Black Country (2017). My early work focused primarily on the industrial heritage of the Black Country, but more recently, my poetry looks towards the borderlands where I grew up – the southern edge of Halesowen, just between the Black Country and the adjacent county of Worcestershire. The poems in Bella, and those in my current portfolio, are based around the locale of Clent Hills, Hagley Wood, and Wychbury Hillfort, so the opportunity to have work included in The Poetry of Worcestershire is really special.
The anthology includes poems from a wide variety of local writers, as well as a couple of pieces from A. E. Housman and Francis Brett Young. It can be purchased from the Offa’s Press webshop, for £9.30 including P&P. https://offaspress.co.uk/shop/
Nellie Cole 