poetry snapshots: steve urwin

What Am I? #2

Morning pager

Professional whinger

Porridge eater

Ribena drinker

Trials rider

Mountain biker

Music lover

Biscuit hoarder

Bus hopper

Dummy spitter

Journal keeper

Avid facebooker

Luck pusher

Jazzhands cuddler

Poetry jammer

Stanza shaper

Indy publisher

Rule breaker

Manic ranter

Audience scarer

Multiple slammer

Dust shaker

Garlic dodger





Middle Word In Life

If only they’d done more sooner

If only they weren’t out of town

If only the little boy hadn’t played with matches









STEVE URWIN  blogs at Scribbles from the Brink of Inertia and is also on Facebook here. He was born in 1970 in Consett, County Durham where he still lives. Diarist, editor, publisher, poet, his work has appeared in magazines such as Fire, Open Wide, Other Poetry, Sand, Smiths Knoll and Tears in the Fence and has been broadcast on BBC Radio. His debut full-length poetry collection “Tightrope Walker” was published by Redbeck Press in 2001. Steve is a widely respected spoken word performer throughout the North East of England. He is the 2008 Bare Knuckle Poetry Slam Champion, 2008 Northern Lines Poetry Slam Champion and 2011 Middlesbrough Intro Festival Spoken Word Stage Slam Champion. His second poetry collection Hypomaniac, published by Red Squirrel Press in 2009, was September Book of the Month in North East cultural listings magazine The Crack. His latest book Shades of Grey was published in October 2011 by Red Squirrel Press. Steve works as a creative writing facilitator – mainly within mental health settings – and runs Talking Pen, organising live literature events and publishing limited edition monographs and pamphlets. He hosts the monthly Writers’ Open Mic Night at Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley, County Durham; and Poetry Jam at Waddington Street Centre in Durham City. In 2012 Steve made a 20th Anniversary reissue of his first self-published book “There Are Easier Ways of Living than Bleeding to Death” and was a shadow poet coach for Shake the Dust national youth poetry slam. He likes mountain biking, black clothing and bleak music.