Poet Town: The Poetry of Hastings & Thereabouts

Published by Moth Light Press, 10th September 2025

RRP: £12.99 paperback, £14.99 photo edition.

“A song to belonging, to the home towns that never leave us. 

Tender, uplifting, irreverent, and glorious.” Joelle Taylor

“These poems hit you in the eye like an arrow. At turns funny, melancholy and celebratory –  

there’s all of life in these pages.” Luke Wright

Poet Town is not your typical local poetry anthology as the most cursory glance at the contents makes clear. Among those included are bestselling and prize-winning authors (Iain Sinclair, Salena Godden, AK Benedict, Orna Ross, Penny Pepper), a million-selling children’s poet (Brian Moses) a legend of British TV comedy (Henry Normal, writer and producer for hit shows like The Royle Family and Gavin and Stacy), a former band mate of Eric Clapton (the British Beat poet and songwriter Pete Brown), a renowned cartoonist (Martin Honeysett) and classic poets known and loved the world over. 

These stars of page and screen have joined forces with fresh talent to celebrate the poetic legacy of Hastings – the town on the Sussex coast known for its fish and chips, its towering castle, and its thriving artistic and cultural scene.

Salena Godden, renowned poet, author and regular on BBC Radio 4, has written the foreword to the book. She says: 

“Poet Town is a book where some truth is shared, some magical inspiration is found and all the weather is weathered. These poems are from here, they are deep and salty, they are lurking in the crash of sea water around the legs of the pier, as much as they are wafting in the salt and vinegar on your fish and chips.”

As well as an impressive selection of more than 50 contemporary writers, the anthology includes poets connected with the town over the last two centuries. Among them are the author of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, who often visited his aunts in the town; Edward Lear of ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ fame; and Christina Rossetti. The fascinating poetic links to this historic place are shared in an introduction by the editor, Richard Newham-Sullivan. 

Newham-Sullivan, who is from Hastings, was inspired to create the anthology by the sheer volume of poetic output from the town. He says: 

“It’s the only coastal town where there are more poets than seagulls. Alongside the best-sellers and well-known names, there are many hidden gems in this book, exciting new poets to discover.”

One featured poet, Tim Rich, comments:

“Poet Town is a bold idea that has captured the imagination. It has the potential to inspire writers across the country to celebrate and share the poetry happening in their own towns, villages or cities.”

Poet Town: The Poetry of Hastings & Thereabouts is available from all good online book retailers and locally in Hastings Waterstones, Hare & Hawthorne and Book Buster and at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill.

IMAGES: The Photo Edition features a selection of full-colour photos of the poets at beloved spots around Hastings, by local photographer Maxine Silver.

For more information on Poet Town:

Press enquiries: Jane Midwinter - janemidwinter@gmail.com

Portraits of the poets/images: Maxine Silver - maxinehlsilver@gmail.com