Steve Nash

Biography

Steve Nash is a writer, lecturer, poetry editor, and performer based in Yorkshire and won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Performer, from a shortlist that included Kate Tempest and Hollie McNish. He is the former poetry editor of Open Wide Magazine, and one of the founding editors of Indigo Rising UK. He has been anthologised by Stairwell Books, the Ilkley Literature Festival and Carillon among others and is also featured in the Grist Anthology of the best poetry of 2012. Steve also worked alongside Simon Armitage on the Yorkshire Cultural Olympiad Project, 'Stanza Stones' His most recent collection 'The Calder Valley Codex' will be followed up with 'The Myth Gatherers' due to be published by Calder Valley Poetry early 2019 His first full collection Taking the Long Way Home will be entering its second print run soon. A few first editions are still available from Stairwell Books at the following link: http://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/html/stairwell_books_1.html Praise for Taking the Long Way Home: “Taking the Long Way Home is the work of a rare artist with a fire in his head, but it is also an important addition to poetry in the English language. It is cutting edge without being pompous, it is technically brilliant whilst remaining accessible, it’s intelligent without being pretentious. In short it is one of the finest first collections I’ve ever encountered and it deserves your time and attention.” - One and Other, June 2013 "Steve Nash's life has been that of a wanderer, like a rolling stone or a troubadour. His poetry, with its welcome diversity of forms and subjects, leaves, to quote the rock poet's own words in a fine poem about snow: 'footprints glittering like a narrative in the snow.' This debut collection is full of poems that leave 'footprints' that invite the reader to follow." - Debjani Chatterjee, MBE “after reading Steve’s collection of poetry those who disliked, hated or felt general apathy towards poetry will be transformed and converted.” - Soundsphere Magazine "Whether weighty or whimsical, the poems that make up Steve Nash's first collection are finely tuned to the physicality of his world: the scuff of a match, a paperback pummeled into a pocket, the throb of iron-heavy blood. It is this tactile immediacy that keeps these crackling in the memory long after the book is closed." - Oz Hardwick, Poet "The whole collection feels like sitting up at four in the morning after getting back from a club, when everyone else has gone home, thinking about friends, with a slight headache that will go away with the next glass of whiskey. That's a good thing." - Steve Toase, Writer

Samples

Salt on the Lips Your saga scuffed a trail down a mountainside to its foot, where twin tracks tunnelled into darkness. The darkness didn’t see you. Darkness didn’t know you. You’ll taste salt on the lips of anyone bent hard enough. “Where is home now?” The crow asks as you try on a new name like a polka-dot dress. Trace too many coordinates on a map and every journey ever made occurs at once; each line of flight veining the world like a leaf. With a single laugh like a thunderclap you shape your mouth to a hollow, howl your new name, and a crow flies out, skittering into the wind.

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.