The Write Out Loud Poem of the Month for August is The Mall at Kryvhi Rih by Stephen Gospage. It concerns a drone attack on a shopping mall in Ukraine that killed 16 “blameless souls”. Stephen has been posting angry and moving poems on Write Out Loud about the war in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded, in February 2022 - an extraordinary example of a poet’s dedication and determined refusal to look away.

We at Write Out Loud wanted to pay tribute to Stephen for being our conscience, in his support for Ukraine’s fight over such a long time. The poem ends defiantly: “And after years of combat there should be no mystery: / They never will this nation’s spirit break.” In his reply to a comment on the poem, Stephen said: “I still find the resilience of the Ukrainian people extraordinary, particularly in view of the prospect of yet another terrifying winter.”