Format: ebook
Release Date: March 1st, 2022
Goodreads
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I hadn’t heard of Bradford based poet Andy Carrington prior to him reaching out to offer me an arc of his latest collection, DIY or Die. I admit, I don’t know many poets at all. Poetry is something I dip in and out of now and then, when the mood strikes me. DIY or Die was, however, top of my list as soon as I got it, and having now finished it, I’m glad I got to it when I did – it’s one that deserves to spend as little time on the TBR as possible.
This is punk poetry, and Andy holds a middle finger up to all that have angered him throughout the pandemic. Taking shots at ignorant shoppers who take the last bog roll, or the folks who earn too much money to even consider picking up after themselves, or the politicians that made this whole damn mess even worse than it had to be, Carrington writes in a raw style that slips off the page.
Poetry works best when you can almost hear the voice of the poet, can imagine it being read out loud and Carrington achieves that here. You can not-quite-hear the words, and it’s not hard to picture the poet on a small stage in a small pub, letting that anger run through him. And it truly is the anger that stands out here along with the spotlight on the class divide that infects British society.
It’s hard to pick ‘stand outs’ from this collection, as to be honest all of them are pretty damn good.
Honestly, pick up a copy of this book. It’s brutal and raw and deserves to be read by as many people as possible.
Unwrapping Words 