Hampshire Poet blog - Oct 2026
During his tenure, your Hampshire Poet - Damian Kelly-Basher - will be writing a series of blog posts for us sharing what he has been up to, telling us his poetic plans for the future, and inviting you to get involved in poetry in Hampshire. Read on to find out what's happening in Damian's world!
For October, Damian Kelly-Basher's Hampshire Poet blog is on Editing.
For this blog he has handed the reins to Winchester poet Syd Meats.
Editing - guest blog by Syd Meats.
You’ve drafted a brilliant poem, but can you improve it?
Ask yourself a few questions:
Have you tried removing a few little words like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘and’ ?
Could the language be more interesting?
Try using specifics. Golden Retriever may work better than dog.
What if you put the stanzas in a different order or change line order so the poem begins or ends with a different line?
Have you tried a different tense?
For example, writing in the present can be more impactful.
Have you tried writing in a different person?
e.g. try I instead of you or the other way round. A poem written in the first person isn’t necessarily about you.
Have you thought about form?
There’s not enough space to discuss this in detail but is it a prose poem, a specific form (e.g. sonnet) or a number of stanzas with no particular structure? What works best for your poem?
Here are a few lines from my poem She’s In A Better Place before and after edit:
The final edit uses specifics and experiments with layout. Unnecessary words have been ‘weeded out’ elsewhere. Remember that every word you use must have earned its place in your poem!
Syd Meats is a poet and singer-songwriter. His songs have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and his poems have been commended in competitions including Verve Poem of the Month, the Charm Poetry Prize, and Hammond House Poetry Prize. He was selected to take part in this year’s Seamus Heaney Poetry Summer School in Belfast.
Don't miss Winchester Poetry Day coming up on Saturday 10th October at the ARC, where Damian will be presenting the Hampshire Young Poets' competition prize-giving event and we'll be celebrating 'participation and performance' through poetry, all day!
Damian Kelly-Basher is Hampshire Poet Laureate 2024-27. The appointment of the Hampshire Poet takes place every two years and is jointly led by Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust. The position of Hampshire Poet provides the opportunity for a Hampshire-based poet to undertake commissions, lead workshops and give readings and talks throughout the county, as well as acting as an advocate for poetry and poets.
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