A Poet In Every Port comes to Blackpool…
Rob Mason is representing Blackpool in Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective 25/26, a UK-wide Artist Development scheme which has so far nurtured and developed four cohorts comprising poets from across the UK.
He reflects on New Poets Collective Writers’ Retreat, which took place in Blackpool 30 January – 2 February 2026…
It’s been a while since I’d been writing properly, so this appointment has been a really exciting opportunity to wholeheartedly dive back into something that has brought me a lot of joy.
At the time of writing, we’ve had two online sessions and spent a marvellous weekend in Blackpool together which we shall focus on shortly. During this time, we took part in workshops and activities all grounded in theory and practice related to writing and performing poetry. One such activity involved receiving messages from the previous cohort of which “journal it all” or words to that effect came out and that struck a chord.
So here we are….
I don’t like putting myself in boxes as a creative. I do a lot, so it’s restrictive. It’s also a handy metaphor for my ADHD riddled mind, and whilst handy, also leaves me wondering if I’ve ever fully committed to anything other than being a nuisance in my life. I guess I’m committed to Blackpool, in a big way and so this is a chance to share the town with the UK and beyond, right?
Ok, I’m in. Let’s go.
The first online session was at the back end of November last year, followed up with one soon after in the second week of December. There were introductions and icebreakers, in depth discussions about crisps and group poetry readings in the form of a workshop, with breakout groups and a small writing task.
It was great to see everybody’s face and hear the varied accents. The cohort has quite the geographical spread, from The Hebrides, over to Bangor in Ireland, down to the Southeast Coast, back up the East Coast to Dundee back across The Hebrides and all that lies in between.
After the first online meeting we were tasked to write about something new we experienced; tasted, heard, smelt or experienced. Grand, I get up to all sorts all the time, love me food, right northern bastard. For the next week I did nothing other than the usual mundane stuff. But alas, it’s my birthday at the start of December.
For my birthday I got super flu. Or to be exact, a few days before. I was levelled. Went for a pint on my birthday, and that was the highlight. Couldn’t eat, couldn’t do anything that required any sort of exertion. Thank the lord my thumbs worked.
I managed to get a poem written for the next session, and at the time of delivery I wasn’t quite happy with it, but reading it back a week later, I think it really captured the mood of that week.
Today is a New Day
I’ve never been this old before,
never been this bald.
I’ve never been this tired,
the world hasn’t ever felt so poor.
We’re in yesterday’s tomorrow.
Today, is a new day.
If there one thing we know about sunshine,
is it’s the best time to make hay.
Capitalise, carp diem,
Grab it by the short and curlies.
Go for it, make the jump.
Accelerate along your journey.
It’s the first time I’ve been a human.
I’m winging it like everyone else.
If at first, I don’t succeed
I might just hop the fence.
Good days are spent earning,
Great days imagining what clouds are.
The money is unimportant,
If they form into your avatar.
A spectacular show performed,
Daily against baby blue backdrops.
No two clouds ever appearing the same,
Before disappearing behind mountaintops.
The sunset has never been duplicated,
Although many with pen and brush try.
Not that I’ve ever needed a copy,
Having always lived at the end of the line.
Disappearing over yonder,
With the promise of a new dawn.
Not many things are guaranteed like that,
Out here on the front lawn.
With the horizon as my infinity pool,
The sky, the paintings on my wall.
I am happiest and content,
Needing nothing new at all
Having found my peace with the poem, it seems that I might be a poet after all. Keeping that magic alive now becomes the challenge. Thankfully for the next two years my writing will have purpose and direction and there shall be plenty more to come…