Limits of Control

Steve Spence lives in Plymouth and co-organises live poetry group The Language Club. His reviews and poetry have appeared in Great Works, Shearsman, Stride, Tears in the Fence, Tenth Muse and The Rialto. He was assistant editor of Terrible Work magazine for four issues and in 2007 completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth. His debut book, A Curious Shipwreck (Shearsman, 2010), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection.

• Voices of the dead Memoirs of a tour manager Every cloud has its day The function of lying Are you an all-round polymath Gardens are a source of fascination Is there a viper in the nest? Bracing doesn't begin to describe it Today we're going to look for pyramids This remains a place of broken dreams Does your English let you down? She's not there Explanatory notes Malice in Wonderland Shipwreck butter Mystery attracts mystery Training is provided Such is the importance of shipwrecks It's an idea that promotes hostility How did the compound eye evolve? The truth must be told Are you a risk-taker? Uses and abuses of a musical icon King Kong The architecture of despair It pays to treat the polls with caution Fresh raw fish straight from the sea Star gazing "Do you miss the dance of politics?" The longest day will soon begin Dark secrets of the universe Do you want to earn and learn? Breaking news Austerity rules, okay! The struggle ahead will be fierce It was like stepping into the abyss The language of clouds Your proposal may have merit Chinese gold consumption may double Tomorrow, the real debate begins Fear, anxiety and indecision Is this a kangaroo court? The voices of doubt Health and safety More snow is on the way The word cloud The empire builder Wild beasts That's the way to do it The girl with the pirate tattoo In search of big fish Without sponsors there is no expedition Living in the past The gathering storm The gravy train The American Dream Morning glory How to spot a swallow Their lofty aims The surveillance state Meltdown Transgression and taboo

Rarely have I read a work that manages to represent the complexities of contemporary experience so completely and truthfully. More than that, the experience of reading the collection mirrors its content - I felt anxieties, uncertainties and relief not simply because they were described well but because Spence knows exactly how to weave disjointed ideas into a semi-coherence so unnerving that it lingers like a horrific, beautiful vision. Anyone with an interest in contemporary poetry should buy this collection. - Lindsey Holland, Tears in the Fence In his new collection Limits of Control [Steve Spence] presents short prose poems that splinter and fragment before your eyes and ears, slipping from music therapy to oil in the ocean.' - Ian McMillan, The Verb, BBC Radio 3