In the week that News of the World sank in Britain in the mud of allegations of phone-hacking and bribery - as 'exposed' in Chris Lawrence's End Of yesterday - Poetry 24 has been covering our usual range of genuine news from around the world.

Earlier in the week John O'Malley's Bulawayo reminded us that Murdoch's brand of 'evil' is comparatively benign when compared to the likes of Mugabe.

Afghanistan has proved an enduring topic in these pages, and this week's offering was Shashanna - an accomplished sestina by 18-year-old Rosemary J. Collins where the repeated words hammer home the preoccupations of ordinary people living in fear.

Meanwhile, Maureen Daly's Bastille Day reminded us - with a beautiful economy of words - that there are still inequalities, even in the land of 'liberty, equality and fraternity', and David Francis Barker's A Tale of Two Countries was a good-natured poke at a disagreement rather closer to home.

But even Poetry24 succumbed to a bit of celebrity gossip, with Fran Hill's A Beckham by any normal name would smell as suspicious … - we couldn't resist any poem that mentions Piddle-on-the-Hill (although it wouldn't be appropriate in most poems, so don't try this at home!)

Now that News International is on its knees, someone else must pick up the pieces: let's see what poetic scoops, sermons and scandals you can titillate us with in the coming week...

Have a good one

Clare

You could have been forgiven for thinking you'd arrived at the wrong blog if you paid us a visit on Monday, as you came face to face with Our Little Plastic Friend, the eponymous character in a short, thought-provoking film by David Green. It was only the second clip we've used, since Poetry24 was launched in February, although we'd love to see more. Clare and I openly welcome YouTube submissions (see guidelines) so don't be shy, send them in.

Sonnet Mondal's sobering Last Wish Declined tackled the controversial issue of the ultimate sanction, capital punishment, while Philip Challinor pointed a finger at the phone hacking scandal, with Inconceivably Innocent.

The mounting horrors faced by those in the drought-stricken horn of Africa, prompted David Francis Barker to pick up his pen. The Picture raises some uncomfortable questions about perspectives in so-called developed countries.

Katherine Lockton was also in full flight with her powerful Lamentations 4, Iraq after its fall, an examination of the legacy of military intervention by the west.

Stafford Ray rounded out the week with one of his snappy limericks, Tantrums in the Cradle of Democracy.

Another week, and another fine mix of poems inspired by stories and events in the news. We've now featured the work of 55 poets. Some previously published, and some newcomers to the medium. Why not claim the spot for number 56?

Martin.

After all the fun and games with nursery rhymes last week, this week has been more sobering here at Poetry 24.

From long-distant tragedies like Helena Nolan's deep (in all senses!) and evocative Shipwreck Grave which left us with a lingering threat, to the more immediate personal traumas of Rachel North's haunting When she went missing and Michael Holloway's much angrier Mother of a Soldier.

Poetry often works best when it focusses on the detail, makes the big issues personal and hints at their full breadth by showing how they affect the individual.

So hats off to Jess Green whose voice is powerful enough to take on the threat of sweeping changes threatened in arts and education: in Close the libraries she crafts an anthem for all those who oppose them. David Francis Barker, too, took on the futility of every military campaign that has marched into Afghanistan in Lesson One - Afghanistan.

I was horrified at the story behind Hamish Mack's simple-but-effective Man Trouble - about the NZ union boss who 'uncluttered by thought' believes women to be 'less productive' than men.

Although, to be fair, I have been less productive than Martin this week in my general editorial duties, due to internet connection problems. Thanks Martin!

And thank you all for your support, comments and poems - do please keep them coming!

Clare

What a week! Not only have we published the work of three poets new to Poetry24, but we've had a storming response to Clare's call for 'modern nursery rhymes' on Twitter. Social networking at its best.

At the top of the week, Greg Gibson drew inspiration from the bizarre actions of a TV actress, with 'The Extra', and Fran Hill placed Amy Winehouse under the microscope in 'A Serbian concert goer's nursery rhyme'. Although this was Fran's entry for our 'Saturday Challenge' we couldn't resist publishing it on Wednesday. And it's her blend of topicality and humour, that makes Fran the winner of our first challenge. Congratulations to her.

David Francis Barker contributed to Summer Solstice celebrations with his evocative 'English Blue', while 'A North African Cable' by Douglas Polk and Deirdre Cartmill's 'Hunger' gave us cause to turn our thoughts to more sobering issues, pointing out the shameful realities of human struggle against oppression, and the worsening food crisis in developing countries.

Finally, a big thank you to all those who have left comments. It makes such a difference when poetry becomes a two-way conversation. Keep them coming!

Have a great Sunday.

Martin.

All the poets this week have been new to Poetry24 and we hope you enjoyed them.

What better start to the week than Jess Green's Stop the Poetry. I've seen Jess perform this and when she says 'I will stand on the tables of cafes' and 'light the fuse of villanelles' she really isn't kidding!

Another feisty young poet, Rebecca Audra Smith took a well-aimed pop at Barbie this week with Metharme (the title, by the way, is from Greek Mythology - the name of the daughter of Pygmalion, who fell in love with a statue he carved. I looked that up so you don't have to!). And Thursday's poem was by another student, Simrita Iota, who hasn't written poetry before but managed to evoke a disjointed, disturbed, street-level view of the world in A Smile.

As a new generation of young poets takes on the big issues of the day - funding cuts, the ruthless quest for physical perfection, homelessness - again, Jess hits the nail on the head: 'you will not stop the pens moving'

But it isn't just the students who are up in arms - the appalling gendercide which is still going on in China provoked a blistering attack from Wynne Huddleston in Red, Red Rain. And Anthony Baverstock took a slightly different approach to give his views on the Arab Spring in Rising Tide yesterday, which inspired our first Saturday Challenge.

We were pleased to receive a poem from award-winning Irish poet Jaki McCarrick - The Ice House - a timely reminder that we're happy to include the occasional news item from your own locality too.
Keep them coming!

Clare

This week we published material by two names that are probably becoming familiar to you - Rachel North and Philip Challinor. Rachel's 'Picture of an American Soldier' was a stark reminder of the ongoing human cost of war, and Philip had a jab at the coalition with 'What a Blinder'.

My own 'Mice and Men' split the works of two poets, new to Poetry24. Val Walsh examined the 'categorisation' of rape, in 'Good Weather, Bad Weather', and Ian Nenna's 'Average Family' shone a light on increasingly evident social and economic polarisation.

We've listed forty five featured poets here at Poetry24, to date. Each of them has had at least one poem showcased and, judging by the number of returning visitors we have each day, they are getting a healthy audience. A couple of things for poets to remember, though. Do try and respond to comments, when they are left. This encourages the kind of interaction, we'd like to see more of. And, there is no time gap between submissions. So if we publish your poem, and you have another waiting in the wings, don't hold back, send it in.

In her editorial, last week, Clare raised the subject of audience interaction. We've both been a little puzzled at how few people leave comments after reading a poem, and it's been suggested, by one reader, that this maybe due to "…shyness - or lack of confidence in opinion."

Both, Clare and I share a passion for making poetry more accessible, and believe that Poetry24 has a part to play in that aim. All around the world, people's lives are touched by news reports that can offer an ideal prompt for the poet’s voice in all of us. That means, your opinion counts, whether you are the author or the reader.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Martin.

A curious aspect of Poetry24 is how quiet our readers on. We know you're out there - we check our stats! - but you rarely leave comments on the poems. Maybe the poems speak for themselves? But we'd love to know what you think of the poems, a favourite line or your views on the issues they cover. Please tell us why you don't comment in the comments box below!

Meanwhile, it's difficult to generalise about a week that has covered everything from mass murder to Martin Hodges' pleasingly-alliterative Chasing Cheese.

But the main theme was a sense of loss:- Patricia McMahon's harrowing Violation listed Ratko Mladic's appalling legacy in Srebrenica before felling the reader with its devasting closing line: '...we still live with, our hearts shaved raw'; and Rachel North's powerful sonnet His Father's Died voiced Tom Daley's rage against his own loss. If only, as Geoffrey Datson puts it in his thought-provoking 'Pet Rock's Lament': 'none of it is true.'

It was almost a relief to have an attack of killer vegetables (not a line I'd expected to write in a poetry editorial) in Juliet Wilson's Death and the Cucumber. But the week finished with a lingering sadness, in Stephen Smith's evocative An Irish Emigrant Returned, which tells the story of a generation and doesn't seem topical until a long-suppressed anger surfaces in its closing lines.

Finally, thanks to EssentialWriters.com for this but don't be shy to comment here too!

Clare

Luckily we were still around on Monday and Tuesday, to read about 'Judgment Day'. May 21st came and went, leaving room for Ana Garza G'z to have her say at the top of the week, followed closely by Stafford Ray's trio of limericks on Raptures past and present.

Geoffrey Datson's Hail Columbia, was a commentary inspired by the loss of Sgt Brett Wood to an IED in Afghanistan and, Life Lessons, Philip Challinor's sharp response to the appointment of a pro-abstinence charity to a sexual health forum, in which the British Pregnancy Advisory Service found itself with no part to play.

We couldn't resist Heather Wastie's Night(ie)mares, after a primary school head teacher ticked off some parents for not changing out of their pyjamas before bringing their children to school, and Greg Brimblecombe's thought provoking piece, Poetry: and elimination contest (in conversation with Reality TV) rounded out the week.

In the past six days, we've showcased the work of three poets, new to Poetry24, Ana Garza G'z, Geoffrey Datson and Heather Wastie. Next week it could be you.

I've been holding the fort this week as Martin has been struck down by the Lurgy. Which makes it a good time to remind people to please send submission's to BOTH of us as described in the guidelines above... if you send a new poem by replying to an email from one of us it might get lost in the system. Yes, we have a system.
We started on a sombre note this week with Katherine Lockton's poem 'For Madeleine McCann' - sadly still topical on the fourth anniversary of her disappearance. Other poems have been venting anger at the 'establishment': with P.A. Levy's 'Anthem for Cheats and Scroungers' - a hard-hitting polemic for the hardest hit - and Kulsoom Mirza's 'Partially Impartial' - reflecting on the continuing struggle in the Middle East. Both include a side-swipe at the BBC for silencing voices of protest.
Politicians (and ex-politicians) came under fire again in Philip Challinor's cynical Curriculum Vitae... showing how those responsible for 'managing' the country are the very opposite of 'the hardest hit'.
We finished with Irish poet Niamh Prior's 'Melchert-Dinkel Story' on a Minnesota man's 'lethal advocacy' to suicidal people on internet chat rooms.
I was surprised and a disappointed not to receive (yet!?) any poems relating to yesterday's supposed Judgement Day - no Rapture Rap, Armageddon Sonnet or Apocalyse Calypso.
Ahh well... it's not the end of the world.
Clare

Another mixed week here at Poetry24. We 'Jumped' straight in with Fran Hill's playful ode to Samoa - who have chosen to move to the other side of the International Date Line. But we never keep you giggling too long - next up was Gabrielle Brydon's moving 'Death Penalty' on every parents' nightmare of their child being incarcerated for a relatively minor offense born of stupidity.
We also published our first contribution from a New Zealander this week - Greg Brimblecombe's 'Epistle' which drew on poetry's 'big guns' to examine the way Osama bin Laden was found and killed... although it's possible Blogger was trying to suppress this information by 'losing' the post during this week's glitches! We finished the week with Peter Goulding's eulogy to golfer Seve Ballesteros - 'From the Tee to the Green'... ending the week not with a bang but with a 'putter'.
We love to receive your cutting edge 'of the moment' poems, but we're also happy to consider contributions which commemorate the anniversary of significant events of the past. Did you write a stirring poem about something you saw, read or heard on the news that really was 'topical at the time'? (It may help to look at the BBC's On This Day pages to jog your memories.)
Also new this week: We've started a 'Links' page (above) to list useful websites for poets - do let us know of any that you think should be up there (we're a bit UK-centric at the moment but working on it!), but we reserve the right to be picky!
Clare
I'll finish with a 'Sunday Short'...



Osama
Is gone.
Who
must we
hate next?

© Stafford Ray

Just a few days ahead of our local elections, here in the UK, it seemed an appropriate moment to dash off a limerick. However, the Muse directed me away from our own politicians, and pointed a finger at Silvio Berlusconi. How could I resist?

A heartfelt piece, written in the wake of Osama Bin Laden's death, suggests that freedom is a fantasy. Kulsoom Mirza is a third year University student and, 'The Fantasy of Freedom' is the first of her poems we've published at Poetry24.

Paul Levy was inspired by what he considered to have been a 'Disney weekend'. In fact, 'Cheers (big ears), But No Cigar' highlights the way we see news stories that are important to us. In the case of football (soccer) Bill Shankly, a former Liverpool FC manager, famously stated, “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” West Ham will testify, I'm sure.

Clare's irreverent recollections of that wedding, one week on, raised smiles and eyebrows, causing those who tried both at once, to look slightly manic. And, to round out the week, Philip Challinor's timely 'Noblesse Oblige' will have struck a chord with many…particularly those Liberal Democrats who regard the Conservatives as "ruthless, calculating and very tribal."

If you've been thinking about writing (and sending!) something topical - now is a really good time... and it could be YOUR name up in lights here next week!

Even though William and Kate did their level best to keep their big day low-key, the event didn't escape the attentions of Irish poets, Brigid O'Connor (Happily Ever After) and Peter Goulding (An Invite to the Wedding). And, Paul Levy's 'Divorcing the Masses' provided the perfect antidote to flags, bunting and pageantry.

However, it hasn't all been about princes, street parties and ecstatic crowds, this week. Douglas Polk's 'A Question of Policy' considers the place of humanitarianism within a political agenda, and Philip Challinor's 'Immortality' is a chilling reminder of the danger nuclear waste poses to our planet.

Clare is away at the Wenlock Poetry Festival, this week, no doubt having a fun time. It's an exciting idea, don't you think, people getting together to share their feelings and observations through poetry? It's something we want to encourage here, at Poetry24. So, whether you're a first-timer rhymer or a practiced poet, we want to see your topical poems. No matter where you are in the world, Poetry24 is just an email away.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Martin.