BoundBy: Winter '24

From the works of William Shakespeare to Terrence Hayes, the sonnet is a quintessential poetic form. In this edition, blossoming poets reimagine this staple of poetry, experimenting with form and content to create poems that excite and surprise, bringing the sonnet into the 21st century. Also featuring commentaries by Amy Adshead and Christopher Tang on their submissions, with an essay on the presence of poetry within electronic music by Joseph Hamilton.

Inspired By: 21st Century Sonnet

A Sonnet of Bugs

A poem and commentary by Amy Adshead

Deploy the swat team, my fingers, to flick

bodies far into the abyss of a dark bedroom. Following the noises,

of wings unbuttoning in front of my face, flapping like blur [...]

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Inspired By: 21st Century Sonnet

A Lesson (Un)learnt

A poem by Kelsey Edwards

Being alone is harder than I thought

I try to remember what I've been taught

checking Last Online is no good for you [...]

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Inspired By: 21st Century Sonnet

Every Station with 'Bridge' in the Name We Pass

A poem by Izzy Shackleton

>>> I don't have much to be mad about

Today is not a day of upset

Not of stomachs or weather really, no threat [...]

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Inspired By: 21st Century Sonnet

Sonnet for a Nihilist

A poem by Aimee Scanlon

This will likely end - illogical and ridiculous,

we've got ten years at best!

May as well get a dog, despite being smarter than this [...]

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Electronic Music and the Poetry of Mantras

An essay by Joseph Hamilton

Joseph Hamilton explores the inherent, yet often overlooked poetry of electronic music. From Beyoncé to Daft Punk, he interrogates the role of the musical mantra in modern mediums of poetry.

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Inspired By: 21st Century Sonnet

Kitchen Song

A poem by Christopher Tang

you're on the cusp of nineteen.

her kitchen is bigger, the summer glow of the cooker light

bathing all four of your hands. you wash the dishes, tap foam [...]

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