This blogpost starts with a quick FAQ for my new poetry collection Darling Blue (Indigo Dreams, Oct 2025), which is now available to pre-order from Indigo Dreams. The questions are based on things people have asked me while I was writing it.

Why ‘blue’?

At one level, ‘Darling Blue’ references one of the poems in the book, ‘Darling Blue’, which in turn references and is inspired by John Everett Millais’s ‘The Little Speedwell’s Darling Blue’ (an oil on canvas, 1891-92). ‘Blue’ is also the secret nickname of one of the main characters — because of his eye colour, because it’s a colour that strikes him in art and because it reminds the main female narrator of him. Blue is many things, in life and in this collection. Associated with sadness, water, good weather…it is also a colour that painters can obsess over. Pre-Raphaelite work is the main art focus and inspiration in this collection. But blue is a colour that has spoken to and held specific value for many artists. [French artist Yves Klein even created his own shade of blue, as referred to in ‘Into the blue’ which can be found in my previous collection, Blood Sugar, Sex, Magic (Verve Poetry Press,2022)].

Why a fictional narrative threading this collection together rather than a historical one?

The narrative is partially inspired by the entangled lives that some painters and their models have. But this again applies not just to the Pre-Raphaelites or any specific social period. What I wanted to do most of all in my approach to my artistic inspiration was capture not what might gain the attention of academics, art-experts or historians only but their appeal to everyday contemporary viewers and why they still feel relevant and beautiful now. For me, part of this is placing them in a contemporary context, with contemporary characters considering them and making sense of them within their own narratives and contemporary pressures. Some elements of this may be similar to what appealed and went into their creation at the time. But other reactions and interpretations may be different to those of their original historical context. For me, art/art-appreciation is subjective and contextual. I value work that can stand up to the test of time, retaining beauty and relevance now, not just when viewed from their place/perspective in history.

Who is your favourite Pre-Raphaelite artist?

This is a tough one because I tend to rate and respond to paintings as individual pieces, regardless of who painted them or how they fit alongside other works by them or other artists working at the same time or in the same/similar art movement(s). I might love one painting by an artist and then hate the next piece of theirs that I come across. And this is without adding in the fact that I’m discovering new art all the time — Pre-Raphaelite and otherwise. If forced to choose, I’d probably say that based on what I’ve enjoyed so far, I’d expect to be most likely to relate to and appreciate art by Edward Burne-Jones or John William Waterhouse.

So, that’s three of the things, I’ve had people ask me about. If you have a question about Darling Blue, my inspiration, the narrative strand or the writing of the poems more generally, then drop me a line — either using the comments on the website or by emailing me at lifeislikeacherrytreeATyahooDOTcom, and I’ll do another blogpost or add them and my answers to a page on the website that I’m going to set up for this.

I’m unbelievably delighted to have two poetryfilms in this year’s Wirral Poetry Festival Video Anthology. ‘Darling Blue’ and ‘The Day-Dreams’ are my poetryfilm versions of two poems from my forthcoming collection Darling Blue (Indigo Dreams, 2025). They’re both inspired by Pre-Raphaelite art, including Millais’ ‘Little Speedwell’s Darling Blue’ from the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight. It’s wonderful to have them in the festival anthology, which will be screened at the Lady Lever Art Gallery on Saturday, 4 October, 2025. This is a free event and more details about this can be found here. I’ll be going up in person myself again this year, having had an amazing time last year, and I’m very much looking forward to enjoying some of the other readings and events. The full festival programme can be found here.

I’m delighted to have my poems Schrödinger’s Kitten and The Lost Garden’s Poison Patch, which were shortlisted in Artemesia Arts Poetry Competition 2025, published in the competition anthology, Sea of Serenity (Mosaique Press, 2025).

My poem, More than plums, which was highly commended in the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship Annual Poetry Competition, has been published in Siegfried’s Journal: Volume 48 in September 2025.

I’m also really pleased to have my poem A Scent of Pine accepted for Black Nore Review The art of cutting and stitching for Ink, Sweat & Tears and A Last Supper for the October issue of The Lake. Big thanks to editors Ben Banyard, Helen Ivory, Kate Birch and John Murphy.

REVIEWING

I’m very pleased to have had the chance to review Deryn Rees-Jones’s beautiful new collection, Hôtel Amour (Seren 2025), for London Grip. It’s a fairly long piece but still barely touches the surface of this wonderful shape-shifting collection. You can find the review here.

NEW SUBSTACK

I’ve recently set up a Substack, reedlike: whispering through wind & water. This is very much in its early stages and is likely to develop and change as I see what is and isn’t possible and what readers want from it.

At the moment, this is very much a space with content aimed primarily at other readers/writers, along with some pieces that may be of interest to walkers, nature-lovers, photographers and artists.

This already includes experience-led writer-life posts and prompts but will hopefully develop to also encompass how-to pieces, reader discussion and poem analysis pieces and more academic style articles.

If you’re already on Substack, my handle there is @moresarah and you can view the page here.

You can also subscribe to it by filling in the form below.

Happy reading, writing and inspiration!