Seamus Heaney
An obvious one being from Northern Ireland but a touchstone nevertheless I don’t think I will ever not go back to Heaney’s poems a constant source of inspiration.
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerlad
It was the first book I really appreciated subtext and second person narration, it manages the great trick of being both of its time and timeless.
Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut is such a unique writer combining humour and pathos in stories that really shouldn’t work but do try Slaughter house five or Timequake.
Staying Alive – BloodAxe Books
This poetry anthology really opened my eyes to a such a wide range of poets both lesser known poets and crackers from the more famous bards. Neil Astley has curated a masterpiece if you don’t own it do yourself a favour and get a copy.
Reel – George Szirtes
Szirtes is the modern master of Terza Rima and this collection has a cinematic quality that bears repeated reading.
Glen Wilson is a poet from Portadown Northern Ireland he has won numerous awards including The Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing and the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award amongst others and his debut collection An Experience on the Tongue is available now on http://www.doirepress.com or Amazon