Blandford St Mary author Gerald Killingworth has published his first collection of poems entitled Emptying Houses.

Two of Gerald’s poems were short-listed in a competition run by the prestigious poetry press Dempsey & Windle. Following the competition, the publishers offered to bring out a collection of Gerald’s work and he was delighted to say yes.
After a career teaching English, Gerald moved from Wimbledon to Blandford St Mary six years ago and he has fully taken to life in Dorset. He dances with Wessex Morris Men, captains a local tennis team and is involved with the Tears in the Fence Poetry Festival which takes place every September in Stourpaine village hall.
Two years ago, Gerald’s spooky children’s novel, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules, was published by the Pushkin Press and it was selected as one of The Guardian’s picks of the month.
Gerald said: “When I came to arrange the poems for my collection, I realised they fell into three clear categories. The largest of these contains poems about time and what we leave behind us, our legacy. There are also poems about people and our often troubled relationship with the natural world. My poem Buying Time is typical of my perspective on the world and the way I use language. I hope that The New Blackmore Vale readers enjoy it.”

Emptying Houses can be ordered from the publishers at dempseyandwindle.com, from Amazon and bookshops. To purchase a signed copy email Gerald at gkllngwrth@aol.com