In a change to the published programme, SubVerse presents Bristol-based poet Tom Sastry, described by Hera Lindsay Bird as ‘a magician of deadpan’, with support from Stroud-based poet Maria Stadnicka. They will be introduced by Adam Horovitz. 

A funny and engaging performer, Tom will be showcasing his brand new collection You have no normal country to return to (Nine Arches, 2022), a darkly comic exploration of national identity and the power of modern myths. It follows A Man's House Catches Fire (2019) which was highly commended in the Forward Prize and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney First Collection Prize. His pamphlet Complicity (2016) was a Poetry School Book of the Year and a Poetry Book Society pamphlet choice. 

According to Carol Ann Duffy, “Tom Sastry navigates the mysterious everyday... making friendships and love affairs new and strange.”