As we step into January 2025, we’re embracing new beginnings with a powerful focus on poetry and protest. This month, our content will highlight how poetry serves as a voice of resistance and a catalyst for change—an approach that feels especially meaningful given the events of the past year.
The summer of 2024 was a turning point that forced me to reconsider my relationship with social media, especially Twitter/X. The brutal murder of three innocent girls in Southport shook me deeply. I used to cross Hart Street every day on my way home from school, and today, I do my weekly shopping outside the mosque where riots erupted the day after those horrific events. I no longer live streets away from Hart Street, but these places remain close to my heart, and the fear of what might happen next is something I can’t easily shake off.
I unequivocally condemn the violence that took place. It was a grotesque act, something I’ve tried to rationalise as a one-off, unlikely to happen again near my family or friends. But the aftermath unsettled me in ways I’m still struggling to understand.
My relationship with social media, particularly Twitter, has always been complicated. But after the violence, misinformation, and hatred that spread across the platform in the wake of those murders, I knew I had to make a change. Twitter/X became a hub for the very things I stand against—hate, abuse, and lies. My brother and friends were part of the local blue line, trying to restore order, while my daughter and I struggled to leave the house for weeks, overwhelmed by the fear that this could happen again.
That’s why we’ve made the decision to cease engaging on Twitter/X. Our accounts remain as signposts, but we’re no longer active participants on a platform that has become so toxic. This isn’t about letting the bullies win; it’s about staying true to our principles and making a stand, however small it might seem. We’re a small, independent press with around five and a half thousand followers, so our departure won’t change the world, but it was the only choice that aligned with our values.
Now, as we look forward to new beginnings, we’re focusing on what truly matters—delivering quality content that resonates. This month, we’re spotlighting writers and artists who use poetry as a form of protest to inspire change. Poetry has always been a powerful tool for expressing resistance, and we believe it’s more important than ever to amplify these voices.
As we navigate 2025, we invite you to join us in exploring how poetry and protest can shape new beginnings and create a better, more just world.
Let’s drop the Hallmark card fantasies. Nature isn’t serene. It’s not here to cradle you while you write love letters to daffodils.
Beautiful Little Fools will be a stunning hardcover anthology celebrating and interrogating the glamour, obsession, and decadence of the Gilded Age, inspired
Are you a writer with a winter-themed story waiting to shine? The Broken Spine is seeking submissions for its 2025 Festive Short
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
