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How to Build a City
WINNER OF THE 2011 ERIC GREGORY AWARDS "How To Build A City" is the Crashaw Prize-winning debut collection of poetry by Tom Chivers. It is a poetic interrogation of the twenty-first century urban experience, peopled by ghosts of London's past as well as the distinctly modern spectres of international terrorism, spam email and the credit crunch.
- GenresPoetry
84 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2009
About the author
Tom Chivers
10 books40 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Tom Chivers is a writer, publisher and arts producer. He was born in 1983 in south London.
He has released two pamphlets of poetry, The Terrors (Nine Arches Press, 2009; shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award) and Flood Drain (Annexe Press, 2012), and two full collections, How To Build A City (Salt Publishing, 2009) and Dark Islands (Test Centre, 2015). His poems have been anthologised in Dear World & Everything In It (Bloodaxe Books, 2013) and London: A History in Verse (Harvard University Press, 2012).
His non-fiction debut London Clay: Journeys in the Deep City will be published by Transworld/Doubleday in September 2021. He is represented by Sophie Scard at United Agents.
‘Chivers’s writing feels refreshing and necessary, a genuine, lyrical appraisal of contemporary life.’
Luke Kennard, Poetry London
Tom won an Eric Gregory Award in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Prize in 2014. He has performed at numerous events and venues including Dasein Poetry Festival, Athens; The Eden Project, Cornwall; Ledbury Poetry Festival; London Literature Festival; Moray Walking Festival; Poetry International; The Sage Gateshead; Soho Theatre and The Thames Festival.
Tom has made perambulatory, site-specific and audio work for organisations including LIFT, Cape Farewell, Humber Mouth Literature Festival, Outpost London and Southbank Centre. He lives in Rotherhithe with his wife and two daughters.
Tom Chivers is a writer, publisher and arts producer. He was born in 1983 in south London.
He has released two pamphlets of poetry, The Terrors (Nine Arches Press, 2009; shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award) and Flood Drain (Annexe Press, 2012), and two full collections, How To Build A City (Salt Publishing, 2009) and Dark Islands (Test Centre, 2015). His poems have been anthologised in Dear World & Everything In It (Bloodaxe Books, 2013) and London: A History in Verse (Harvard University Press, 2012).
His non-fiction debut London Clay: Journeys in the Deep City will be published by Transworld/Doubleday in September 2021. He is represented by Sophie Scard at United Agents.
‘Chivers’s writing feels refreshing and necessary, a genuine, lyrical appraisal of contemporary life.’
Luke Kennard, Poetry London
Tom won an Eric Gregory Award in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Prize in 2014. He has performed at numerous events and venues including Dasein Poetry Festival, Athens; The Eden Project, Cornwall; Ledbury Poetry Festival; London Literature Festival; Moray Walking Festival; Poetry International; The Sage Gateshead; Soho Theatre and The Thames Festival.
Tom has made perambulatory, site-specific and audio work for organisations including LIFT, Cape Farewell, Humber Mouth Literature Festival, Outpost London and Southbank Centre. He lives in Rotherhithe with his wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 30, 2022
3.5*
Highlights:
a beige ratatouille of sick in an arc
and
Moon-driven, stag woman caught in the woods.
and
You recommended anger management websites. I suggested you fuck off.
A nice collection, a mixture of structures and moments. The language makes the urban subjects feel organic which was exciting, but none particularly knocked the top of my head off. Really nice imagery throughout.
Highlights:
a beige ratatouille of sick in an arc
and
Moon-driven, stag woman caught in the woods.
and
You recommended anger management websites. I suggested you fuck off.
A nice collection, a mixture of structures and moments. The language makes the urban subjects feel organic which was exciting, but none particularly knocked the top of my head off. Really nice imagery throughout.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews