Way More Than Luck

by Ben Wilkinson

Winner of a Northern Writers Award and highly commended in the Forward Prizes for Poetry

From the thumping heartbeat of the distance runner to the roar of soccer stadiums across the decades, Ben Wilkinson’s debut poetry collection, Way More Than Luck, confronts the struggles and passions that come to shape a life. Beginning with an unflinching interrogation of experiences of clinical depression and the redemptive power of art and running, the collection centres on a series of vivid character portraits, giving life to the legends of the UK’s Liverpool Football Club.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2018

About the author

Ben Wilkinson is part of a younger generation of British poets who emerged in the 2000s. His poems tackle themes including identity, social class, mental health and sport, in clearly voiced, accessible poems written out of the landscape of the North. He has lived in Sheffield for most of his life, and the city's rural and post-industrial landscapes often feature in his writing.

His poems and criticism regularly appear in national publications including the Guardian, New Statesman, The Poetry Review, The Spectator, and TLS. His debut collection of poems Way More Than Luck won a Northern Writers Award and was highly commended in the Forward Prizes. His second collection of poems Same Difference is out this year. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Bolton.

Reviews

[Mark Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the UK moved into their first COVID lockdown, Ben Wilkinson started posting brief poetry readings each day on YouTube, from his own collection of poetry and poets that he enjoyed.

These little readings ultimately prompted me to further read the work of featured poets, along with Ben’s own collection which I saved to end the year with.

Thank you Ben!

[Kate Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved many of the poems in this collection. Ben Wilkinson is an extremely skilled writer who captures landscape and emotion in a highly personal way. Highly recommend and I know there are many poems I will revisit in this book.

[Anabela Vardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you say you don't like poetry, you'll love this book.