Spreading the Bad Word

'Dominic Kirwan's latest collection of poetry, Spreading the Bad Word, is jaw-droppingly delicious, and I say that as someone who does not usually consider myself a fan of the genre. Like a lot of people, I thought of poetry as the realm of greeting cards and teenage girls, but this is some great, grown-up stuff. Kirwan is a master craftsman of words, an architect that rummages through his vocabulary of nouns, adjectives, and verbs and then links them together to build tantalising towers of emotional intensity that will awe anyone lucky enough to read his finished masterpieces. This collection is not for the faint of heart. Kirwan will often leave the reader breathless as he whips his audience around the corners of his reality. You may never be quite sure if you are wandering through the poet's own mind or some nightmarish painting, bold in colour and shocking in its subject matter. Either way, you will be enthralled, perhaps a tad frightened, but entirely wanting to follow him down this dark alley and into the next. Each poem is its own chapter of life, some overlapping, but each a spectacular explosion of feeling. Whether addressing the unbearable realities of love, loss, religion, regret and death, Kirwan also uplifts in his unique way on subjects like gratitude and motherhood, and he is guaranteed to shock with his takes on abortion, social media, and loneliness. I consider it an honour to recommend this book to both the poetry geek and the non-believer. Let Kirwan introduce you to his unique world that is intimate, appalling, and delectable all at the same time.' - Grace Noble, English teacher, spectacular commentator extraordinaire