Dark Islands

by Tom Chivers

Dark Islands is the 2nd collection of poetry by Tom Chivers, following 2009’s acclaimed How to Build a City. The collection brings together poems written over a period of four years, united by their themes of observation, dreaming, landscape, the city, money and finance, the future, magic, protest and modernity.

The poems in Dark Islands are rooted in the curiosities of human observation, yet interested in the possibilities of a world beyond that – of dreams, futures and imagined pasts. Throughout the collection, the image of the island is explored both literally and metaphorically, as the poems address utopian and dystopian ideas, themes of isolation and escape, and a concern with the natural and urban environment.

The poems explore the infelicities of language and the difficulties of expression and communication. Layers of meaning and a playful manipulation of language allow moments of humour and astute observations of modern culture to combine with a complex, philosophical outlook that probes into the darker aspects of the familiar world. It is a collection in which traditional forms conceal radical and unconventional images and ideas.

Dark Islands identifies itself as a the work of a London poet, revealing Chivers’ interest in the landscapes of his city, its hidden histories and its state of constant flux and evolution.

The book is beautifully designed by Traven T. Croves, with a reverse-printed black and white interior that draws attention to the placing of the words on the page, moving beyond the conventions of traditional poetry publications to present something striking and unique.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Unknown Binding

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Librarian 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.