A Lost Expression

His language is exciting and it feels to me that he’s a truly 21st-century writer, taking inspiration from all over the place, unafraid of barriers and conventions.

-- Ian McMillan * The Times *

Inventive, academically aware, fearless and hugely enjoyable.

-- Nick Laird * The Telegraph *

Thank heaven for Luke Kennard. As thought-provoking and poignant as it’s witty, this collection confirms him as an exceptional – in every sense – voice in poetry today.

-- Sarah Crown * Poetry Review *

Luke Kennard writes vibrant, original poems that stick in your mind for a long time and enliven your imagination.

-- Sophie Hannah

Kennard pushes the bounds of lyric taste and develops new modes for the prose poem, and for serious comedy in British poetry.

-- Todd Swift * Poetry London *

Luke Kennard is one of the half-dozen thoroughly original poets of his generation... No one else has been able to navigate so cleverly the choppy waters he’s claimed for his own.

-- Todd Swift * Poetry London *

Kennard’s work is clever, fascinating and with an off the wall, tongue in cheek sort of humour that is a joy to read or listen to.

* Sabotage *

He has something of the holy fool about him in his ability to wrongfoot more erudite, supposedly rational minds, and the way his madness reveals flashes of perspicacity.

* Phoenix *

This collection includes Kennard's most personal and political poems. It closes with "Jeremiah", a monologue from a businessman who consistently provides thrilling answers to a question a student poses: "What are poets for?" Kennard admires the American writer Ben Lerner who recently published a novel in which his narrator claims: "Poems aren't about anything". Kennard might concur but, with urgency and generosity, A Lost Expression addresses the world we live in now.

-- Max Liu * The Independent *

His language is exciting and it feels to me that he’s a truly 21st-century writer, taking inspiration from all over the place, unafraid of barriers and conventions.

-- Ian McMillan * The Times *

Inventive, academically aware, fearless and hugely enjoyable.

-- Nick Laird * The Telegraph *

Thank heaven for Luke Kennard. As thought-provoking and poignant as it’s witty, this collection confirms him as an exceptional – in every sense – voice in poetry today.

-- Sarah Crown * Poetry Review *

Luke Kennard writes vibrant, original poems that stick in your mind for a long time and enliven your imagination.

-- Sophie Hannah

This collection includes Kennard's most personal and political poems. It closes with "Jeremiah", a monologue from a businessman who consistently provides thrilling answers to a question a student poses: "What are poets for?" Kennard admires the American writer Ben Lerner who recently published a novel in which his narrator claims: "Poems aren't about anything". Kennard might concur but, with urgency and generosity, A Lost Expression addresses the world we live in now.

-- Max Liu * The Independe