Steve's book is small in size but big on themes

40 TIGHT POEMS, ONE PER PAGE AND EACH ONLY 14 LINES

IT comes in a small package but is big on theme, and Plymouth poet Steve Spence's new book is set for huge acclaim.

Steve's latest work, titled Listening In, comes in a compact A6 "pocket sized" format, with 40 tight poems, one per page and each only 14 lines.

With titles such as A Hill of Beans, Reading for Pleasure and A Ruthless Assassin, recurring themes include art, politics, food, films and pop music.

They are all written in Steve's trademark montage style, a method he has perfected since his inaugural collection, 2010's A Curious Shipwreck, saw him shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best debut, one of the world's most coveted literary honours.

This cut-up style sees Steve take lines from overheard conversations, TV and radio broadcasts and other sources and mix them with the invented - hence the title.