Bureau is the successor to my now completed Black Folder collection. Whereas the Black Folder was my travelling scrapbook of solitary and orphaned works, the Bureau is more like a prepared boarding house for such poems.

The collection is simply named after the writing desk in our home. Although originally belonging to my wife, I have slowly muscled in on it and have now made it my writing home. It certainly allows for a lot more comfort and organisation than I am used to and I have added some of my own touches such as my 1920’s wooden floor lamp, my Little Mermaid København brass plate and my Bullfinch coaster. Not to mention a drawer full of my obsessively used Staedtler stick 430 M ballpoint pens.

Although the concept of this growing collection is essentially the same as Black Folder, I imagine that the two will become very distinct. The start of Bureau coincides with a new chapter of my writing. Now I have taken the step to engage with the poetry community at large I expect my style to mature as I contemplate aspects previously underappreciated. Never before have I put so much scrutiny on not only my own work but also a wealth of other people’s.