“Man Up”: Embracing the softer side of masculinity with Martin Grey

Nottingham-based poet Martin Grey is no stranger to baring all when it comes to his poetry, having performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and being the winner of the 2018 Southwell Folk Festival Slam. However, since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Martin is now at an unprecedented point in his career as a spoken word artist. He has taken it in his stride though, recording more and more videos for his YouTube Channel and even undergoing a video editing course to ensure his performances remain the top-quality of entertainment that they have a reputation for. Visit Martin's YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartinGreyPoet/featured.

Grey cites many influences for his own work, such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Grey said: “I’ve also tried to fill the book with unexpected metaphor and imagery, such as missiles in my atria and the insides of my eyelids being a time machine, while keeping the poems grounded in their lived experience, and this has been very much influenced by writers like Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who was brilliant at turning “normality” on its head in books like Herland and The Yellow Wallpaper”. He also credits Miggy Angel’s work for giving him the confidence to tackle some of the many stark themes in this collection, such as abuse, grief, loss, and failure. You can read our full interview with Martin about his inspirations here: https://www.flyonthewallpoetry.co.uk/post/the-people-who-shaped-my-writing-martin-grey.

Of Grey’s stunning new collection, the 2020 Saboteur winner for Best Spoken Word Artist Dominic Berry said, “If there is one central force which pulses through the words of Martin’s work, it is love. In spite of life’s letdowns and losses, love is discovered and cherished on a rite of passage from a grubby nightclub and teenage dreams to handling the daily bewilderments of attempting this thing called adulthood. Get ready for love as big as any astronaut’s favourite planet."

You can now buy ‘The Prettyboys of Gangster Town’ in either paperback or ebook formats. If you enjoyed Martin's debut, don't forget to head over to Amazon, Waterstones or Goodreads to give it a review!

Buy 'The Prettyboys of Gangster Town' at any of the below links:

Fly on the Wall: https://www.flyonthewallpoetry.co.uk/product-page/the-prettyboys-of-gangster-town-by-martin-grey

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-prettyboys-of-gangster-town/martin-grey/9781913211240

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prettyboys-Gangster-Town-Martin-Grey-ebook/dp/B08DYCSG7T/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=martin+grey&qid=1600091651&sr=8-2