Late Guest

Stephen Payne was born in Merthyr and lives in Penarth. He has published poems in magazines including The Poetry Review, The Rialto, The North, The Dark Horse, Magma, Poetry Wales and New Welsh Review. His was a Smiths Knoll mentee which led to the publication of his debut pamphlet, The Probabilities of Balance in 2010. His first full collection Pattern Beyond Chance was published by HappenStance in 2015 and shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year. It was followed by The Windmill Proof (2021) and a pamphlet The Wax Argument & Other Thought Experiments (2022). Stephen’s job until recently was Professor of Human-Centric Systems at the University of Bath where he is currently Professor Emeritus.

In this playful and deft collection, pickpockets, psychoanalysts, professors and philosophers run amok. There are exuberant dolphins, aggressive whales and unsolvable arguments. Boys mime causes of death at the swimming pool and a geyser erupts sporadically but a trip to the Repair Café should see you right. Future wives and other interesting encounters may be found in the kitchen of a party, if only you could arrive on time.