The Rapids by Yogesh Patel

“Daring, sophisticated and playful- Patel’s poetry is a calligraphy of the soul made visible. It is a rare achievement.” 

– Steven O’Brien

“In The Rapids Yogesh Patel unveils a vigorous new poetic form, which looks set to give writers and readers pleasure for years to come. What doubles the pleasure is the way these poems bring the human and natural words in together on a single, generous breath.”

– Fiona Sampson

“The poems take you to places of high tension then turn away to face others as if the world itself were restless and constantly on the move. It is like being engaged in the overheard dialogue with language.”

– George Szirtes

Yogesh Patel has received an MBE for literature in the Queen’s New Year Honours list 2020. Internationally celebrated for his work, he runs Skylark Publications UK and a non-profit Word Massala project to promote poetry. Having been honoured with the Freedom of the City of London, he has LP records, films, radio, a children’s book, fiction and non-fiction books, and three poetry collections to his credit.