Ricky Monahan Brown
@rickyballboy.bsky.social
Writer. Poetry pamphlet Drawer of Letters from Broken Sleep Books – "Wonderfully audacious" 🖤 Terminal and Other Stories 🖤 Little Apples (novella) 🖤 Stroke: A 2% chance of survival (memoir) 🖤 Next: Teller of Tales in Tantallon Tìr’s Call of the Isles
Just posted my picks in the second semifinal of Richard Shaw’s polls to find the best debut albums out there: 1. Lana Del Ray – Born To Die (2012) 2. Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994) 3. Pete Ubu – The Modern Dance (1978) 4. Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More (2024) 5. PJ Harvey – Dry (1992)
Just voted in the first semifinal of Richard Shaw’s polls to find the best 5 debut albums: 1. Purple Mountains: Purple Mountains (2019) 2. Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted (1992) 3. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend (2008) 4. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced (1967) 5. Ash: 1977 (1996)
Just posted my picks for Richard Shaw’s poll of the best debut albums of 2020-26: 1. Gutterblood: Gutterblood (2021) 2. Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More (2024) 3. VLURE: Escalate (2025) 4. Port Sulphur: Speed Of Life (2022) 5. bdrmm - Bedroom (2020)
A very kind of response from Erin to the old What Are You Reading question. I tried to sequence the poems to make getting to the end of DoL worthwhile 😉
Erin Green 🖖@erin-o-green.bsky.social · 2mo agoStill chortling my way through the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. But I’m also hoping to finish Drawer of Letters by @rickyballboy.bsky.social. Really enjoying that one.
Like this picture of Drawer Of Letters and Maria Sledmere’s The Indigo Hours from last night’s event w/Ian Macartney at @typewronger.bsky.social Our very different styles brush up against similar images – now I see her cover evokes the Magrittean unease of Little Apples.
JUST ONE WEEK TILL SLEDMERE, MONAHAN BROWN & MACARTNEY AT TYPEWRONGER! Join us @tweetwronger on 3 June for an intriguing discussion about writing poetry and prose in the context of The Indigo Hours & Drawer of Letters, both from @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/broken-sle...
Broken Sleep Books Scotland Showcase: Ricky Monahan Brown &Maria Sledmere
Join us to celebrate recent publications from two of Scotland's most vibrant contemporary writers.
eventbrite.co.uk
Reminded of this banger wot I wrote in 2022, after learning Marx wrote a poem about Hegel. Definitely going in the next pamphlet: There once was a man from Stuttgart Who was thought to be terribly smart. He was an idealist, Obwohl ich nicht weiß was das ist, So I guess I’ll just stick with the arts
Just posted my picks for Richard Shaw’s poll to find the favourite debut albums of 1995-99. They are: 1. Mogwai: Mogwai Young Team (1997) 2. The Dandy Warhols: Dandys Rule OK (1998) 3. Foo Fighters: Foo Fighters (1995) 4. Gene: Olympian (1995) 5. Leftfield: Leftism (1995)
Listening to Foo Fighters (album) for the first time in ages is a reminder of how shockingly good is was to hear This Is A Call on the radio, and then have the album live up to the promise #5debutalbums9599
I’m feeling very privileged today to have received this close read and some kind words from one of my favourite poets. Check out Rogue Strands, then turn to Matthew’s collections, The Knives of Villalejo and Whatever You Do, Just Don’t, if you haven’t already.
Matthew Stewart@roguestrands.bsky.social · 3mo agoA fine poem by Ricky Monahan Brown up at Rogue Strands today, first published in his recent pamphlet from Broken Sleep... roguestrands.blogspot.com/2026/05/a-po... @rickyballboy.bsky.social @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social
A fine poem by Ricky Monahan Brown up at Rogue Strands today, first published in his recent pamphlet from Broken Sleep... roguestrands.blogspot.com/2026/05/a-po... @rickyballboy.bsky.social @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social
A poem by Ricky Monahan Brown
I'm delighted to feature today a poem by Ricky Monahan Brown, taken from his recent pamphlet, Drawer of Letters (Broken Sleep Books, 2025)....
roguestrands.blogspot.com
My selections for Richard Shaw’s poll to find the best debut albums of 1975-79: 1. Devo: Q. Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo! (1978) 2. Buzzcocks: Another Music in Another Kitchen (1978) 3. Television: Marquee Moon (1977) 4. PiL: Public Image: First Issue (1978) 5. Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance (1978)
My selections for Richard Shaw’s poll to find the best debut albums of 1975-79: 1. Devo: Q. Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo! (1978) 2. Buzzcocks: Another Music in Another Kitchen (1978) 3. Television: Marquee Moon (1977) 4. PiL: Public Image: First Issue (1978) 5. Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance (1978)
Taking a break from Blood Meridian, to explore “the cruelty of nature and humankind” as set forth in John Gerard Fagan’s Silent Riders of the Sea.
I’ve submitted my selections for Richard Shaw’s polls to find the best debut albums of 2015-19: 1. Purple Mountains: s/t (2019) 2. Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think… (2015) 3. MJ Lenderman: s/t (2019) 4. Catholic Action: In Memory Of (2017) 5. Kamasi Washington: The Epic (2015)
Delighted that East Bristol Books has taken a few more copies of my short story collection, TERMINAL. I'll provide extra content to anyone picking one up there, so if you know folks… Independent bookshops are key supporters of interesting new writing. Please support EBB and your local bookstore!
I really enjoy the Tantallon Tìr Author Spotlights. Answering the Qs is a fun way to shine a spotlight on one’s own process, and reading other writers’ answers gives an interesting insight into how they do it. tantallontir.com/author-spotl... See replies for a pre-order link for Call of the Isles.
Ricky Monahan Brown: From Law to Literary Inspiration
Discover Ricky Monahan Brown's journey from lawyer to writer after a life-changing stroke. Explore his unique literary influences and works.
tantallontir.com
I do rather enjoy the way Trump ends his Truth Social posts in the style of the National Lampoon’s Politenessman
Join me and the Graveyard Shift team to celebrate World Poetry Day (observed) in Leith tomorrow!
I wished a poet a happy birthday on World Poetry Day, then spent the day being more of a dad than a poet. But! Here’s one I prepared earlier, if you like poetry. Or the world. Or days. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...
Ricky Monahan Brown - Drawer of Letters | Broken Sleep Books
Drawer of Letters by Ricky Monahan Brown is a wry, elegiac and formally varied collection that navigates illness, grief, intimacy and reinvention with intelligence and bite. Mixing elegy, haiku, lyric...
brokensleepbooks.com
I wished a poet a happy birthday on World Poetry Day, then spent the day being more of a dad than a poet. But! Here’s one I prepared earlier, if you like poetry. Or the world. Or days. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...
Ricky Monahan Brown - Drawer of Letters | Broken Sleep Books
Drawer of Letters by Ricky Monahan Brown is a wry, elegiac and formally varied collection that navigates illness, grief, intimacy and reinvention with intelligence and bite. Mixing elegy, haiku, lyric...
brokensleepbooks.com
Just posted my picks for Richard Shaw’s poll of the best debut albums of 1985-89. w/apologies to Blue Sky, they are: 1. Morrissey: Viva Hate 88 2. Cud: When in Rome, Kill Me 87 3. Pixies: Surfer Rosa 88 4. The Wedding Present: George Best 87 5. The Wonder Stuff: The Eight Legged Groove Machine 88
I’ll be reading from my poetry pamphlet, Drawer Of Letters (pub @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social), in Leith with the good folks of The Graveyard Shift on MONDAY. Details on the flyer 👇
🎶 People looking for shoegaze Twitter to the left of me, people looking for Fugazi Albini Blue Sky to the right… 🎶
A hugely talented Brooklyn guy is gone. I always enjoyed seeing Neil Sedaka’s plaque on the Celebrity Path @brooklynbotanic.bsky.social, not least because of my love for this magnificent song. youtube.com/watch?v=U4-u...
Neil Sedaka - "Solitaire" (1972)
YouTube video by Lance The Scorpion
youtube.com
Just posted my picks for Richard Shaw’s poll of the best debut albums of 2005-09: 1. LCD Soundsystem: s/t (2005) 2. Vampire Weekend: s/t (2007) 3. Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock & Roll (2005) 4. The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age of the Understatement (2008) 5. The Horrors: Strange House (2007)
I'm in the new anthology from Tantallon Tìr: tantallontir.com/product/call... "From St Kilda to Samoa, Call of the Isles sails into islands beset with grief, violence, hope, regret, and recovery. A stunning set of stories from the best Scottish and Scotland-based writers in the world."
Call of the Isles
Call of the Isles – A Scottish anthology
tantallontir.com
My first attempt at poetry in Gaelic (together with my English translation) has just seen the light of day. Thanks to Scottish Mountaineering Press for the prompt and opportunity. scottishmountaineeringpress.com/creatives/pu...
Duilleagan - Scottish Mountaineering Press
scottishmountaineeringpress.com
Just posted my 5 debut albums of the 50s & 60s for Richard Shaw’s latest poll: 1. Scott Walker: Scott (1967) 2. Jacques Brel: Jacques Brel et ses chansons (1954) 3. Leonard Cohen: Songs of LC (1967) 4. Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced (1967) 5. The Velvet U’ground: The VU & Nico (1967)
