BOOK REVIEW: BEING WITH ME WILL HELP YOU LEARN BY THOMAS McCOLL

Being With Me Will help You Learn is a collection of poetry and flash fiction from writer Thomas McColl and is the first publication from fledgling London press Listen Softly London. Listen Softly is the brainchild of Dominic Stevenson and began life as a spoken word night. Having decided to branch out into the world of the printed word, they honestly could not have picked a better place to start than with the work of Mr McColl; An intelligent, thought provoking, no nonsense writer that you can't help but be charmed by.

I first came across Thomas' work in the literary fanzine and cultural phenomenon that is PUSH and have since had the honour of publishing one of his flash fiction pieces in my own lit zine PAPER AND INK. The acknowledgements section in the back of this book reads like a who's who of contemporary lit mags; Thomas has been published everywhere from The Rue Bella to Open Pen. Having devoured the book in just one sitting, I firmly understand why his work has been so widely recognised; It is snappy and concise and presents the reader with scenes and scenarios that make you think, laugh and cry all at the same time. The book is packed full of wonderful, intricate observations of day to day life that sit perfectly alongside mesmerising dystopian mind melters.

I almost regret polishing this book off so quickly. It is like when you are eating a really delicious pizza, you wolf it down in a matter of minutes then immediately wish that you had taken the time to savour it. Either way, whether you read it in one fell swoop or dip in and out of it whenever you have a free moment, Being With Me Will Help You Learn is a must read collection and gets two big thumbs up from me!

Grab a copy right now from Listen Softly London.