Irritating the Silver Lining

'Poets think differently to the rest of us. Dave thinks differently to the rest of the poets.'

Richard Hawley

'Everyone needs this Dave in their lives.'

Nick Banks

They say every cloud has a silver lining.

This book of poems and photographs is the result of IRRITATING THE SILVER LINING with the grit of Dave Kurley's imagination for the last couple of years. In here you will find a veritable downpour of little pearls, perfectly formed. There is love of many different kinds. Misplaced anger. Grief and loss. Musings on anxiety and depression. The pandemic (inevitably). And there is open-mouthed wonder at the nature that surrounds us. Oh, and some of it's pretty funny, too.

Dave Kurley is constantly amazed by the fact he was born in Sheffield in 1962. He has been, at various times, an actor, a dry stone waller, a civil servant, a stand-up comedian, a sales rep, a singer, a pub manager, a playwright, a call centre operative and a podcaster. This list is neither exhaustive nor complete. Currently, he is a prize-winning poet and a conversational English tutor. These things are subject to change.

He is equally amazed that these days he lives in central Portugal, with his lovely wife Alison (this is not subject to change), and a lot of sunshine and butterflies. He enjoys performing his poetry, both live and online. You'll find him in Kurleybobs' Poetry Corner on Instagram or Facebook. Say hello when you get there. He'd like that.