2026
Following a period during which literary activity was more limited owing to family illness, I am now focused on completing a book on Devon’s women writers. This page records recent publications, readings, and current writing projects from the past two years.
Current Projects
I am currently completing a non-fiction/hybrid book exploring the lives and landscapes of Devon’s women writers. The project draws together many years of archival research, genealogical work, and creative engagement with the county’s literary history. Further details — including the final title and publication plans — will be announced in due course.
I’m also working on the revision of a poetry collection, whose focus is a sequence of poems re-inventing a cluster of intriguing medieval Devon women whose lives are only recorded through a genealogical chart that maps their relationship to one or more male relatives.
2025 Publications
The poem “You only you know the layouts of all the fields” was published in Ambient Receiver (Spring–Summer 2025). The poem revisits childhood landscapes and carries strong personal and emotional associations.
‘It is the day that…’ was published in Cerasus September 25.
“Mary Honychurch”, from an ongoing sequence exploring the vanished lives of medieval Devon women recorded in genealogical ‘gateway’ lines, was published in Amethyst Review (August 2025). My thanks to editor Sarah Law.
Five further poems from the same sequence — “The Fort”, “Threesome”, “Runaway”, “Here in the Hedge”, and “Don’t Forget Cecily” — were published in Lothlorien Journal (September 2025).
2024 Publications & Events
In June, I appeared as co-guest poet with Michelle Diaz for a Fire River Poets Zoom reading — a particularly meaningful event, as I was a member of the group for many years.
During the summer I also completed A Family Script for Those Who Follow, a book of family history focusing on the Sampson family of Broadwoodkelly in Devon. The book is available via Feed a Read and Amazon.
Two poems, “Ridge Songs” and “De Bathe”, were included in the anthology Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, edited by Dr Sarah Law and published by Amethyst Review. I was pleased to take part in the October launch alongside fellow contributors.
Other publications during the year included:
- “The Source” in Cerasus #2
- “Times Old Father-Wise”, featured by Paper Swans Press on Instagram (15 December)
- “Singing with the Owls” and “Farm Garden” in Poetry Space Summer Special
The poem “Look into Air” was accepted by Dawntreader; publication details are to be confirmed.
Julie Sampson 