Bell Street Blues is a book of poetry inspired by Laurie McTaggart’s life. Nearly seventy years after being born in Bell Street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Laurie has summed his life up in poems. And while the street is long gone (cleared in the slum-clearances of the 1960s) the memories live on with this new collection. The result is a book of poetry destined to appeal to readers who enjoy light, biographical poems with a smattering of theology and little bit of humour.

‘There are many advantages in being a poet,’ observes Laurie, ‘notably being able to focus on the small things, that tend to get lost in a longer story. Writing a poem is like twiddling with the eyepiece of a microscope to get a sharper view.’

Laurie’s childhood, early years and upbringing have all influenced his work, which also touches upon his battle with Secondary-Progressive MS.

Laurie’s work is reminiscent of the poems of Mark Twain and Billy Collins, as well as being highly evocative of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, his hometown.