If you ever doubted the variety of erotic expression, take a peek inside The Emma Press’s Mildly Erotic Verse anthology. The expanded second edition was launched on Wednesday night upstairs at the Betsey Trotwood. Outside, it was pretty nippy. Inside, the gaggle of poets and poetry lovers was soon casting aside coats and basking in the warm red glow of poetry that purred, tickled, surprised and, in the best way, left us wanting more.

I’m thrilled—dare I say chuffed to buggery?—to have a poem included in the new edition, and it was a pleasure to read at the launch. Mine’s the poem that features bananas. It seemed to go down well, so to speak.

Some of my highlights from the launch included Mary Gilonne’s Avventura with its great opening line, Sophia Blackwell’s luscious The Globemakers, the wickedly funny My Love, the Shetland Trowie by Stephanie Green, Angela Kirby, Di Slaney, Natalie Shaw and Isobel Dixon. Now I’m enjoying rereading these and discovering more delights. My absolute favourite so far is Contagion by Victoria Kennefick, which manages to be both supremely icky and tremendously lustful at the same time.

Mildly erotic verse with GSOH—what an aphrodisiac!