Discoveries and development from 2025
Career developments, cultural exchange, and general thoughts at the close of the year
I know, I know: the end-of-year ‘content’ is everywhere. Even my Lidl Plus app has 2025 Wrapped. It is a good time to take stock, though — particularly for freelancers and creatives — and so here are my discoveries and developments from 2025.
I’ve taken inspiration from the excellent Cultural Exchange: 5x5 post from The Ampersand by Karla Marie Sweet. I’ve picked five highlights each from the following:
Poetry (obvs)
Fiction
Screen
Career development
Music
I’ll leave the paywall from this one because it’s more of a general wrap-up, rather than carefully crafted long-form advice or insights. And it’ll be business as usual from 2 Jan with the next in my essay series on publishing a collection.
Poetry
It’d be a little silly of me to start with anything other than poetry, wouldn’t it? I’ve been fortunate to experience some truly breathtaking performances this year. I’ve learnt a lot as a poet and been exposed to more styles and themes I wouldn’t usually engage with.
I feel immensely excited about the quality and dynamism of UK poetry heading into 2026, but increasingly anxious about the number of regular nights and indie presses that are struggling to stay afloat. It’s far too easy to take these for granted — please, if you can, support Written Off Publishing by purchasing a book or two!
Swell by Maria Ferguson
A stunningly bold and moving poetry collection that charts multiple journeys of adulthood. Maria has a masterful ability to capture our deepest vulnerabilities alongside moments of warmth, humour and self-awareness; it’s such a difficult balance to strike, but this collection hits every note perfectly.
I’m immensely proud of Maria and everything she’s achieved with this book. It marked a significant step up in her career, and she deserves all the flowers that come her way. You can buy signed copies from Maria here!
Pulling Faces by Zakariye
We were lucky enough to host Zakariye at Hyde Park Book Club just over a month ago. He held the entire room in the palm of his hand, and I only wish I had that level of literary craft and maturity at his age.
The pamphlet explores themes of family, masculinity, coming of age, and heritage. It’s written from the gut and is well worthy of a place on your bookcase. You can buy copies directly from Bad Betty here (including an eBook version).
Dying to Live by Rob Auton
Honestly, I don’t know what to say other than to stop everything you’re doing and have planned until you’ve watched this video. I adore Rob’s work — I can’t conceive how anybody could know his work and not — but this particular poem is just utterly phenomenal.
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Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha
It breaks my heart that this collection exists, but thank goodness it does. I’ve often said that if you truly want the truth in any situation, listen to the poets. I believe we’re being brainwashed in the UK to dissociate and be generally desensitised, particularly to events that happen abroad.
But nobody could feel that way, having read Mosab’s deeply profound collection, channelling hope and resilience in circumstances that most of us could never truly comprehend. You can buy it directly from 4th Estate here.
Side-eye by Matthew Nicholson
I recently shared a stage again with my old pal Matt Nicholson and was blown away by his performance. We toured together in late 2018 and have an intimate understanding of one another’s work and performance style.
His sharpness of delivery was superb, and the poems in this new collection undoubtedly see him at the top of his game. How he manages to be so prolific without once dropping the ball, I don’t know! You can buy signed copies from Matt here!
Fiction
OK, so only one of these novels was actually published in 2025. But I can’t keep bang up-to-date with everything! So, of all the novels I’ve read this year, these are the ones that resonated the strongest.
False Idols by Karla Marie Sweet
A fast-paced and immersive thriller that had me using streak freezes on Duolingo left, right, and centre because I couldn’t put it down. Vivid and intense, it places you at the heart of a terrifying world that encapsulates the way of the world in 2025.
You can buy it from Bookshop.org here, or from your local indie!
Wild Ground by Emily Usher
You know when you’re reading a novel, and it feels like they’ve written it specifically for you?! I was utterly obsessed with this, and again, I absolutely raced through it. The staff in Truman Books described it as, “Shuggie Bain set in Yorkshire.” Emily Usher undoubtedly has her own style, but if that sounds like a bit of you, give it a whirl!
You can buy it from Bookshop.org here, or from your local indie!
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
OK, look, I realise this hardly needs the plug. But in the summer, I finally got around to reading A Clockwork Orange and soon lamented the years it’d spent untouched on my bookcase — it’s a truly unique reading experience.
The linguistic experimentation is utterly bizarre and, quite fittingly, catches you in its spell. Just don’t read it late at night, or it’ll fry your brain!
You can buy it from Bookshop.org here, or from your local indie!
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
This took a while for me to read because it’s very heavy at points, and sometimes you need to take a breath, but my word, it’s worth it. It’s a perfect example of how fiction can make you feel as if you’re living in a vivid and specific time and place, despite having never known anything about it previously. It’s a truly stunning novel.
You can buy it from Bookshop.org here, or from your local indie!
England Is Mine by Nicolas Padamsee
This is a powerful and brave novel that attempts to get right to the heart of the radicalisation that’s currently bubbling over the surface in contemporary England. It alternates between two narratives — David and Hassan — and the way their arcs escalate through sites like Reddit provides a terrifying insight into some of society’s deepest problems.
You can buy it from Bookshop.org here, or from your local indie!
Screen
Again, not all of these were released in 2025. But here’s a selection of things I particularly loved on the screen, all of which (I believe) are available to stream, depending on which platforms you use.
I Swear (Feature film, 2025)
What an incredible film. I cried at least 2-3 times watching this a few weeks ago, and I’m already itching to watch it again. A real victory for UK indie cinema. Everything was flawless — the screenplay, the acting, the cinematography — and it was made even more special with the archive footage of John at the end.
Film Club (TV series, 2025)
One of the things I loved most about Film Club was the fact that you just know nobody else could’ve made it. Aimee Lou Wood is spellbinding from the off, and, as well as the classic ‘will they / won’t they’ dynamic, it’s an authentic and moving depiction of realising and owning your neurodivergence.
God’s Own Country (Feature film, 2017)
I recently discovered this film through BFI Player (which I’m loving, by the way). It’s a love story like no other I’ve seen before, in a captivating setting. Just don’t watch it with your parents…
Small Axe: Education (TV series, 2020)
Admittedly, this wasn’t my first time watching Small Axe. The series overall is right up there with one of my favourite things I’ve ever watched on TV. On first watch, a few years back, Lovers Rock stood out as my favourite, but this time, it was Education.
That this series was made with zero compromise is a real triumph for UK TV and culture in general. It’s faultless in every sense, and I’ll rewatchit again and again.
Rocket Fuel (TV short, 2025)
I couldn’t be prouder of my pal Jordon Scott Kennedy for everything he’s achieved this year. Rocket Fuel gained tens of millions of views when it was released as a comedy short on iPlayer in the summer, and JSK was over in Hollywood in August.
It’s hilarious, it’s authentic, it’s working-class, and it’s proper Yorkshire. Loved it.
Career development
I suppose, really, this is why you’re reading my newsletter in the first place. These are five key ways in which my career developed throughout 2025.
Making Trouble with Molly Naylor (Podcast)
This isn’t the first time I’ve plugged Making Trouble, but if you still haven’t checked it out yet, treat yourself to a binge-listen over the New Year period! It’s warm, it’s funny, it’s fascinating, and it’s a fantastic source of CPD for freelance creatives working in any form. Molly is the perfect host, and there are two whole series for you to explore.
Marjorie’s Table from Marjorie Lotfi (Online workshops)
Again, this isn’t the first time I’ve plugged Marjorie’s Table, but again, I can’t recommend it enough. The workshops take place over Zoom every Wednesday morning and, crucially, are uploaded to YouTube afterwards. It’s remarkable how productive the 30-minute sessions are, and Marjorie has been transformative in helping me to read more widely and to feel more confident in analysing poetry.
Facilitating in prisons for the NLT
I have to be honest. I started writing a full post on this to publish on 19 December, but it felt too complex and sensitive to flesh out fully. What I’ll say is, nothing has ever given me such a sense of purpose as a poetry facilitator, has made me feel so moved by the transformative power of creative writing, and has reaffirmed the belief that making assumptions equates to slamming doors.
Landing a collection with Broken Sleep
The process of writing Peacocks Can’t Swim was truly transformative for me and a real joy throughout. I’m immensely grateful to Broken Sleep Books for agreeing to publish it in January 2027. This has formed the basis of my monthly essay series, with the next instalment coming on Friday (2 Jan).
Pivoting to scriptwriting with Screen Yorkshire
To be frank, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to apply for The Mayor’s Script Diversity Programme without encouragement from a friend. But I did, and I was over the moon when Screen Yorkshire invited me to join the cohort.
The six online masterclasses did a great deal at demystifying the screen industry, and the networking events were uniquely beneficial. I’m right at the beginning of my journey here, but already, I’ve noticed an impact on my poetry and fiction writing.
Music
I’m running out of space here, so I’ll just give a quick shout-out to some of my favourite music releases of 2025. Lily Allen’s West End Girl is still buzzing around in the back of my brain with no sign of budging. Self Esteem’s A Complicated Woman is probably my favourite album of the year overall.
My favourite individual track was probably Utopia by The Streets (strangely addictive), and I also joined the party embarrassingly late for Corinne Bailey Rae’s Black Rainbows album. Finally, I’ve also massively enjoyed The Clearing by Wolf Alice.
Thanks, as always, for reading this far. I’ll be back with the next instalment of my series on writing and publishing a poetry collection. The next post (out on 2 Jan) looks at starting to submit solo poems and seek feedback on your WIP.
Love this! What a clever idea adding in career development highlights! & The streak freezes 😂. What a compliment!
Happy New Year, Matt. Hope you & your little family have a great start to 2026! xx