Mud, Water and Magic: Change The Word Bradford

The latest Change the Word book from new writers around the world!

Bradford is an often neglected city, yet one that has a lot to say. It is a city with a rich history of people power, home to one of the youngest populations in Europe and the 2025 UK City of Culture. In these turbulent times, it has never been more important for us to document these stories.

Included in this volume are poems which touch on what it means to be a citizen of Bradford today – a city of contrasts and ‘melodic chaos’. This imperfect mix is further celebrated by poets defining their origins beyond Bradford; examining their relationships to place, to language, to food, and calling attention to the paradoxes of what it means to be alive today. These poems celebrate knowing ourselves: owning, (re)claiming and defining our identities against the perceptions of others.

We hope these poems – served with ‘ikabou’ and ‘samman’ (respect) – offer nourishment, spark conversation and encourage everyone to revel in the feast of our creativity capacity.