PUBLICATIONS
I’m often asked where I get my ideas from and the truth is, anywhere.
The sparks of inspiration for a poem, short story, script, or anything longer can come from a word, a photograph, the smallest snippet of overheard conversation, or an image that had formed in my head from who knows where?
The great thing about writing is that you are not confined to one genre, unless you are commissioned to, and the freedom to be creative and to let the words emerge on the page is often the most exciting part. The scary part is staring at a blank page to begin with!
There’s a long-held view that you should write what you know and whilst that can help, writing what feels right to you is most enjoyable. Write first, edit later. That is why I write a variety of pieces. Having worked a plethora of jobs whilst writing alongside this, as well as struggling with my own mental health, I often draw on some of those locations and situations I’ve been in, or feel I’d like to be in, or I may create a character that is an amalgum of two or three people I know or have known.
To date, my publication list is short, but it is growing. The oft-held dream of being one of the great writers has been squashed by my own internal monologue on more than several occasions but having worked through that, it’s amazing how you recognise that you truly can follow your dreams and write the story you want to live, if you’re willing to do so.
I don’t know what to say. Truly wonderful. So clever. What lovely words. I am in tears reading [the poems] and couldn’t read them all at once. Such talent.
Look Inside, Nov 2023
Look Inside is my debut publication. A small collection of poems written throughout the year.
Dip into a world of abundance with poems of heart, soul, and mind. Poems that have been written throughout 2023 that have come to me in lighter times and darker times, but all with the intention of providing inspiration or a moment to reflect in a busy world.
Within first few weeks of launch had already shipped to UK, USA, New Zealand, and Germany.
Roy Peach shows us that there is poetry hovering just beneath the skin when we take the time to look inside. – Beth Kempton
Don’t Tell Me, June 2023
Don’t Tell Me is my debut single, available on Spotify.
Written as a result of a heartbreaking situation I found myself in, it’s one person’s message to another telling the person who did them wrong not to tell them how to live their life considering they got them to this position.
Hugs and Kisses, 2020
Hugs and Kisses was written in response to the global pandemic, Covid-19. Originally written as a piece to share with family and friends, it was soon snapped up by the Victoria and Albert Museum as the ‘voice’ of their pandemic display.
The display was an online digital collection of pieces of art produced during the lockdown period and is available to see at the link on the right.
Elisha’s New Start, 2019
Elisha’s New Start was my entry into the Writing Magazine’s Writer’s Online competition with the theme New Start, which received runner-up status. I was inspired by my days working in schools and the anxiety of waiting for your GCSE results and what the new start may bring. Told in first-person, we meet Elisha, a troubled young person who has always managed to get into trouble. It’s time for a fresh start when she finishes school though, but does she really want to take it?
‘…there’s a particular poignancy to Roy Peach’s results-day story…In [his] hands, Miss Robinson’s ‘new start’ mantra is given powerful currency.’
- 2023 – Shortlisted in the Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition in partnership with Oxford City Council. The theme ‘Twin Cities’ told of the links that the city of Oxford has with several other countries across the world.
- 2020 – Shortlisted (Top 30) in the UK Film Festival 3-minute scripts. This piece was about loneliness in people with mental health. Feedback received: ‘continue writing scripts of this calibre.’