'the x of y' Summer Read

the x of y is one of the Belfast Telegraph's recommended summer reads, as selected by Damian Smyth, head of literature at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland:

"With an already impressive following online and as a spoken word virtuoso, Colin Dardis's long-awaited debut in print, the x of y (Eyewear Publishing £10.99), includes a darker aspect, but one shot through with cute observations and unconventional perspectives. What poetry does, in fact."

There are other great choices showcased as well; I'm looking forward to reading Kate Newmann's fifth collection (Ask Me Next Saturday, Summer Palace), as well as Stuart Bailie's Trouble Songs: Music and conflict in Northern Ireland (Bloomfield Press). I only got to skim through Trouble Songs before speaking to Bailie from a Belfast Book Festival event, and it certainly deserves a fuller and complete read.