Conkers by James Bunting

Conkers is a collection with Bristol at its heart. A love for the city pervades every word and you can hear it whispering through the houses, streets and harbour of the town that grew each syllable and sentence. ‘Conkers’ is a journey through loving and living, wrestling with an innocence and a world-wise weariness seemingly completely opposed. It is a collection that pulls you close and spins you across the page, setting you down gently with an ache in your heart and a longing for whatever city you call home. At its close, Conkers is about a girl. A story that will remain in just those few words.

James Bunting was born and raised in Bristol. He started writing
aged 13 and doing nothing with his poems until, at 18, a chance
encounter with three American performance poets introduced
him to a style of poetry that proved the jump-start for his writing.
Since that night, James has performed extensively throughout
the UK, including at literature festivals, music festivals and
slams alongside some inspirational poets. His writing has been
described as powerful and emotive, and his performances
regularly leave audiences in awed silence. Conkers is his debut
collection and features many of the poems that have taken him
across the country over the past eight years. James now lives in
London and works in PR.