‘In the title poem of Jack Thacker’s Handling, the young speaker struggles to steer large – and stubborn – sheep. Watching his father, he realises that handling animals needs subtlety as well as strength. Both these qualities grace Jack Thacker’s poems not of surface glamour, but of depth and skill. They offer their readers rich rewards.’
– Alison Brackenbury
‘On a first reading Handling is a convincing and likeable book; it takes a while to appreciate fully the quiet brilliance of this brief masterpiece, but once you do, it stays.'
– Bernard O’Donoghue
Purchase a copy direct from the publisher here
'Burr' in Caught By The River
'Dream Dive' in Interim (38.3)
‘from I, Sheep’, ‘The River’s Chambers’, ‘The Lunar Bow’ in Blackbox Manifold 24
Other writings include essays and chapters on poets such as Edward Thomas, Ted Hughes and Alice Oswald for a range of critical books and journals.