A powerful and moving collection of poems written by soldiers and civilians who have experienced different conflicts around the world and throughout history. Each poem is followed by a biography of the poet, and their relationship to conflict, as well as the background of the war that is the subject of each poem.


Dating back as far as ancient conflicts like the Battle of Troy and taking the reader through to 21st century conflicts, this collection explores shifting tones of patriotism and disillusionment, to finding hope in bleak times.

Performance poet and playwright, Joseph Coelho, has written plays for the Polka Theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith and the Unicorn Theatre. He performs his poetry shows with the UK's top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes, visiting venues across the nation. His poems have appeared in many anthologies, including Green Glass Beads and The Works 6. He is the Waterstones Children's Laureate 2022-2024.