On February 17th 2025 the good people of Seren Books published Significant Wow, my first full length collection – you can buy it directly from me here. The collection’s been a long old time in the making and I’m so pleased that it is now out in the world. I’ve also had loads of fun curing a playlist to accompany the collection, you can access it and read about it here it features The Cribs, and Olivia Rodrigo, Skunk Anansie, Elvis Costello, and Avril Lavigne.

The collection’s first event out in the real world was in the excellent company of Bethany Handley and clare e. potter at Cardiff Central Library (a fitting first event venue for the book as it was opened by the Manic Street Preachers, my favourite band since the age of 15).

‘To Be Mindful (Type A+)’, a small poem from the collection was made Yorkshire Times’ Poem of the Week on Saturday 1st March a date which also marked the beginning of my stint as Libraries Wales Author of the Month. The associated interview was shared by my mum on Facebook with the inspirational message ‘Buy the book. You never know you might like poetry.’ This strategy has definitely sold at least two copies of the book so far, thanks mum.

On the 13th of March Write Out Loud published a lovely review of the collection saying, ‘One of the many strengths of this volume is Cotterill’s penchant for coming up with inventive lines that catch us off guard and often reveal a hidden truth.’

My friend Julie took the first photo of Significant Wow out in the wild at South Kensington Books and turned it to face outwards over John Cooper Clarke (sorry John!) I also spotted a copy in Cardiff Waterstones but I was too embarrassed to take a photo myself so thank god for Julie.

On 19th March I read at Ye Olde Murenger House accidentally in the outfit that I wrote about in the poem Punks Consider the Dylan Thomas Theatre.

On World Poetry Day my interview with Taz Rahman’s Just Another Poet channel was published:

Mab Jones reviewed Significant Wow in the March poetry round up in buzz magazine: https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/new-poetry-march-2025-diane-seuss-jon-gower/

The Western Mail weekender magazine interviewed me about the collection which was very lovely if at least a bit alarming. As a person who fundamentally believes themself to be deeply boring interviews are always a strange old time.

On the 26th March the official launch party for Significant Wow took place at Tiny Rebel Cardiff. It was an amazing evening and I was so proud to see so many Cardiff poetry people there, as well as friends who have no clue about poetry and turned out so kindly to support me. Photos on the night came from the fab Beth Kimber Photography.

I took part in the Onwards/Ymlaen! event at Lyra Poetry Festival, celebrating 60 years of Poetry Wales on April 27th. I was invited at the last minute as the excellent Bethany Handley had to pull out due to illness. I was so honoured to take the stage in her place as as well as some poems from my collection I was pleased to read Bethany’s poem Hiya Butt Bay on her behalf.

On the 10th of June I took a train to Abergavenny to read at the Poetry Upstairs event on the kind invitation of Ric Hool where I read alongside Graham Hartill. It was a lovely event although a comedy of errors style gaffe in the interval meant that I came home with the copy of Significant Wow that I’d signed to a lady called Usha. I think Usha went home with an unsigned copy and this particular copy is now my reading edition as I think my odds of hand selling another copy to a person called Usha are slim! It also appears that a tragedy struck somewhere on the way to or from this event as I haven’t seen my Vivienne Westwood knuckle duster ring (as featured in Punks Consider the Dylan Thomas Theatre) since.

In September I embarked on a road trip around Wales with my partner Dan. It was the long way round to get up to the Lake District for a wedding. It was a lovely trip and I spotted my first ever red squirrels on Anglesey and also a wild copy of Significant Wow in the Bookshop by the Sea in Aberystwyth.

Slightly hungover the day after the Lake District wedding I set off home alone, leaving Dan in the Lakes with family for a bit. Not an ideal drive to undertake solo, particularly as I joined the M6 and heard the next direction, ‘in 155 miles…’. However needs must as I had promised myself to the Swansea and District Writers Circle that evening to read some poems and talk about writing. My eternal thanks to my Cardiff poetry pal Marcelle Newbold for giving me a lift on the Cardiff – Swansea leg of that journey otherwise I may have simply expired.

It was good fun chatting to the Swansea Writers although I had managed to leave my notes in the Lake District and very much had to wing it. I read some poems and chatted a bit a bout process – not least writing out loud in the car and my theory that if I can’t remember a poem it’s because it’s not good enough. I also set the group a challenge of writing a pop culture poem of their own and I’m looking forward to reviewing their submissions in the coming weeks! Marcelle did take a photo of me giving my talk but as it is physically impossible to not look a fool while speaking here’s a photo of me desperately trying to recreate my talk notes instead.

Upcoming Events for Significant Wow:

On November 12th myself and fellow Seren Poet Rachel Carney are the featured poets at Bookspace Cardiff’s poety open mic event. Come along and read with us!

On February 24th I’m back at my launch venue of Tiny Rebel as the featured poet in the Big Words series.