Whitwell man's 'inspirational' poetry is a top read on Amazon

Richard C Bower, a former careers adviser who is originally from Mansfield, has released a poetry collection called 'Sanctuary.'

It is now in Amazon’s Top 50 ‘Inspirational Books’ category ahead of collections by Lord Byron and William Blake. The 66-poem collection, is the 45-year-old’s second book, following on from his work ‘Post Modern.’

Richard, the official poet for Mansfield Town Football Club, wrote and compiled his latest work whilst living in a Buddhist community in Leicester for six months.

He said: “My poems are getting five star reviews. In some of the feedback it says they are helping people through lockdown, which is fantastic!”

Following Sanctuary’s success, Richard has now been invited to read from his work online, this Thursday (February 18), for the prestigious Author’s Club, in London, which has been going since 1891.

Richard, a former Queen Elizabeth boys’ school pupil (now Queen Elizabeth Academy, in Mansfield) has written all his life.

“I just thought writing was normal, that everyone did it. But when I lost my mum Ann Bower, in 2013, I wrote a journal and my bereavement councillor encouraged me to take it seriously.

"I went to stay in a Buddhist community to write, because I wanted to be in a creative space, take myself away from the life I was in at the time, a different mindset.

“Post Modern, my first book was the result of the emotional fall out from losing my mum, emotions were spilling out onto the page. I never expected this success, it’s like my mum’s passing gift to me, in someway she is still helping me on my journey.

“Academics have also likened the themes of Sanctuary to the works of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, which is a fantastic honour.

“I am excited to have received an invitation from one of Britain's oldest and most prestigious literary institutions to read. It is the same organisation that Oscar Wilde, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells and Graham Greene and others all read at, in years gone by.”

"I feel blessed, I believe my mum’s pulling some strings for me up there, life is full of surprises.”

Richard’s book is available to purchase on Amazon.